Fumilola Abdullahi, founder of Cindara, a children's fashion brand based in Abuja, shared his insights on how to create a sustainable children's fashion brand in Nigeria.
Ms Abdullahi, a fashion entrepreneur and wife of former Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi, has specialised in children's clothing since she founded Cindara in 2017. Her brand has gained recognition for its creativity, unique style and quality.
Cindara caters to elite and average consumers while maintaining a high standard of quality and luxury fashion for children and young adults.
In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, she discussed the essentials of building a successful kidswear brand in Nigeria, stressing the importance of discovering a niche, identifying trends and knowing your target audience.
Fumilola Abdullahi, founder of Cindara, a children's fashion brand based in Abuja
She said: “Understanding the Nigerian fashion market and hub is crucial. Conducting thorough research on the Nigerian kids fashion market to identify gaps, trends and most importantly, the needs of your consumers is critical. You will also need to identify your competitors and challenges to understand the gaps and how you can overcome them. Carve out a niche for yourself.
“Who is your target audience? You need to be clear about that and tailor your services and products to meet their needs, expectations and preferences. Focus on a specific niche, such as affordable luxury, eco-friendly materials and cultural designs. Create designs that resonate with your niches, such as culture or luxury, as the case may be, while being modern and functional.”
The children's fashion expert further revealed that durable and functional clothing is essential for children. Using her brand as an example, she briefly spoke about creating a sustainable brand like Cindara.
Article page with promotion of financial support
“If you focus on good quality, you will create a loyal and good customer base. Durable and functional clothing is essential for children. These factors will help differentiate your brand. You will have developed a clear brand identity that communicates your values of sustainability, quality and luxury.
“You can build a sustainable fashion brand by creating exclusive, high-quality luxury pieces using eco-friendly materials. You can also build a strong, engaging brand identity that attracts consumers and retains customers.”
Inspiration
A former banker with a deep passion for fashion, the fashion entrepreneur said she was motivated to learn the trade despite the challenges she faced during her early days.
Her journey into the fashion world was also fueled by repeated disappointments with tailors who failed to deliver what she imagined, highlighting a major gap in the Nigerian fashion industry.
She said, “I love fashion. I have good taste and a fashion sense. I love dressing well. On many occasions, tailors and designers have let me down, both in terms of quality and time. I had an event to attend and needed someone to make me a dress. I didn’t like what they gave me and I was supposed to attend the event with my husband. I ended up wearing Iru and Buba.
“These experiences highlighted the shortcomings of the Nigerian fashion industry. Being passionate about this field, I embarked on this journey in 2012.
I didn’t just want to learn, but to be very good at it. So I started from scratch, learning to make simple indigenous clothes and freehand methods from a tailor at the famous Garki market in Abuja, and when I finished, I started enrolling in fashion schools to acquire advanced skills.”
Quality vs Quantity
Considering the deterioration of the Nigerian economy over time, demanding quality products at low prices may seem insensitive or incapable. However, Abdullahi exempted his brand from offering low-quality clothing in order to save costs.
Cindara Designs
She explained how the customization of fabrics has allowed for better costs while Cindara maintains its standard of providing quality children's clothing.
Cindara’s CEO said: “Prioritising the right quality fabrics and materials has helped. I customise the fabrics and this allows me to negotiate prices as we are buying in bulk. This reduces the costs per unit while maintaining exclusivity, quality and standard. I also source materials locally to reduce import costs which has allowed me to have more budget for quality fabrics.
“Also, since it is bulk buying, as you might call it, we still get good prices. We have pieces starting from N30,000; they are worthy of parties and celebrities. So it depends on your budget and what you want. We have pieces; even for kids, we have pieces starting from N400,000 and N350,000. And we have pieces starting from N35,000 and N40,000. So it depends on what you want. But what is guaranteed at the end is that you will get quality. You will get a good deal,” she added.
Revealing the trick to sourcing quality fabrics at affordable prices to satisfy her customers, she said, “Developing strong, long-lasting relationships with trusted suppliers who understand my commitment to quality has helped me a lot. And long-term partnerships can lead to better prices and consistent quality.”
How to balance marriage with creating a successful brand
It is not impossible to build a successful brand as a wife and mother in Nigeria.
Fumilola Abdullahi, founder of Cindara, a children's fashion brand based in Abuja.
During the interview, Ms. Abdullahi briefly spoke about how to balance marriage and creating a successful brand. She highlighted how difficult it can be for married women to create a brand.
She said, “Benefiting marriage and business requires a fine balance to ensure that one does not affect the other. It can be a challenge for women who want to balance both. It involves a lot of sacrifices and huge responsibilities. In my case, I would say it has been GOD, because these things require the grace of GOD. No one can claim to be perfect or expert in all these things.”
READ ALSO: FASHION IN SPOTLIGHT: Roots Runway's Ochanya Chic 2024 Collection
“It’s a huge task, but I set my priorities and responsibilities and delegate well those tasks that can be delegated. I can’t be in two places at once. I can’t do everything myself either. So having competent people as team members has helped my business. Building a strong team is one way to achieve that balance so I don’t get overwhelmed.”
She also advised mothers to seek help when needed because combining family and work can be challenging, but achievable.