Christmas: Parents turn to ‘okrika’ as cost of cloths skyrocket

Gone are the days when children from average homes looked up to the Christmas season as a period when they got new clothes, shoes, toys and gifts that distinguished them from the less privileged ones.

Today, the line between the rich, average and even poor homes is out.

The present economic condition has levelled levels.

Many families today struggle to feed, pay rents, medical care and school fees. These good have soared high.

So, the thought of buying expensive Christmas clothes for children has become a luxury this season.

BusinessDay Weekender spoke to some parents who said they have resolved to go for fairly used clothes, popularly known as Okirikia or bend-down- select, thrift in some instances.

Gladdys odugbemi, a secondary teacher in a private school in Surulere Lagos told BDWeekender that : “The price of buying even the cheapest ready-made gown is now N30,000 as against N5,000 or at most N7,000 before.

“I have three girls and a boy. Buying three new dresses mean I have to have nothing less than N90,000 or more which will cover two children’s school fees in a term. A boy’s shirt and jeans trousers are well above N25,000.

“Meanwhile, these costs are without the prices of shoes. So, I just decided to get six yards of beautiful ankara materials that I will give to a very good tailor.

“They will use their old shoes to match. Christmas is just for a day. With such a plan, I have budgeted N20,000. This amount will do a lot of magic.”

Read also: High transport cost driving surge in clothes, food prices

odugbemi’s plan was different from Bunmi Solude’s plan for her children’s Christmas wears.

According to Solude, she has visited the Okrika (fairly used) market in the Aswani area of Lagos state and bought first grade shirts and trousers for her two boys.

“If you have visited the children’s wear market recently, you will understand that this economy is not smiling at all.

“Most of us women who usually buy two to three clothes with matching shoes for our children to wear during Christmas no longer do that.

“Anyone you see in the market buying expensive children’s clothes now is very rich. i have to cut my coat according to my size.

“Last year, I bought ready made clothes for my boys but this year I had to get them first grade fairly used clothes.These cloths are also not cheap but affordable compared to ready made ones.

“A shirt was N3,000 and trousers N5,000. Their shoes were N8,000 each.

I spent N32,000 for both of them. If I hadn’t cut costs that way, I would have coughed out N100,000 to buy clothes for my sons,” Solude said.

Recall that years back, parents purchased two pairs of clothes for their children to celebrate the Yuletide season.

One is worn on Christmas day and the other on the first day of the new year.

Such practice has been made to rest following the continuous increase in the prices of products in the market.

BusinessDay Weekender’s visit to the market revealed that many sellers of children’s ready made clothing were experiencing low patronage.

Zannab Adetutu, a children’s wear trader, said: “This year is terrible. I have never experienced such low patronage during the Yuletide season. Parents are not even looking at buying ready-made clothes for their children.

“Many just come, check the prices and walk away lamenting. It is not our fault but the present foreign exchange rate which has affected the cost of importing these clothes.

“By this time, the market is booming with parents shopping for Christmas clothes for their children.

“Let’s hope to see a positive change in the remaining weeks to Christmas.”