The continuous spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed fashion designers into the fight against the virus through the production of face masks, hospital gowns and other protective equipment.
Damilola Otufodunrin, the creative director for Damsco, a men’s wear brand targeting changing the narrative of how African fashion is accepted on a global scale, is one of the few designers producing face masks to curtail the novel Covid-19, giving them out for free.
“We wanted to give back to our customers who have patronised us over time,” Otufodunrin says.
“We decided to produce and give them out for free,” he says.
“This happened until others began to see how beautiful they were and asked us to produce for them. Also, at some point, some people began to request that we make it at a fee for personal use or distribution,” he adds.
Otufodunrin, who is also the fashion consultant to other brands, has produced and distributed over 100 face masks.
“Sincerely, we didn’t focus on keeping records since our motive was not to do business with the masks. We have been producing and distributing as well as selling a few to those who are making requests for them,” the young entrepreneur explains.
“We are primarily investing our time and creativity in the production of the masks. On the financial front, we have invested just as needed,” he says.
Due to the lockdown that disrupted the supply chain for raw materials, he had to personally come up with face mask designs that allowed him to use available materials the business had in stock.
The business, established in 2013, has a team of tailors comprising permanent employed staff who work as the head tailors and other contract tailors.
According to Otufodunrin, the business works more with people on the basis of contract following laid-down work patterns under the supervision of the head tailor.
He believes that the Nigerian fashion industry is now taking a centre stage as fashion consumers in the country now prefer to wear quality clothes made locally in Nigeria than ready-made imported clothes.
And with the rising number of fashion brands in Nigeria, Otufodunrin believes that the only way to stand out is to carve a niche for the brand you represent.
“As the creative director of Damsco, my team and I always want to understand the mind of our customers. With this, we are able to blend our personal love for art with the imagination of the client to birth an exclusive masterpiece that makes our consumers keep patronising us and also advertise our brands to others,” Otufodunrin says.
The few textile production companies operating in Nigeria is a major issue in the fashion industry. Even when designers claim to be promoting African fashion, they are still highly dependent on imported fabrics from countries such as China and India, among others, he says.
He advises the government to come up with more protectionist policies to help the few existing textiles mills in the country to survive.
Similarly, he urges the government to improve power supply in the country to help reduce cost and boost productivity.
Otufodunrin plans to have the presence of his business in other African nations and the rest of the world by understanding their perception of fashion and creating wears to suit their taste.
He advises young and upcoming entrepreneurs to not just limit their business to making money alone but to understand their industry and set out to make a difference.
“By doing that, your business will thrive and we can all make Nigeria great,” he says.
