Morin Obaweya is the creative director of Morin-O Designs – a business that creates handcrafted luxury leather bags and accessories for men and women. In this interview with JOSEPHINE OKOJIE, she speaks about Nigeria’s leather industry. Excerpts:
Tell us how you started Morin O and the milestones achieved over the years?
Sharing African beauty, craftsmanship, and creativity with the world, Morin. O Designs creates handcrafted, luxury leather handbags and accessories for men and women. I am inspired by artistic innovation and ethnic designs, collections spanning handbags, wallets, iPad covers, and more.
At Morin O, we ensure that our products are crafted with the finest leathers from Nigeria, Italy, and India by a group of artisans who come from various parts of the motherland. With all of these, the beauty at Morin. O Designs is more than skin deep; it’s the sustainable choice with responsible sourcing, fair trade practices and styles that transcend time.
Before starting Morin. O I had founded and was running an Art Gallery which allowed us to promote and enhance the work of artists and craftspeople in Africa.
Travelling through several countries on the continent afforded me the privilege of interacting with many women who were engaged in various forms of craft and as a creative, I could understand these crafts and I wanted to express my form of creativity not just promote others. In 2013, I was invited to attend a Female Entrepreneurs in Handcraft Training for Women-Owned Creative Companies sponsored by Vital Voices.
This allowed me to interact with other women doing their crafts and that for me was my a-ha moment when I decided I was going to express my creativity using leather. Shortly after that trip, I designed a couple of handbags and looked for leather craftsmen whom I could work with to bring my designs to life. Interestingly, the responses we got were very encouraging and the rest is history. Some of the few milestones we have achieved so far have been exceptional as it has been the thing we only dreamt of.
We have been featured in several International Magazines including The HuffPost and Vogue. We have also showcased in numerous local, regional, and international exhibitions in Los Angeles, California, New York, Cairo Egypt, and Durban South Africa. We also have won numerous awards and Nominations across the globe.
Knowing how well Morin O takes pride in sharing her stories with the world through fashion, what impact has your business model had on the Nigerian leather industry, especially on the global fronts?
Being at the forefront of showcasing the leather products we create with painstaking attention to detail and authentic design has thrown significant light on the fact that the Nigerian leather industry can be reckoned with globally.
Our brand is solving a major problem, Consumers the world over would love to support African fashion brands. They would also love to support responsible luxury. We are producing luxurious handbags with attainable price tags.
We source top-quality materials using a transparent supply chain and engage in fair trade business practices. Our brand is at the forefront of bringing African fashion to the world. Our shoppers are cosmopolitan women and men with various social, business and travel needs. Our bags are there for them – through function and form. We have attended exhibitions locally, regionally and internationally.
This has given the positive exposure and a growing favourable perception of our brand and by extension the out of Africa brand. Opening up possibilities in the minds of investors,off-takers and other stakeholders of the growing possibility of sourcing from Africa
It’s been said that the Nigerian Leather Industry is capable of generating $1bn by 2025 according to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). As a business leader in this industry, what role are businesses like yours and platforms like Lagos Leather Fair playing to make this an achievable goal?
Businesses like Morin. O and the Lagos Leather Fair platform is bringing to the fore the huge impact the Leather Industry can bring to the growth of the Nigerian Economy. The leather Industry has a robust value chain affecting numerous lives and communities, enhancing it would lead to more jobs, improved livelihoods, and contribution to Nigeria’s economic growth and GDP. Bringing attention to this value chain will ignite the government’s participation in enabling processes, enhancing infrastructure anassistingto various stakeholders for the overall good.
Read also: FEMI OLAYEBI’s flair for leather bags is an unbreakable affair
Let’s talk a bit more about the impact of Lagos Leather Fairs on the leather industry. How much impact do you believe this platform has had on your business and the industry?
A very big impact is because it is a platform that has more or less brought together various participants in the industry to engage, collaborate, and have one voice; seeking to set standards in the industry, promoting their business and the industry as a whole.
It has also brought immense awareness to the Nigerian populace and by extension the world that there are leather brands and manufacturers out there that can be reckoned with who are local but also global. This has sensitized many to look inwards, but made in Nigeria products and pushing the Nigerian narrative forward that we are positioned to gradually take the world by storm.
Export programs are topical when it pertains to strengthening the African economy and with Nigeria being one of the highest producers of leather and finished leather products in Nigeria, how well is Morin O positioned to facilitate leather export outside Nigeria?
As far back as shortly after we started, we have experienced a very strong favourable perception of our brand locally, regionally and internationally, we have had the privilege of being showcased on international platforms, publications and fashion houses.
We have become ambassadors of made in Nigeria goods to the world. Over the years, however, we have been focusing attention on building the skill set base of craftsmen in order to boost the production and capacity of our brand to fill the growing demand for our products.
We are therefore growing every day to enhance our capacity and would like to invite all stakeholders and the government to partner with us in making this a reality.
Lagos Leather Fair recently announced that it will be celebrating its 5th anniversary with the biggest leather fair in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) scheduled to hold on the 11th and 12th of June 2022, what are your expectations for this event?
Our expectations for the LagosLeather fair have always been high and the higher we raise the bar, the more they surpass it. So this year, like always we expect to see a bigger and better array of leather designers, manufacturers and other stakeholders.
We also look forward to more robust participation of the government through its agencies, commissions and lawmakers as well as other stakeholders who will further the discussions on policies, strategies and plans to move the leather industry forward. We also expect to share and exchange knowledge, and skills.
