Benedicta Enodiana, founder, Dreamy Fabrics &More, is among the few female entrepreneurs that are building successful fashion brands in Lagos – the country’s commercial centre.
Enodiana, who is also a human resource consultant, was inspired to establish Dreamy Fabrics &More in 2018 out of her love for colours and African prints.
Since starting, the business has continued to grow steadily as its customer base keeps expanding.
“When we started, our sales were through one-on-one marketing and sometimes it took a few weeks to even sell an item,” she says.
“But today, we have our products listed in popular stores in Lagos and we now get orders from weekly referrals,” the young entrepreneur also says.
The sociologist-turned-entrepreneur says that her business sources all its raw material locally, by working with the best vendors to get quality products.
“Everything we use for production is sourced and carefully handcrafted locally,” she says.
She notes that the business has continually remained in operation owing to its excellent customer satisfaction and delivery of quality products.
“The fashion space is an open market and very competitive. We will continue to do all we can carefully to deliver quality products and ensure our customer satisfaction always,” she explains.
The business currently has four employees. “We have a small team of four employees. A team lead, two support staff, and a sales and business development representative.”
Enodiana further says the business aims to continually grow its customer base in the short run, while its long-run plan is to make the brand a household name.
In evaluating the country’s fashion industry, the young entrepreneur says the sector is fast growing and very promising.
“Over the past decade a lot of young women have been doing well in the industry and even represented Nigeria globally with local brands,” she notes.
Speaking on some of the major challenges limiting her business, she says lack of standardisation of products remains a big hurdle for Dreamy Fabrics &More.
She states that the Nigerian market is filled with lots of substandard fabrics because the government has failed to ensure standards.
According to her, the business spends more time and resources in ensuring that they get the quality fabrics for its customers.
“There are a lot of substandard items out there and if one is not careful, one will mess up a brand. We spend a lot of time selecting quality raw materials so that our finished products will be just perfect for our customers,” she says.
She urges the government at all levels to standardise the industry in order to promote local brands globally.
She also urges the government to revive the country’s textile industry by investing and promoting the use of local fabrics in the country.
She calls on the country to adopt the Turkey model in growing its fashion industry.
“The government should adequately invest in the industry to grow the economy. We can use our ‘ankara’ prints to do anything and everything fashionable, just like the Indians,” she says.
“What stops primary and secondary schools from adopting ‘ankara’ school uniforms and bags? We must begin to think and love our things rather than look outside?” she says.
On her advice to other entrepreneurs, she says, “Stay true to yourself and your brand and ensure quality over quantity.”
