Ms Amina Muh’d Nadada is a fashion designer. She started her fashion label, ‘Anada Couture’ in 2016. In this encounter with YOUTHVILLE, the graduate of Computer Science from Nile University, Abuja, professed her passion for fashion.
“I loved taking my time to sketch my designs before taking to my tailor. When I finished my undergraduate studies I thought of different creative designs that I haven’t seen people in the market doing.
“Initially, I learnt some of my tailoring skills from my mum though it was the old school style, but while running my business, I went to Hudayya Fashion Academy, where I learnt a lot more of the modern and professional fashion designs,” she said.
The indigene of Bauchi State said being in the fashion business requires paying attention to details which includes having eye for colours and shape.
“One needs to know pattern making and tailoring also in order to be a professional in this field. I started in 2015 and it became official 2016. I have passion for fashion design and I have seen business opportunities in this field, that’s the spirit that got me here today,” she revealed beeping with smiles.
Amina’s growing firm renders multiple fashion services. “For the men; this includes caftans, long flowy gowns commonly known as babban riga, robes. We sell top quality men’s fabrics. For the women we make dresses, skirts, blouses and many more. We also have ready to wear available on pre-order,” she explained.
Her motivation to continue the business is in the creativity and the feedback she gets from her customers.
“The fact that fashion trends change; I embrace mixing a lot of vintage inspirations with modern ideas and that make everything more interesting,” she noted.
Amina who started her business from home with N200,000 said her family gave her the start up capital and adds that the business is a “very lucrative” one.
Amina sees her brand as a leading competitor in Abuja, in the coming years saying she is attracting larger net of customers to her business through referrals.
“My designs speak for me. Though some reach me through social media, I generate a lot of my clients through referrals. And I target youths; both men and women who want to dress modestly look absolutely elegant, yet different,” Amina said.
One of her worries is that Nigeria does not practice fashion ethics and must begin to consider that. She said it’s not just about having a lawyer with a signed contract paper between a designer and a tailor.
Amina said many tailors under the employ of fashion designers feel they can leave when they want to or decide not to come to work when they don’t feel like coming and they get away with it.
“More so, no one controls the limit of how much tailors are paid, so that makes it a big competition between fashion designers who are at the mercy of the tailors. This, I think is a major challenge to anyone in this industry in Nigeria,” she said.
Advising youths, Amina said: “Think through what you want to do with your life. What impact do you want to have in your community? What legacy do you want to leave? Life is like a coin, you can spend it on anything but you can only spend it once. It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from. It’s very important to keep your eyes focused on where you are headed,” she added.
