Latest / thefashionroundtable / The Business of Becoming a Fashion Influencer in Nigeria FT This Thing Called Fashion | S1 E14

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The Business of Becoming a Fashion Influencer in Nigeria FT This Thing Called Fashion | S1 E14 · thefashionroundtable

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_03: This episode is brought to you by Credit Direct.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back to the Fashion Roundtable.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_03: This is the show where we dig into the trends, we dig into everything, especially those who make up the Nigerian fashion industry.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: There's someone here today, my guest.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: She is very, very integral to the fashion uh scene here.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: Her name is Nonya Udegu.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: Did I pronounce your name well?
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: You did your best.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, let's do it again.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Noya Udogu.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: Her name is Nonya Udegu, popularly known as this thing called fashion.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_03: Put your hands together for her, please.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: My name is Baby Olatera, like biggie, it doesn't change.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_03: But we're gonna dig into this because um she has been at the forefront of, should I say, fashion content creation for quite some time.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_03: I have a photo, I'm gonna dig it up, of you with white bimisuke meals.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: As far back as, gosh, I'm trying to remember the year now.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_03: It was it was almost 10 years ago, basically.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a while long.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: It's been it was one of my favorite photos.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, oh my god, look at what she did with the photo.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I I really, really liked it.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_03: I posted it, we reposted it a few times over the years.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_03: But welcome to the fashion round table.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for having me.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_03: How did you morph into this thing called fashion?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_03: How did it even start in the first place?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think for me, okay, so I studied economics, right?
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I did my NYC at PWC.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And at the moment, everyone was like, oh yeah, stay back, you know, do your ACCA.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I signed up, I did like my ACCA.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, it and had to pay in pounds.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So it got me to sit down and actually think about it.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm already to spend all this money to do something that I actually wasn't passionate about.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: I did see myself, like doing in the long run.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know what?
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: I was just like, after NYC, I'm not really interested in extending it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: I returned my friends' books, and I I just let whatever money I had already paid to go.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: And um I just told my friend who was already working in the creative industry that she had a job opening, um, she should let me know.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And where she was working then was Taomi Africa.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I started to work at Stalmi Africa, right?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: And um, as obvious, like my parents didn't really understand it.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: What were you doing there?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: At Star Me Africa.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, like a mix of everything, honestly.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like it's where I built my foundation on like a lot of things.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: I feel maybe I was not, I'm already naturally gifted with things like social media.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: I feel I've always had an interest with social media, right?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I've always loved fashion since when I was younger.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I think those two sort of collided to what I am now.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: But at the at the that point, I really didn't didn't understand it.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: I just thought it was, I wanted to just go into fashion.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And in my head, I already said to myself that, you know, after school, I will go to Paris, do like a course, start my own brand.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: And after No, yeah, in Paris, like Emily, Paris.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, okay.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, after a while, after being like my name in the industry, then I'll start my own fragrance line, which would be an easier sell because people already trust a certain brand, right?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it's easier, it's harder to sell fragrance when you're nobody.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So that was the plan I had in my head.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: But I started to work in Stammy Africa, and I would do like um, we used to do like shoots for brands.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: We used to also have like a blog.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um you used to have Instagram blog, the behind the scenes.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, I used to handle the social media, um, the content ideas that would go on like the page and the website.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then if you had like campaigns, the ideas, and you know.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_03: So Stammy Africa was like a what, like a fashion blog or something?
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: So it was like uh, I feel like evolved into different things at different times, to be fair, because it was like a fashion blog, and then it was also like an e-commerce retail store where they used to retail like um um fashion brands, African fashion brands, and then it also was um like a we also used to do campaigns too.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'd forgotten what the word would be for that.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: We also used to do campaigns for like brands too.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so it was like a mix of of all those things, basically also like an agency almost.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, exactly.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, okay, and so was content creation something that you knew you could earn a living from?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: No, okay, no, I just knew that I wanted to go into fashion and um I don't even know, I was just expressing myself, and then at that point, I think it was also easy to create your own website with WordPress.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: I just created my own website with WordPress, my own personal blog.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So as I was doing that work, I was also doing my own um personal this thing called fashion?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.blogspot.com.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Thewordpress.com.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I used to write blog posts then.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um honestly, I didn't even think too much of it.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't think if my writing was good.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: If like I just knew that people enjoyed it.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: I would write and actually not even read what I was writing, I'm being honest.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then my office, I would keep my things there all weekend, I would drag my friend, would go and take pictures.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: So that's literally I started.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And for the name, um, I did my research, like with everything I want to do, I just do like a research, deep dive, and then they gave like three different suggestions of coming up with a name.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And there was a third option that said you could do like a catch-all phrase.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, you know what?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think there were three options at the time, but Disney Call Fashion stood out the most.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it just sort of clicked.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: What year was this?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh maybe like 2016, 2017, almost basically 10 years ago-ish.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that sort of thing.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: So at what point did you start making money from that?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm being honest, it's tricky.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't like write it down when I started making money.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I would say that things changed a lot like during lockdown, that 2020 year of lockdown.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I'd worked like different in different places, uh, creative jobs.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: So after Sam Africa, it was where did I work next?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was Mazelle.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then no, no, no.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was my before Mazelle.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_03: And then so what were you doing at these different places?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Basically the same.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was it's still centered around what's my core is.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so for my it was supposed to be um content strategies, like just dealing with like the visuals of the websites, what goes out for my their content, things like that.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, that was what it was supposed to be.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Then for Mazel was pretty much the same thing, but I don't think Mazel was more hands-on, I was doing so much more.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And because it was also an a new industry in Nigeria, we had not really understood that it was such a it was a lot of work that needed to be done by a lot like segmented into different things.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I was actually doing everything in terms of content.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: So think of newsletter, think of oh, if they're having a fashion show, what content comes out?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: So think of um what comes out on social media.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, if you're having a campaign, what's the idea?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: How do you execute it?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Who do we use model?
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_03: So just pretty much what I do, but so it was from like lockdown era that you started to because I remember I have lots of friends who are designers, and I remember a friend of mine, I was standing in her store, and she was like, Oh, that she needs someone to um, she has a new collection coming out, and she spoke to you, but the money you were calling was a lot of money.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I was then she told me I was like, ah, and that was then, so I'm wondering, like, I I I can only imagine what the bill is now.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but even then it's for that time for some, it was it sounded high, like a lot.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: So, how did you come up with okay, this is the amount I'm going to charge to create content for this fashion brand?
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, like I said, research.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: I I just do a lot of research.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I researched what people are charging in the in the industry, like generally, internationally, wherever it is.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Then I also asked a couple of people, you know, in my industry what they charge, things like that.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: I also listen to conversations.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I just reach like a middle ground.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Then you will test out the rates you want to give out.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: You test it out.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you test it out straight out, they give yourself like some space, maybe after a month, okay.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: People are actually paying.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that means it's working, right?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, if it's if you think it's a little bit too high and people are not paying yet, then you start to I won't really say reduce, maybe you cannot do like a package or something just to see where people are at, then you know, yeah.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's just research.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: What platforms have worked best for you so far?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would say for me it has been Instagram because that was like my first growth channel, right?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: But if I'm advising anyone right now, I'll say that they should go to TikTok where YouTube.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, just because YouTube is um they're the ones that still pay like the most in sense of it.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I'll say like YouTube, but also it also depends, though, you can also try TikTok too uh in terms of building your community and everything.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: TikTok too is also fine because you can also do like short vlogs, which can also be like an extension to your YouTube, so you can always start with like TikTok, let people get into your vlogs, and then you start to do long form and then you just push them to YouTube is actually easier that we've been being honest.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_03: What are your biggest challenges?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: My biggest challenge, there's plenty.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_03: Please feel free.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_03: That is why this show exists.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_03: Because people look at the fashion industry from outside and think everything is just glamorous and wonderful.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: But the reality is this is real work.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: So, as for you as a fashion creative, you're a c you create content, you're an influencer.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: What are your biggest struggles?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so my biggest struggles, maybe I should just share like two.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: I share three.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, one of the biggest trouble um problems or rather challenges challenges.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: So you think is that you when you're starting out, you don't realize that you're trying to be a business, right?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: So you're still taking it as a hobby.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: I don't almost say hobby per se, but like um a pet project kind of passion, yeah.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Passion.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: So your passion, so you're just doing it, you're not really thinking about ways to make money or how to now manage the money, and like it took me a while because for me I'm a creative, right?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so and I'm very intentional about content I put out and the quality.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Quality is means everything to me.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: So for a long time, I put a lot of my like the money I was earning into getting the right quality out there.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: And because I don't necessarily found like the right management, who really understood the vision I had for myself, it took a while to turn my passion into a proper business that can operate even without me.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, right?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I wish that was something that actually I don't even wish.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's fine.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think everything happened at the right time, if I'm being honest.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: So just turning my passion into a business was one of the hardest things.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, okay, when the money comes, how many percent should you um spend on um creating this content, no matter what, like this, you should never pass a certain percentage.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: For example, maybe you say um you don't always want to spend more than 15% to execute this content, right?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: And also um you also have to it's just treating like a business, so because business takes different parts, right?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: So setting goals for the year.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: I never necessarily used to set like proper goals for the year, first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: What do these goals look like?
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_03: Is it oh, work with XYZ number of brands this year?
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: Is it oh, um, I want to hit this amount in terms of do you understand what I mean?
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of things in terms of um, I think one thing experience also does, it gives you clarity on who you're who you are as a personal brand.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think in life you have different phases.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: The person you were five years ago is not the same person you are now, and you just keep evolving.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Even next year, looking at yourself from last year.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say that um, sorry, what was the question again?
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: What sort of goals were you setting for yourself?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_03: Is it, oh, I want to work with XYZ number of brands by maybe this quarter, or is it, oh, there's a financial goal I'm trying to reach and I must make this money.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_03: How we're gonna do it, I don't know.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like different types of goals.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say, let me just use like we should I use last year as an example.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let me say let me use this year as an example.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: So um, you first need to get like full clarity on what your personal brand is.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: It would now inform positioning, right?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Where you want to be, um, who you want to see you, um, and then you're not going to be intentional about putting yourself in those places.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: So by the time I've thought about it, okay, so what will my goal if, let's say for example, I want to go for Paris Fashion Week this year, what would my goal be?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I said that as sorry, if I set Paris Fashion Week as a goal for myself, right?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: So what do I need to do to get there?
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and okay, that's just one type of goal, right?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: Then another type of goal could be um monetary too.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: It could be, oh, you've looked at your statement from last year.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is how much you guys made in the year.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, okay, let's now increase it a bit, and that can be your goal for the year, right?
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: And with experience, you know when your off seasons and when your high peak seasons are, right?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: So you're not leveraging on those peak seasons.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then maybe during seasons that are low, you can now sort of think of ideas that um you can do to still gain money during those slow periods.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: It can be as simple as, oh, um, during this low season, I can focus on like my ebook or like uh just yeah, and they have seasons where I have to, I'll be traveling for work, traveling for work, so then I won't have time for that.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: So during your low season, you can do that.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just really thinking about your positioning and then putting goals to them.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't need to, those goals shouldn't be like big, like bring them down into tiny, tiny pieces.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, for example, I used for Paris Fashion Week.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: I said that as a goal for this year, but my manager sat down and thought about it, right?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, it's not like it wouldn't favor my brand if I go this year, right?
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's like I would forgot that this video is going on.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: No, let's not let's talk about it.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so it will be a waste for my brand.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like you would because okay, so for example, last year at Lagos Fashion Week, I've already gone for Lagos Fashion Week.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: The positioning of that has already put me, put you in a high position.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: When you say gone for, you attended, sorry, attended Lagos Fashion Ring last year.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the positioning for that was already quite strong.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And it like there's a certain positioning that I had in terms of oh, you were invited to shows, you started at the front row.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: The designer dressed you, yeah.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: But we're going for Paris Paris Fashion Ring this year.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's not going to be the situation, right?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's not going to maintain the same positioning for my brand.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's just be me walking on the street and doing video.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how that's going to help me in terms of positioning.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_03: That was my next question to see.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_03: The other day, someone said to me, Baby, you're always talking about business owners when it comes to credit direct.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: And you're right, you know, because I am a business owner, I understand, you know, the struggle.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: But today, we're not discussing business owners, we're discussing regular Nigerians who may or may not be business owners, right?
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's not for founders, it's not for creatives strictly, like I said, everyday Nigerians basically navigating responsibilities, plans, and real life.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: So from paying bills and managing your daily expenses to accessing credit when needed.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: Credit Direct is built around everyday realities, not just for business owners, okay?
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_03: If you're looking for financial tools that make sense for real life, then you definitely need to download the Credit Direct app.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: How important is it for a content create a fashion content creator to attend like Fashion Week outside of where you live?
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_03: So there's New York Fashion Week that happens twice a year or thereabouts.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: There's Paris, there's London.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: That's if you if you're a fashion uh content creator and you're thinking, wow, I'd love to go to New York Fashion Week, what's what is the what does it do for you in terms of positioning?
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_03: Like you said, it's one thing to go to Paris and take pictures on the road, but are you photographed front row at XYZ show?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: And even which show?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_03: Is it is it a designer that matters, quote unquote, right?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not even saying it's not necessarily just about like the fro and the clout of it.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's just also you're spending money, like is and those seasons are actually very expensive.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to make sure that you're actually planning ahead, so you're not spending that ex exorbitant amount of money because you're rushing.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's one thing first.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: But let's go for price for sharing this year.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: I should have started planning last year, and I should have, you know, figure out my accommodation, figure out like a PR company that we're reaching out to to, you know, get into shows.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: So you need to be very strategic and not just going to um wasting money and just straying off.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: So as a content, so is it like it helps your perception, it helps build your brand as a voice in the fashion community?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm trying to break it down so people fully understand what it means and why it is important that um, you know, that these things happen.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: Is there pressure?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_03: Is it this is a perfect, you know, is there pressure on fashion influencers to showcase a luxury or glamorous lifestyle, even if that's not their reality?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yes, I won't say just for fashion.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like in general, if you're an influencer, there's the um certain standard that people you would always usually hold you to.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's why you see people begging you in the DMs, even if like everybody's going through the same economy.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: Do you get?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yes, it's always going to be there.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I guess in it now has to bore down to you as a person.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: You need to stay grounded.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I'm also quite intentional about um I like nice things.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Let's not get it wrong.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: If I have my money, I'll spludge on like my Chanel shoes, my GO bag.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm also very intentional about showing people that they can look stylish with just stylish pieces, and stylish pieces don't need to be an exorbitant amount of money.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, I like to find pieces and show people rather than um try to buy a lot of luxury uh in that sense.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I try not to let that pressure get to me.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: So someone I know said that um I think it was last year or so, she decided to, she had worked so hard and she decided to give herself a treat and buy a Nigerian designer, an expensive Nigerian designer, like an outfit like, ah, this baby hustled this year.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_03: This is your your Christmas present to yourself.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_03: She said the brand was um on sale, and even with the sale price, the outfit was still expensive.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: But one of those outfits that you once you see it, you know who it is.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_03: So she bought it anyway, and then she wore it to church.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: She has been attending this church for over 10 years.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_03: She said the number of people that greeted her that day.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_03: People that would just walk past her, yeah, they were stopping to have conversations.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: Hello, and she was like, Hey, is this what it is?
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: So, because I have on this expensive outfit, you put now think I have money, you are now giving me respect and greeting me specially and different.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I was just like, see, okay.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_03: I think so.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's why some people, also apart from the fact that, oh, you know, there's pressure to appear a certain way online and look like you are swimming in money, is also a thing of people are vain.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, and once they feel like you don't have their level of respect is based off of what you have.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: And then if they feel like, oh, you have means, you have money, you have you are wearing designer, you're doing this, then people feel like they're nicer to you, people listen to you more.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_03: That's I was thrown, she was like, I said, This is church.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: She said, Yes, that she's been going to this church for years.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_03: People stopped to greet that they were greeting her very well, and I thought, wow, okay.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_03: So if a brand came to you now and said, we would like for you to shoot our um new collection, but it is not a brand that you necessarily like or would wear.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_03: What's will what will your response be?
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: I know now you have a team.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, there's no need.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I only sell what's like what I like.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: I I I've never worked with a brand that I don't like the brand.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Either I like the founder, I like the product.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: In short, sometimes most times when they're not reaching out to me, I've saved the products in my in my list.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: Of things that you want to buy, yes, or that you like.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, or that I like.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I would advise that it's best to always work with brands that you're in alignment with, especially your brand, you know, perception.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's like your your social media is like a billboard, right?
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, uh, or like your portfolio, because once they come in, they click, they click the brand, and then it takes you to one page that looks any How.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's like it waters down your own brand.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: So you want to make sure that you're working with brands that um position your brand in also in a right way and you actually like and like their products and use their products.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: Now, uh, thank you for coming to the launch event of this podcast, by the way.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: You're welcome.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: And there was something that you mentioned at the event at the event where you said that you are curating your page in a certain way uh because you're trying to appeal to a certain type of people and even brands.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I wanted to ask you to explain that a little bit more.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: Because you said something along the lines of if people look at your page now, they might think you don't even live in Nigeria.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, my the question people always ask me now is no, yeah, you're around.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: So explain to me how and why it is important to do that, and or why it's important to you to do that.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so for me, it's important to me because in first of all, in Nigeria, you have to work like a hundred times harder.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so like from everything I've been saying, it's branding and positioning in this world, like even for every celebrity you see, it's branding and positioning.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's very important to me because we have like we have goals, we have a vision of where you know they're trying to push my brand to, right?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I need to always show up correctly.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why it's important.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then for the audience, because I also understand the type of audience I want to build, I need them to be quality more than quantity, right?
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm always tilting towards that.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always actually scared for my content to even go viral because I just I don't just want um random people following me because what happens is that they're not start to leave unnecessary comments, you know.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: People, brands always tell me, even people, my friends say that they always like the comments that are on my page because you can see clearly that it's related to what I'm selling my brand.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that's why I'm very curioum meticulous about the way you create your page.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_03: Are you also trying to um appeal to maybe brands outside Nigeria, for example?
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yes, outside Nigeria, Africa, just brands that understand the vision, have the same clarity that appreciates quality.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: Cool brands, you know.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't they don't have to actually have to be like America, just international brands.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_03: But international brand, okay.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: Let me give you an example now.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_03: This is not okay.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: So I had I got a DM one time recently where they were like, Oh, um, hi, we love your content.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_03: And this so-and-so brand, it's a popular brand around the world, is coming to Nigeria.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_03: They're opening their first store, and we would love to invite you to uh before they do the grand launch to check out the store.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_03: We would also want you to um you feel free to shop by the way, and we'll give you a discount.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: I said, let's take this conversation to DM to emails.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: So I said, so send me more info.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_03: So they sent me the info.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_03: This one we're trying to look at this date, this day, this day.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: I said, that's very good.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_03: So what is the budget for this?
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, you know, there's really no budget.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: What we're trying to do is just, you know, you can come in, you'll check out the butt.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: You don't have to post if you don't want to, but our team will our media team will be there to capture you in the store.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_03: And I thought that was the ultimate disrespect.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, because you want me to leave my house, look cute, spend money, do makeup, look fine.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_03: Because I won't want to look a mess on camera.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: Come, spend how much petrol is now.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_03: Come to your store.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_03: You are giving me a discount, so it's not even free.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_03: You never say come and pick for free, even that one's safe.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_03: So then your people will capture me in the store.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_03: I love how you're very for free.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: Are you mad?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I was like, I didn't even reply, I left them on read.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, that's what it deserves.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_03: Those that's nonsense.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you see all this, you don't even respect my gray hair in this industry.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I was just like, are you joking?
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: Like, so you have to learn how to not jump at every opportunity.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, and yes, this is a brand.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, will it be nice to say, Oh, I've worked with, but I didn't work with now because they didn't pay me to be there.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_03: They didn't even send PR package and say, Oh, here, have.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: Do you understand?
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_03: But you want me to you that I I just felt I was just like, hmm, people are not serious.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: Whoever is whoever is uh who gave you the idea is is not serious.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_03: How do you balance staying authentic with collaborating on sponsored content or brand deals?
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um so how I stay, I think also I've also been lucky because a lot of the brands that come to me, they trust my input, right?
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: So they they always come with um being open to my inputs.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say how I make sure I stay authentic with collaborations is that once I get a collaboration and we get like a brief, we read it, then we start to, you know, do research on what type of content, you know, fits my aesthetics that can work for the brand.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it always has to fit into my aesthetics and my personal brand.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because at the end of the day, it's not like the brand is saying this that this is the type of content you must do, you must do, you must do it.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: They send like a clear brief and they send like link options.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: We always ask, like, okay, what's the direction you're going?
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have like an ideal vision, see share the links with us.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: So we see the links, right?
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: And then we come up with ideas, how we want to execute it, and then we let you know, right?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: So the ball is always in your court.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: So take time to understand your brand and then curate what works for your brand and then talk to those brands.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, this is what we're going to do.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I also realize that a lot of brands, some brands don't actually fully understand it.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: So it's okay to now explain to them why you're doing this and what they would get from this.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can even further advise them, oh, I don't think this should be a one-off.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can do it like for three months, you know.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I maybe I post like twice in a month, and so that you at the end of the day, you're telling a story.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: You want people to um feel like you're not just doing a paid ad, you're carrying your brand along, it's part of your lifestyle.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: So it boils down to you um just knowing your brand, brand, knowing your brand, your personal brand, who you are.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: I have your brand guide, you know, that we put every team member that comes in, oh, this is Noyel, this is who she is, this is my our brand tone, you know, voice.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um I have your brand muse.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: So it gives you an idea of um who I am as a person, the type of content.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're when when um you're bringing content like this, I ask you, so does this resonate with who I am?
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think I would do this?
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then because me, I'm always then for the fashion, I always make sure that um the style to in the video, the color that I'm wearing is also part of my what you say, you always you've mentioned us, we team.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_03: How did you assemble your management team?
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_03: Where did you find them?
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: This is my management team are my best friends, which is so interesting because they've always been in my life, right?
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I would always complain to one of them that my management didn't do anything, you're not doing anything.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: She was like, Let me manage you, let me manage you, let me manage you.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I would never take her serious because I'm like, what time do you have?
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: Someone that has like three businesses, what time do you have to manage me?
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it was just the right time, and the right time was just last year, indeed, by the way, like August or so.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, then we just created a management company, so I also practically manage myself.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm part of the management company.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's important to know because lots of creatives complain about not being able to find the right team or the right manager or you know, stuff like that.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, quickly, has there ever been a situation where you didn't have a good experience with a brand?
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_03: And what happened?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um I've had a couple of misunderstandings.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think with some of them, some of them they kept quiet and they spoke about it like later on, and then we just had the conversation and realized there was a misunderstanding, and then it was fine.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: Then um bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Not necessarily.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh which other one?
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yes.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: So one was um, I think it was about I was supposed to have like maybe they had paid for an event and they moved the event, and when they moved the event, too, I was traveling, so I wasn't going to be available, right?
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then then I wanted me to do something else, but something else I wanted me to do was going to be at the higher fee.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so they needed to add more money for a higher fee.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: But then at that, that one's not really a problem, I would say, because I feel like it was the lawyer bringing the problem.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: Rather, the personality of the lawyer bringing the problem.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: I understand.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: So at the end of the day, I think every problem that came um was a good thing because then he made us put another structure in place so that when that happens again, that's not the story that was going to be told.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: Because it was not a matter of he said, she said, then we realized that uh having a lawyer is important.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: So we make sure that we now um well we have not we don't have like an lawyer on our team yet because we cannot afford to be a lawyer on our team yet.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we just do like uh contract jobs when we need to just pay for freelance, yeah.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_03: But they know like it's it's contract by contract, basically.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_03: When I that's what I mean.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, what's one thing about being an influencer that people don't realize, but you wish they knew?
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um I would say okay.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, let me finish what I was saying about the lawyer thing.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: Go ahead, actually.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: So for the lawyer thing, we just now had to pay someone to do like a document so that it's not he says, she says there's like a set of rules when you pay, and you know you know what you're getting the time frame and all of that.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: So nobody's asking for refunds, so there's clarity on that.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: Then you said advice for anyone that's starting.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_03: No, what's one thing about being a fashion influencer that people don't realize, but you wish they did?
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of work, it takes a lot of work actually, and it takes a lot of um clarity and also structure.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: Is it actually business?
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to put things in place.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, because where I am right now, like I said, I've been tracing so much more like a business.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: I just ought to be like off social media for one month.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just like, oh wow, so this is what you have been posting on my page.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's good.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: So you create the content and then you guys I don't even create content again.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even well edit the content, but I have to appear and you know, still cross-check and still come up with like ideas.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh well, I have someone that also comes up with ideas, but I have to oversee it generally so everybody's on the same page.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, makes sense.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_03: Advice for anyone starting out.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'd say if I feel like every a lot of creatives, I will not say every, because you know, I'm not every lot of creatives are very multifaceted.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's one people problem that a lot of creatives get stuck in their head.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, I have so many skills.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: I can do this, I can do that, I can do this.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's okay.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: You can start with showing all of it.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think with time, what happens is that um you can now tell what people, what you're tilting towards more, and then you can now narrow it down towards that section.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're starting out, just start like express yourself in different ways, try out new things.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to copy what is already in the system.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: You can copy like the idea, but you now make it into your own.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's how you execute, it's how you execute, you know, that matters, not necessarily um the I don't even know what I'm saying again.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_03: No, no, no, you get what you mean.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I totally understand what you mean.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just that.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: And also another advice is growth.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: Growth growth is so important.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like you should always think about it.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: So every year think about it.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so what do I want for my brand this year?
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you're growing, always grow, grow, growing is important.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: Don't get stuck in the past, don't allow things to leave you behind.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_03: Gotcha.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much, Naya, for stopping by.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_03: This was a pleasure.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_03: Someone said to me, You're always giving away gift vouchers to people who watch your show.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, Yes, and why not?
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: If not, if you would like to win a gift voucher courtesy of this show, all you need to do is download the Credit Direct app, follow Credit Direct on social media, Instagram in particular, follow us at the Fashion Roundtable, and show us proof in the DMs that you've done all these things.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: You could be this week's lucky winner of a voucher to shop at a Nigerian fashion designer store or website or whatever it is.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_03: Just know you will get something that will enable you to pick what you want from a Nigerian designer.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_03: And it could be you this week.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_03: And you too.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_03: This episode was brought to you by Credit Direct.