How to Become a Fashion Designer in Nigeria [10 Steps]
Do you have the passion and urge to become a successful and professional Fashion designer in Nigeria? Famous fashion designers like Dolce & Gabanna, Deola Sagoe, Frank Oshodi, Mai Atafo, and so on were once in your shoes, they took the decision and today they are the top revered fashion designers in Nigeria.
The Nigerian fashion industry has been massively growing over the years and even with this the demand for fashion products is still very high, in short, it gets higher every year and this should send a strong signal in case you are still contemplating.
Much needs not to be said as you finding yourself on this page implies that you have already made the decision, you only need us to point you in the right direction on how to become a fashion designer in Nigeria.
There is more to fashion designing than the normal sewing of local and foreign fabrics, you need to be creative naturally, skillful, learn to draw out designs, and meticulously execute them. For you to execute your design you need to take your time in making it, once you have a perfect dress then you can further with massive production.
Not just that, if you are a newbie or already practicing fashion designer you may need to consider applying to a reputable fashion design school in Nigeria so as to upgrade yourself and even learn what it takes to market your product and propel yourself to be among the top best fashion designers in Nigeria.
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A lot needs to be put in place, you need the motivation to succeed, endurance, networking e.t.c. all these will make you have an upper edge in the fashion industry.
Also, your talent is highly needed, a talented fashion designer will always go extra mile to craft out unique designs, this is quite different from you obtaining the right certification or being a graduate of the best fashion schools in the world, it goes beyond that. Talent distinguishes you from the rest so you must be talented.
Before we delve into the topic of the day you sure want to know who a fashion designer is, we need to give you a clear understanding of this as most people do confuse tailoring with fashion designing, we cannot rule out the fact that they are both under the fashion industry but they are distinctively different.
Who is a Fashion Designer?
A fashion designer is one who is skillful and at the same time creative in making unique clothing designs and also in making other fashion accessories either for clients or organizations in small quantity or massive production.
Fashion designers can make nice clothing designs and also accessories like bags by using clothing materials, belts, caps e.t.c., a fashion designer normally are used to just coming up with great clothing designs and they leave the sewing to tailors but here in Nigeria Fashion designers design and also sew clothes as this is more profitable and also help to scale the business faster, once your customers know that you make everything yourself they build a stronger trust in you.
How to Become A Fashion Designer In Nigeria
We have listed the steps to take in order to become a successful fashion designer in Nigeria:
#1. Make Your Research
To start a career as a fashion designer in Nigeria you need to do your own personal research as we have a very high competition in the Nigerian fashion industry, to have a soft landing you need to make proper research.
You see many people showcasing their designs and it doesn’t even raise your eyebrows, you don’t find it cool, this is because such designers didn’t make their research before jumping into the fashion design business.
Some people even go as far as collecting other people’s designs and displaying them as theirs, this alone can make such people end up in prison, you want to craft your own design and make something unique for people to develop an interest in.
To do this it is required you know what to focus on, the type of outfits you wish to produce, accessories you will love to make, the type of market you intend to storm and after this, you need to enroll in any fashion school of high reptation, we have some listed on this blog. This will fetch you the experience needed and at the same time a good income.
#2. Know The “Why”
You need to know the reason why you want to venture into the fashion designing business, you cannot just wake up and start a business without taking your time to know some things.
If you really intend to be successful in the fashion industry then you need to identify some problems which are yet to be solved in the Nigerian fashion industry and devise a solution.
One of the problems is that there is a high demand for fashion products in Nigeria currently, the question is – how do you tackle this? Another is most plus-sized women and men usually find it difficult to get fitted clothes, what are your plans to solve this problem? What about fashion accessories for tall people, how do you plan on solving this as we have numerous accessories for normal height people? You should know how to ask the “Why” question and at the same time how to find a solution.
#3. Learn Fashion Designing
It is necessary you learn this skill from a reputable fashion designing source, we have numerous fashion designers in Nigeria from which you can learn the skill from. In other advanced countries you learn from schools (colleges & Universities), Nigerians mostly learn as apprentices which is the informal way but to stand out check the next step below.
#4. Fashion Design Schools
Nigerians are well exposed and for this reason, you need to be able to deliver top-notch African styles likewise modern/western styles, this is where Fashion design schools come in. To become a successful fashion designer in Nigeria you need to learn from the numerous fashion designing schools, universities, and technical schools/Colleges. Some of the schools are listed below.
- Fashion & Art Academy
- Deola Sagoe Fashion School
- Lanre Da-Silver Fashion House
- Valisimo Fashion School
- KGSignatures School of Fashion
- Ginani Fashion School
Learning from any of the above fashion schools doesn’t cost much, with around ₦100,000 to ₦1 million you should be able to enroll yourself in any of your choices. To know more about the listed top Nigerian fashion schools and others that were not on this page visit the recommended link below:
Recommended: Top 10 Best Fashion Schools in Nigeria
Note that we are not against you learning as an apprentice from any fashion designer around you, but to stand out you need to get educated from the top best fashion schools in Nigeria, there you will learn the latest fashion trends, get the necessary certification, learn from international Nigerian fashion designers and become a professional in this line of business. Below we have a link to accredited schools where you can learn fashion design.
Read Also: List Of Nigerian Universities Offering Fashion Designing
#5. Online Fashion School
One of the best things that ever happened in the history of invention is the internet, with this you can learn any skill from your comfort zone in your own time. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to utilize the internet to execute their normal day-to-day job, the fashion industry isn’t an exception as you can learn fashion designing through YouTube tutorials, Udemy Courses, and Online fashion schools, and many more.
As long as you have the required machines and tools, you can have your practicals in sketching, colour, prints, fabrics, branding, patterns, and even marketing while learning online.
#6. Know Your Market (Niche)
As we have mentioned earlier you don’t just wake up and start a fashion design business, you need to know the market you intend to thrive in, keep up with the current trends, fashion news, published articles, and content from fashion designers, catalogs of designs e.t.c.
From getting yourself updated with those mentioned points you will be able to know the type of fashion designing business to focus on weather designing of swimwear, bridal gown or wear, casual, kids wear, corporate wear, African attires, and many more.
#7. Create a Business Plan
If you want to start your fashion designing business after acquiring the necessary skills either from being an apprentice, attending a fashion school, or learning online it is important you have a good business plan. This will help you achieve your aims and objectives speedily.
If you really want to succeed as a professional fashion designer in Nigeria then a business plan is needed, you must be thinking about how to create a fashion design business plan!
A business plan is a lengthy document that is usually meticulously created, we have some ready-made business plan templates on the internet you can make use of, usually, a 30-page document that houses everything that will keep your fashion designing business running.
Your business plan will include all your expenses, human resource plan, budgets, marketing plan, funding e.t.c.
#8. Marketing & Advertising
For a business of any type to thrive one needs to plan on how to market it or advertise it. This is usually a very difficult thing for most business owners but it isn’t as difficult as it is being seen.
You do not need to meet people physically before you can advertise your product to them, to give your fashion design business the recognition and exposure it needs then you need to find various ways to lure potential customers to patronize you.
Give them a reason to buy what you sell, and make them know the benefits they will gain once they patronize you, all these are easy tasks, you can even pay people to do this on your behalf, take advantage of the Lagos Fashion Week, Arise Fashion Week, Music Meets Runway, Native and Vogue International Fashion Week, Africa Fashion Week, Nigerian Fashion Week and many more, here you can showcase your designs and people who know the value of what you’ve made will go through whatever it takes to meet you.
Aside from that, you can take advantage of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on to advertise your products and designs. You can also meet with models, influencers, fashion photographers, fashion bloggers like EucarWears, and many others.
#9. Own a Website
To maximize profit, reveal your brand, and gain media recognition it is advised that you get a developer to design a well-optimized website for you. You will use this to promote your business and gain good search engine traffic from real people who really need your service.
On the website, you can have an eCommerce section where your products will be displayed, a blog section where you give details about what’s trending and your new designs, and also important pages like the (Contact Us, About Us, and Gallery page), it should also have a chat toast which visitors can use to have an instant chat with you.
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The Media section of Eucarl known as EucarlMedia can help you create a beautiful and fast website should in case you need a good website designer for your fashion design business. Remember, owning a website gives you credibility as this is what some people search for before deciding to patronize you.
#10. Build Good Customer Relationship
To have a successful fashion designing business you need to keep a good customer relationship, let your customers know that they are the best, make them feel special, treat them well, and also do not give exorbitant prices as that could chase them.
Once you are very friendly with your customers they will always come back to patronize you especially if you do ask after them weekly, monthly and on important days like Christmas, New Year, and other Festive celebration dates.
Also, once in a while make graphics/banners thanking them for their love and patronage and at the same time use that as an avenue to show them your new designs, and let them know that you care, with this attitude you will never run out of business or lose your clients.
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Conclusion
It is necessary you have the required skills, and talent and also learn how to propel your business to stay afloat in the Nigerian Fashion industry. We hope we have been able to satisfy you with everything you need on how to become a fashion designer in Nigeria.
