Needles &Thread is a big brand in the Fashion industry. Over the last 2 decades, the brand has done a lot of remarkable things to continue to retain its leadership role in the industry.
A few days ago the MD/CEO of Needles &Thread, Mrs. Victoria Williams-Igwonobe told City People Online Fashion and Beauty Magazine Publisher SEYE KEHINDE the success story of Needles and Thread.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
How has it been running needles and thread?
It’s been absolutely fulfilling. Running Needles and Thread entails being creative and I have a lot of personal satisfaction doing what I love.
How old is the business now?
The brand Needles and Thread was established in the year 1996. In November 2019 Needles and Thread would have been successfully running for 23 years and still counting
Share with us the various phases that your business has gone through. At what stage is your business now?
Needles and Thread started as a fashion house, we specialized in couture clothing. This we did for several years, creating corporate and casual clothing for our clients. After acquiring formal training in millinery, we later diversified into millinery business, producing exotic hats, pillboxes and fascinators.
At that time, we had very few Milliners in Nigeria. Realizing I had the power to empower entrepreneurs in Nigeria, the Needles and Thread Hat Academy was born. Within a short period of time, we had trained several students who in turn trained several others. This led to the emergence of a lot of milliners who needed quality millinery materials to work with. We moved swiftly to fill that vacuum by establishing a distributorship relationship with top millinery materials and accessories suppliers in Europe and Asia. We became a major importer of millinery materials with retail/wholesale outlets in major cities in Nigeria.
Along the line, we were inspired to develop and introduce a unique product into the market. The product was a head-tie which we branded, SINGELE. We derived the brand name ‘Singele’ from ‘Sinamay’ the main raw material with which we produced the head-tie, and ‘gele’ the Yoruba word for head-tie. The Singele head-tie was well received and soon became a must-have for most fashion conscious ladies in Nigeria. We successfully sold this product for years.
Sequel to Singele, we felt a compelling need to offer a more indigenous fashion product to our esteemed customers. This led to the emergence of Lace Aso-oke, a traditional Aso-oke fabric lusciously embellished with rich embroidery, shiny sequins and glittering rhinestones. A subset of this product is our high-tech driven Laser Cut Aso-oke which is one of our most recent product offerings. We also innovated and produce Laser Cut Ankara fabrics and well as Laser cut iron-on appliqués, laser cut fringes, laser cut fabrics, etc.
Our longevity in business is due only to God’s grace and a fiercely determined mindset. Five years ago, in other to re-position our brand and to engage a new generation of clients, we began using Social media as a tool to reinforce our presence in the fashion industry. Today we have over twenty thousand followers on our main social media platforms. We remain dedicated to growing our brand image and recognition in the industry.
How did you coin the brand name?
As a fashion house, or better still, as a designer, not much can be done without a needle and a thread. These are basic tools fashion designers need to bring their ideas or sketches to life. As essential as these tools are to fashion designers, we also strive to be essential providers of top quality fashion products to our highly esteemed clients. The name was coined essentially to portray to the public that we, as a brand, are here to bring life to their ideal concepts of style.
Tell us about the various services you offer
We offer an array of unique products targeted at various end users. With the introduction of Ankara Cut (Laser-Cut Ankara), we have successfully reinvented the Ankara fabric to look like ever-popular lace, giving Ankara a more exotic look. Quite a lot of our clients have embraced the laser cut transformation of their Aso-Ebi Ankara so as to stand out uniquely in events. Fashion designers also bring their Ankara and other fabrics for laser cutting to enable them produce spectacular outfits for their clients.
Our array of products and services include:
· Laser cut Aso-oke outfits
· Laser cut Ankara fabrics and outfits
· Laser cut Satin and Raw Silk fabrics
· Bou-bou and other dresses with laser cut enhancements
· Laser Cutting and fabric restructuring of fabrics like Ankara, Scuba, Satin, Raw Silk, Aso-Oke, Adire and a lot more.
· Laser cut Iron-on Appliqués
· Laser cut Iron-on Necklines
· Iron-on Trimmings
· Ankara-Cut fabrics (Laser-cut Ankara)
· Laser Cut Hems & borders
· Laser Cut Fringes
· Laser Cut Capes
· Ladies’ Hats & Fascinators
· Customised Fashion Hand-fans
We offer customized products and services. Our creativity is without bounds. We can be reached via:
Phone/Whatsapp: +234803 431 1865
Instagram handles @needlesandthreadnigeria @needlesandthreadfashionhub.
Website: www.needlesnthread.com
Email: [email protected]
Main retail outlet: Stores 5 & 6, Opposite House 38,
Modupe Johnson Crescent, Off Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, Lagos
Delivery Service: Available
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