She is one of the hottest fashion designers in Lagos right now. Her brand is big. Her label, called Magnetic Elegance is highly rated. All these credits go to show the hard work and creativity that Olakitan Olubi has put into this 5-year-old brand. Pretty Olakitan is the very beautiful and cute lady behind Magnetic Elegance which has become the buzzword on the lips of most big babes on the Island in Lagos when it comes to exquisite fashion.
A few months back, this elegant lady of style told City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE, how she set up her fashion house which is located in Lekki. Her showroom is simply breathtaking. It looks like the showrooms you see in fashion magazines and catalogues abroad. Below are excerpts of her story.
How come you went into fashion at the time you did years back and not something else?
I never thought I was going to go into fashion I wanted to be an Accountant. I read Finance & Banking actually from the Bells University of Technology, in Ogun State. The journey began when it dawned on me that daddy was going to withdraw his allowances at that time after I graduated. He said to me that you need to find yourself a job. You are an adult. All the jobs I got was for me to go into Marketing and I wasn’t just feeling it. But I love fashion.
I have always loved to dress up my dolls, loved to amend my clothes myself, talk it. Initially, my mum got me a home tutor, that taught me how to use the sewing machine, instead of running around to look for tailors to amend my dresses. So, I already knew how to do that. I also knew how to sketch things since I was like 5 years old.
So, I thought to myself, why not just go to a school and then try all those talents that I have already. Basically, I went to school for 3 months, in Dolphin Estate, here in Lagos, and I brushed up on my tailoring skills and the rest in history.
What gave you that assurance that the market was there for you?
It was really just God from the onset. I didn’t really finish my classes. I stopped after 2 months plus. I went searching for a space to lease for my store and I said to myself if I go into this, if it works, yes thank God. If it doesn’t at least I tried. When I started I did my first Look Book. Bella Naija featured it. Other blogs featured it and Boom like that, people just started coming to me and it was really just God.
How many years now?
We are 5 years and counting. Glory be to God.
How did you come up with your beautiful designs?
Like I said, it is a God given talent. It is inbuilt. I have been sketching since I was little. I always turn my dresses around. If I have a long sleeve I will alter it, I will chop it off, embellish it, it is just something God has already blessed me with basically. It all comes natural. When I want to start a dress, I just close my eyes for a bit to sketch for a client and it just comes naturaly.
At what stage is the brand now?
Basically, my brand, Magnetic Elegance, is on the verge of crossing over to couture because my dream in designing has always been to be the 1st couture designer in Nigeria. I have always felt like if anything, I would try to make that happen for Nigeria because I really don’t do ready-to-wear, I do Custom Bespoke Dresses.
So, I said ok, at this stage that I have successfully passed through. 5 years and still growing, God willing, I am going to try and take it to the next stage, whereby I learn couture processing of dresses. I want to take it to that stage.
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