When it comes to leather, Nigeria
is a major player on the global market. Between 2010 and 2022, more than 40
million goat and sheep skins valued up to $800 million, were exported annually
to global fashion designers to make shoes, handbags, and other leather products
accessories. Now young homegrown Nigerian designers are competing for this
supply and redefining the industry in the process.
CNN visits Broll Mushin market to explore how this boom in the leather market is fuelled by Afrocentricity. CNN hears from Victoria Ezenachukwu, the Creative Director of Khal Designs, alongside other key voices in the leather industry, about their growth and how to stay sustainable.
Victoria Ezenachukwu tells CNN, “The demand for African related items has really improved my
business because a lot of Nigerians in diaspora do not have access to a lot of
African stuff over there. Like shoes with isi agu or cowries. I get a lot of
demands on that, and it has been my major sale point.”
Through their designs, Khal
Designs and other new brands, are actively challenging stereotypes about
Nigerian products. Delarin Osiberu, the CEO of House of Lareeyn, explains, “When I came into the leather
industry, what I noticed was the generalized idea of what a Nigerian made
product should look like. I made up my mind that my products do not look like
that. You shouldn't see my bags, And I say, oh, it’s Nigerian made? I would
really, really love to change that perspective.”
The increased competition has also
driven established designers to rethink their leather offerings. The founder
and director of Morin. O Designs, Morin Obaweya, says, “The approach of
younger designers in the craft, they are very dynamic, they're very edgy,
they're very Avant Garde. It pushes us to always use technology to look at
markets that are emerging, to look at trends that are emerging to be futuristic
in looking at our designs and looking at the numbers determining where our
markets are, where they're going to be in the next few years, it kind of just
keeps us on our toes.”
He continues, “They’re very
consciously aware of their environment, the times they're in, they're
conversant with current initiatives and ways of thinking circular economy,
green economy and all that. It makes them very cutting edge, which is very
commendable. They are IT savvy, and it gives the opportunity for their
businesses to accelerate at a very fast rate.”
Nigeria’s National Centre for Technology management recently said the country’s leather industry generates between $600 to $800 million annually and has the potential to generate $1 billion by 2025.
Obaweya discusses how Morin. O Designs are unlocking sustainable growth in the leather industry, “We do informal mentorship, we plan a structured approach whereby we can set up something that a couple of those designers would have an inroad to see how Morin.O has gone through the years in the industry. We are affiliated with a couple of other initiators, for example, the Lagos Leather Fair, whereby there's a coming together of both, emerging as well, as established designers in the industry.”
Ezenachukwu ends the episode with a look at how far her and her leather-based designs, have come, “in the beginning, what I was doing was trying to convince them that my product is good. So, my revenue back then, I could say in a month, I could barely make 20 to 30,000 in one month. I'm talking about three years ago, four years ago. But I gave myself one year to overcome that I did a lot of online training, improvement on myself and you know, continuous work and consistency helped the whole team improve. As of last year, I was making about 100 K monthly. But that this year in one good week, I can make 200 there in one good week.”
This article is
extracted from a recent episode of Marketplace Africa by CNN.
No comments:
Post a Comment