Olga Dicuasa and Adewole Adetayo are business partners with strong affinity for the African leather industry and its potential for global recognition.
The partners started their Jozolu brand online before opening brick and mortar shops across Africa to further strengthen the Jozolu brand presence among Africans.
With over £200,000 pounds investment, Jozolu, which recently launched in Nigeria, is looking at moving into the Gambia as the next step of growing the brand.
“Even though we are UK based, all our accessories are hand crafted and we try to show to the world that Africa can do good quality works, and that we know how to develop well-crafted handmade leather works,” said Dicuasa.
According to Dicuasa, Jozolu brand’s promise to its customers is handmade in the motherland.
“Everything we do will be handmade and it will come from the motherland,” she said.
As part of its marketing strategy for the end-of-year sells drive, Jozolu is offering 15 percent discount for two weeks before Christmas and running into the new year.
“We plan to introduce vouchers where customers can go online to redeem their prizes, and we currently have a gift card,” said Dicuasa, stating that the Jozolu brand has been selling online since late January.
However, for the brand to deepen its market share in Nigeria, Jozolu has developed a long-term plan to open its own factory in Lagos so as to have more quality control and open up investment opportunities for people living in the country and, in return, create jobs.
“The whole idea of leaving the UK to invest in Africa is to have people here benefit from our investment drive and give jobs to the communities,” she noted.
Adetayo Adewole, managing director, Jozolu, said the brand believes in Africa and will want people to buy and sell Africa.
According to him, both partners see potential in African brands and leather. “We as a brand are interested in taking African brand to every part of the world,” said Adewole.
He stated further that Jozolu is a registered trademark company in the UK.
However, the company started operations in Ghana and Bokina-Faso, and tries to diversify its investment portfolio into different places in Africa, hence the launch of the Nigeria office at Ikota Shopping Complex, Lagos.
“We are not the kind of brand that just wants to stay in the UK and Nigeria alone; we want to go everywhere with the Jozolu brand, and we believe strongly in promoting African brand,” said Adewole.
He said the leather industry in Africa is growing with the right potential for a stronger footwear industry.
“We believe in investing in Nigeria and do not just want to buy and sell African brand, but we want to take African leather to the rest of the world,” he stated.
