Buy Nigeria to grow the Naira. Does this apply to our Fashion Industry?

Buy Nigeria to grow the Naira,that's a phrase I have heard a zillion times in the last 6 years. As much as I love that idea and how important it is for us to actually buy Nigeria to grow Nigeria, How much has the Nigerian Brand Owner or manufacturer of products encouraged Nigerians to patronize their products?

The three basic things a man needs in life are; food, clothing and shelter. Fortunately for us in Nigeria, the agricultural sector is improving by the day, even the hike in the price of tomatoes in the last couple of months and the drastic improvement(cut in price) has shown that the agricultural sector is a testimony of greater things to come in this country. This translates to the fact that, the number one basic need of man is under control and home grown food will eventually be in surplus for export to grow the Naira.

The second basic need of man,depending on what perspective you may choose to look at it is clothing. This brings us to the Nigerian Fashion Industry. I love this industry so much, this industry has grown from the Kesse Jabari days when clothes were made bespoke for fashion icons to the new age where the Nigerian designers like Ejiro Tafiri Amos and others now compete healthily for a ready to wear line.

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As much as I love the new age, the No.1 question we need to ask collectively as citizens of this great African Nation  is  who are the target market for this ready to wear lines that we have in the new Nigeria? From my understanding of a ready to wear clothing line, it simply means factory made clothing in finished conditions, that needs no alteration. These are items you can get off the rack and at an affordable price too.

In Europe and America where we have the major fashion industry, there are two things that sets the fashion industry apart, and this is the high end stores that sells haute couture and bespoke pieces, and the Normal stores that actually sell the ready to wear line which can be afforded by the low, medium or high income earner in the society. This type of stores have something in it for every one, When you are in London, you can have a feel of both world once you land in West End, you have a choice between the high end stores such as Selfridges, Burberry, Gucci and a host of others, and there you would also find the normal-average stores like Next, Newlook,H&M e.t.c.

Over here, the term ready to wear made by our local designers doesn't cater to all levels of income earners. The ready to wear line seems like Haute Couture to me, and most times, you can't just go into a local fashion outlet and shop as much as you want, because the prices are not so pocket friendly. You must give it to the new influx of designers we have here. They sew exquisite pieces just that they are not for every one. Which brings me to how and when do we grow the Naira through this sector of the economy, if our locally made  pieces cannot be in every wardrobe in the country,

There are so many great  labels from around the country, with well tailored pieces to their names, but its seems like the Nigeria designer only wants to restrict its wears to a particular few in the society, so is it safe to say the local labels are strictly high end? If we must grow the Nigerian Brands, thereby growing the Naira, one would assume that brand owners will play a big role in ensuring that they are able to create a brand that would accommodate and encourage an average income earner.

When you visit websites like Ralph Lauren, H&M, or even the Guccis and the Salvator Ferragamos, You not only see the designs they have, but you also see the prices they are selling them. Please visit Ejiro Tafiri Amos, Lanre Dasilva Ajayi or any other made in Nigerian fashion designer website that you know, and let us know if your findings will be any different from ours. What you see on their sites is strictly look-book,  collections,and other fancy names, they never come with a prize tag, you need to call in or go to the store for that particular information.

As important as it is to grow our local brands, the majority of the citizens can not afford to contribute towards growing these brands, so how much investment can the little minority who can actually afford these local luxury impact on the economy?

When Branding goes beyond Products and Services.

With the internet age coupled with social media, branding has taken a whole new form, shape and outlook. Branding has metamorphosed from the age of models being used in advertising to a new era where Brand owners employ the services of an individual to represent a brand in a positive light, thereby creating brand awareness and increasing sales. This has become a global trend in recent times.
The evolution of Brand Ambassador started as far back as the 1950s, when companies began recruiting Brand/Product Managers as a medium to help boost a company's revenue.  The project manager was always seen as the main man in the world of advertising.

Fast forward to the 1990s, people like Micheal Jordan and Tiger Woods began to change the face of branding in the world.They both grossed in more money from endorsement deals than the actual sports earnings.

Toke Makinwa

American celebrities have had and continue to have major brand endorsement deals, which has now translated into brand partnership for some big names particularly in the world of music, fashion and sport. Kanye West, a rapper, record producer and an entrepreneur is one  celebrity with a major partnership deal with Adidas, which dates as far ,back as 2004. The partnership deal known as Adidas x KANYE WEST is a collection of footwear,apparel and accessories.

In Nigeria, Geneveive Nnaji's name apart from being synonymous with acting also has a place in the brand world. She first became a Brand Ambassador in 2004 for Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. Geneveive went on to become the face of Lux Nigeria in 2008, and since then she has gone on the be the face of MUD Cosmetics and has a major endorsement deal with Etisalat.

In recent times, another form of brand ambassadorship that has taken over the internet is the Self -Branding. These are people that they have branded themselves in such a way that Companies love to be identified with them. People that fall into this category are the Kardashians, love them or hate them, they have built a brand that has no competition for now.The most interesting thing about the Kardashian brand is that it involves the whole family, they earn money for virtually every thing they put out on social media, they have become the brand endorsing the product brands, more like the student teaching the teacher.

We have a few brand names in Nigeria that also come close to the Self-Branding category, but we are not there yet. Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, could easily be one Nigerian in the Self-Branding category we need to keep our eyes on. Another person is Toke Makinwa, but hers in on a small scale so I would prefer to use the word Brand Advocate for her, she channels her popularity into advocating and subtly campaigning for brands through her social media platform, through this, she has become the brand ambassador for Payporte and Mecran Cosmetics, while continuing to endorse other brands.

Being a Celebrity any where in the world, means you have to maximize your opportunity and potentials to the fullest, and becoming a brand ambassador is the climax for any known face around the world.

Major Nigerian Brands, such as KIA , Pepsi, Airtel, Globacom, MTN, Etisalat  Procter and Gamble and a host of others, have tapped into the signing of  individuals(celebrities) to project the image of their brand.

Despite the rise in companies using known faces as their Brand Ambassadors, It has be proven time and again that this comes with its own risk and challenges. This challenges comes as a result of a celebrity being involved in scandals, controversy or ill-behavior, which later leaves an impact on the celebrity and the brand they represent.

One thing  is certain, endorsing a big brand in America actually drives more sales for the Company, thereby making all the money invested on the Brand Ambassador, but in Nigeria, can we say the same? Although the motive remains the same but in reality there is no statistical data to establish this.

Whether or not that Brand Ambassadorship will drive in sales for the Nigerian Companies in the nearest future is one that is open for debate.