By KEMI YESUFU
For many of the people who know Binta Shuiabu, the Creative Director at Vintage Colette, she is simply a whiz kid. Not only is she armed with a degree in French, an IT qualification a CISCO Certified network administrator and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, she is an award-winning designer. Despite her celebrity status, meeting the Kano based haute fashion exponent at home also revealed that she is a homemaker who enjoys her roles as mother and wife.
In fact, the young designer is Old School, when it comes to managing her home. She doesn't have a steward or over worked house-helps. She does her cooking by herself and disciplines her four-year-old son when the need arises. "I am surprised when some young parents tell me I shouldn't scold my son when he makes mistakes", she says. "I believe that as Africans we raise our children in a loving but strict manner that we should keep up with no matter how much we want to be like other civilized people of the world."
In this interview, she talks about the secret behind her award winning designs, how to run a profitable label and the pains of running a business in Kano due to the high level of insecurity.
You won the MTN/British Council young designers' award in 2011. How much did it change your life?
It opened doors for me, doors that naturally would have taken me years to open. It was also a dream come true.
Did you get into the competition to prove a point or you did for the fun of it?
I just took a chance because I didn't know what to expect. You know how it is in Nigeria; you never know if one powerful person had a preferred contestant. I didn't know if the award would be given to the right candidate or if the process would be free and fair. But it turned out to be free and fair.
After the young designer's award, you were one of the beneficiaries of the Federal Government's YouWin Project and you were also one of the designers recognized by Dutch fabric manufacturer, Vlisco, during their women's month celebration in March. What does it take to get this level of recognition as a young designer?
It takes hard work and dedication. If you want recognition, then, you have to put in lots of work. And you also have to be passionate about what you do. You cannot make headway in anything unless you have passion for what you do.
There are many passionate and hardworking designers still struggling to make a name. So, besides these two requirements you have mentioned, what else does an aspiring designer need to do?
First thing is to study and understand your market. Secondly, it is better for designers to make clothes that are wearable. In Nigeria, rarely are people interested in avant-garde fashion, they want clothes they can wear. Overseas, people admire the art of avant-garde clothes but here people are really not interested. Nigerians are practical; they just want something that will be useful to them. Designers also need to look into creating a retail line that is affordable and trendy. They surely have to concentrate on making their label a business not just something they are known for.
You studied French, have an it certification and a degree in Biochemistry but you settled for fashion design, why?
The fashion business is what I have real passion for. I studied French, Biochemistry and I got CCNA certification to make myself unique in the job market. As you can see, the qualifications are not related. I got each certificate at a point when I wanted to enhance my profile in the job market. Fashion design is what makes me happy. When I wake up every morning I look forward to going to work and this is very important to me. I don't think I would have been this happy if I was doing a 9-5 job I didn't have passion for.
Do you ever think that you spent too much time acquiring these certificates?
No. Like I said, at each point of my life when I needed to brush up my education, I did so. One time, I applied for a scholarship with the World Bank and during the interview I was asked if I speak Japanese. Of course I laughed it off because it's a language that is spoken in just one country but I knew that I had to study a second international language. Like my interviewee told me, I knew that if I am to compete with the rest of the world, it wasn't wise to restrict myself to one international language. I picked French because it is one of the three major languages in Africa aside from English and Arabic both of which I have good knowledge of. For the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Administrator), I did it because I wanted to get into IT. But I realized that it wasn't the career for me. For my degree in biochemistry, it came about because I wanted to study medicine. So, I will just say that each of the certificates point to the milestones in my life.
Did you have the support of your family when you came with the idea of dropping all your qualifications for the scissors?
I guess I am here today because of the support I got from my mum during my childhood. It was my mother who sent me for a training course in tailoring. In fact, it was the only training I got before I won the MTN/British Council award. On the part of my husband, he has really been supportive. Yes it's true that parents send their kids to school with the hope that they will use their certificates to earn a living but when the children choose to walk in another career path and they show that they know what they are doing, they will earn their parents' support. I guess this is what happened in my case. My dad is late and my mother supports me because I am doing well in the career I have chosen. Sure, I have had challenges like most people do, but I
have been able to tackle them and move on to the next idea or project especially with the support of family.
What is the best advice a designer can get?
The best advice is that they should focus on creativity and sales. A lot of upcoming designers pay much attention to public relations, they want to be at shows, appear on websites and the media. I am not saying that it's bad to publicise your label but be sure that when people come, they aren't disappointed by what they see after all the hype.
Some clients go to a designer after a show and she cannot replicate what she showcased on the runway. Some designers don't have their designs in different sizes or in different colors. Some cannot even add a design or twist demanded by a client and all of these are important because they affect or help sales. For me, making is quite important because running a label is business. The irony is that some young designers who spent huge sums on public relations might not be making sales like the next person who concentrated on making buyable pieces.
Secondly, designers shouldn't price themselves out of business. Sometimes you see clothes going for as high as N150,000 to N1m. Nigeria is not the kind of place where many people walk into a shop to buy dresses at N150,000 a piece. Most people would rather have many fashion items that are worth N1m than
seven to eight items that cost N1m. Finally, designers must learn to deal with the complaints of customers. There is hardly anyone who would say he or she hasn't had complaints from clients, so it is good that you look at what the client complains about with the goal of satisfying them.
Talking about sales, is it profitable running a label in a largely conservative place like Kano?
Certainly, I am making sales because I make clothes for people from the ages of 15 to 65. It is a large age group and because of this, clients can easily find what they want. And when you talk about clients in north, they don't all come from a certain religion. I have clients from different religions and they ask you for designs that suit their personality and I provide them with it.
Has the high level insecurity in Kano affected your business?
Yes it has. The physical figures aren't as many they used to be. Lots of people have relocated and though they still make orders, it is not as it used to be. But I believe that this is a passing phase. I believe that everything will get back to normal because there is hardly any business that hasn't been negatively affected by the situation. Things just have to get better.
Do you see yourself expanding your business beyond a clothing line?
I am thinking about making perfumes. But it is a long-term goal and when I am ready I will go into partnership with perfume makers who will use my brand name and pay me royalties. I don't want to be a Jack-of-all-trades.
What are the kinds of fabrics you like working with?
Because of our weather, I like working with soft fabrics. I like working with jacquard, lace, silk chiffon and normal fabrics that people are comfortable with.
How was growing up like for you?
It was fun. I grew up in a family with 13 children, six girls and seven boys. My father was a loving and caring man. He died 15 years ago. On her part, my mother is my backbone. She is the kind that encourages her children every step of the way. She doesn't put pressure on you but she wants you to be the best you can be. She often advises that though you must go out there and get things done, you shouldn't over work yourself. She believes that when it is time to rest, you must take a rest because no man's death will stop the earth from rotating. I am blessed really because I also have a happy family life as an adult. I have a husband who has supported me a great deal. I guess he noticed that the fashion business makes me happy.
Do you have role models in the fashion industry?
Yes I do. I like the old fashion houses overseas like Channel. I also admire retailers like H&M, Splash as well as Marks and Spencer, they have been through ups and downs but they managed to stay afloat. Unfortunately, we don't have such old fashion labels in Nigeria. But in Nigeria I admire Folake Majin and Ituen Bassey because they make reasonably priced wearable items. In terms of African fabrics I respect Vlisco because they have been around for over a hundred years.
What do you do when you are not talking business?
I read a lot. In fact, reading helped me a great deal when I entered for the MTN/British Council competition. I had read a number of business and fashion books, so when I got into the competition, I quickly grasped the things that we were being taught. The only training I had before into the competition was the three-month tailoring course my mother sent me to at age 13. But I made do with the things I read before. I also read biographies of top business people. It is from their biographies that you will see that even great achievers go through challenges. As a matter of fact, some big names in business have gone through life threatening diseases and
bankruptcy, yet, they came out of it. I equally read thriller novels, cookbooks and magazines.
You have a son. How much has motherhood changed you?
It has changed me a lot. I look at the world differently. As a mother I think about how I can impact on society and how things can be done to better the future of the country. No doubt, I love being a mother though it is not an easy job. My son has gotten to the age where he asks questions and I don't want to ever lie to him. Yes, I might have to find a way to put things across to him but I won't lie.
What is your guiding philosophy?
I believe in karma so I treat people like I want to be treated. If you know that you wouldn't like to be treated in a certain way, don't even treat another person in a like manner because it will come back to you no matter how long it takes. I also believe in putting my happiness first. I wouldn't have gotten into.
Via: Sun News Online