How Mimi ‘MedlinBoss’ Yina started Medlin Couture

It is no longer a man’s world. Women have shattered the glass ceiling, are blazing the trail, and are inspiring the male folk.

CEO of Medlin Couture, Mimi Linda Yina, popularly known as MedlinBoss, is a renowned fashion consultant, fashion label owner, brand influencer, and business woman personified par excellence who stands shoulder high above her competitors in Nigeria. The fashion entrepreneur exudes class and passion for her trade, which have given her fame and a name.

MedlinBoss is one of the  pioneering personalities in the Nigerian fashion industry. She became a frontrunners to others, whom she has inspired through her breathtaking and innovative ideas that revolutionized celebrity styling and the entertainment industry in Nigeria.

Destiny created a path in greatness for MedlinBoss through her age-long love for fashion. And the journey into stardom started back in her days as a Sociology student at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State, where her sense of grandeur and elegance in style attracted her colleagues who courted her appearance.

Born on August 10, 1982, into a family of six, the Medlin Couture owner is a native of Gboko Local Government area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria.

The erudite businesswoman followed her passion and right there as an undergraduate at the university years ago, the biggest fashion brand in the country was birthed.

MedlinBoss spent several years in the Rivers capital building her brand, but in 2019, she strategically moved her business to Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre, where majority of her clientele reside.

The brand has grown so popular that in 2021, the MedlinBoss was saddled with styling judges and the host of prime time Reality Show, The Voice Nigeria.

“My journey into the fashion world started as passion; a fervent and certain passion. I have always loved fashion; back in the University of Port Harcourt, as an undergraduate of sociology, I would travel abroad on holidays and come back with a lot of designer clothes for my personal use and people would be like ‘…next time you travel please shop for us too.

“So, I realized it would make a lot of sense if I could monetize my passion, so I began to bring clothes to sell whenever I travelled. I started with one suitcase and everything I brought was bought, so I begun to increase my suitcases, from one to two, then three… And that’s how business started for me. Next came my first shop”, MedlinBoss recalled in an interview.

With diligence, hardwork, consistency, and dynamism, the MedlinBoss and superwoman has steered the brand from a mere start-up to a mega brand. From styling her mates back in tertiary institution, Medlin Couture has styled majority of Nigeria’s celebrities such as popular comedian AY Makun, Funke Akindele, Ini Edo, Tonto Dikeh, Yemi Alade, Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde, top politicians’ wives, wives of bank executives, and cream de la cream in the society on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special days.

“Funke Akindele, Yemi Alade, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde,Ini Edo, Nancy Isime, Kate Henshaw, Ayo Making (AY), the list goes on. Funke Akindele was one of the first celebrities that reached out to me, even before I became a full blown stylist”, she said.

“She sent a DM acknowledging her love for my fashion sense and looks, asked if I sell clothes and she’d like to shop from me. Long ago (over a decade ago), I’d drive from PH to Enugu with a suitcase full of clothes to her set where I would not only sell but combine her looks and outfit for her; the same thing goes for Ini Edo”.

The fashion brand has grown so big that it imports fashion labels from Paris, London, New York, Istanbul and other parts of the world. Medlin Couture is now known for its famous signature pants which it produces in Lagos.

“To be honest, it’s amazing how anybody sees a Medlin styling and they automatically know it’s Medlin. We know how to make a literal fashion statement. Baumgartner in you are what you wear, what your clothes reveal about you, we create unique statement and classy styling for the classy woman and classy man,” the MedlinBoss averred.

The beauty with brains is also known for her philanthropist outreaches and she is very passionate about women rights. MedlinBoss also does not hold back her votice on social issues in the country.