Nike Kay-Okunubi, the brain behind NIKI KAY, blends tradition and modernity in African-inspired fashion. Founded in Nigeria in 2013 and registered in Canada in 2020, NIKI KAY symbolises elegance globally. Kay-Okunubi’s journey reflects dedication to quality, cultural roots and empowering customers and entrepreneurs.
Transitioning from bespoke to ready-to-wear, NIKI KAY thrives under Nike’s adept leadership. With Business Management and Finance expertise, she crafts each piece meticulously, merging African heritage with contemporary trends. Beyond her success, she uplifts small fashion businesses, advocating ethical practices and community empowerment. Through NIKI KAY, Kay-Okunubi celebrates African culture and advocates for traditional craftsmanship. She shares her story in this interview with ESTHER IJEWERE.
Childhood influence
I grew up with three brothers, so my youngest self was essentially a ‘tomboy’. My childhood was filled with baggy pants and shirts, but still styled fashionably. As I grew into a young lady, I started to find my feminine side and a lot of that involved sketching designs I wanted to wear and having tailors produce them for me. This journey to finding my feminine side and myself led me to start a fashion brand.
The fusion of african heritage and contemporary fashion in NIKI KAY’s designs
I have always been inspired by African fabrics such as Aso-Oke, Ankara, Adire, Kente and many others. The richness of our culture and heritage can be felt in these fabrics, in their designs, in their feel and their prints and so I decided it was important to share this with the world in outfit designs that every woman, despite her heritage, would love to wear. Hence, the blend of African prints with contemporary designs. As a Canadian-based brand, it was important to me to take my rich African heritage with me and share it with the world. The world needs to see Africa in all its beauty and glory.
Strategies that ensure NIKI KAY garment quality and craftsmanship
My vision for the NIKI KAY brand is lasting sustainability. To achieve this, the quality of our fabrics and in craftsmanship is of utmost importance. The first thing is to create designs which women would love to be seen in. The second aspect is the quality of our fabric selection. We have built partnerships and relationships over time with reliable fabric suppliers who deal predominantly in high-quality African print fabrics and deliver on their promise of quality every time. Thirdly is the craftsmanship. All our outfits are produced in Nigeria. We have a vetted and dedicated team who have worked with African fabrics for a long time whether in the stages of pattern drafting, cutting, sewing and finishing. Our dedicated team from inception to the finish ensures the quality of our outfits. We also complete this process with rigorous quality checks before the products hit the market.
Promoting women’s talent and entrepreneurship in design at NIKI KAY
NIKI KAY is a woman-owned, black-owned business that creates outfits for women predominantly. By definition, the brand is built around women. What we bring to the table for women is empowerment and growth. Most of the people within our team and whom we partner or work with are women building themselves and/or their businesses. We believe in growing and promoting talent for individual women and/or woman-owned businesses be it as a content creator, photographer, model, seamstress, social media manager and so on. We also believe in collaborating with other woman-owned businesses to grow both brands. As such, my brand has partnered in collaborative works and in addition provided guidance and advisory services to other brands based on experience that I have had in growing my business.
Supporting and empowering small fashion businesses
I come with a background in finance and business management as well as my experience growing my brand. I also stay learning, joining courses and training programmes to better grow myself and my brand. I feel the importance of sharing the knowledge and experience I have as not everyone might have it.
My goal is growth not just for me, but for the next person as well.
There is room in the market for everyone; as such, I believe in collaboration over competition, in supporting and empowering my fellow entrepreneurs and above all in growth. When support is given, it enables the next person to grow and if we all pay it forward, it is global growth good for the person and the economy.
Women who inspire Nike
I have a few, but foremost would be Donatella Versace with the way she changed the landscape of the Versace brand, furthering the brand’s high-end image with bold prints and colours. Coco Chanel with one of the most loved and respected labels in the world. Vera Wang for her incredible designs. These women have consistently churned out unique designs while also keeping the business side of fashion going. We have a lot of African designers who are also doing so well that inspire what I do.
Navigating challenges in building NIKI KAY
One of the major challenges we initially faced was finding the right team to handle the different aspects of the business from fabric selection to the finished product, content creation and logistics as well. As a Canadian-based brand that does all production in Nigeria, this took a while to work with different parties and vet them until we were able to find the right fit. I can safely say we have overcome most of the challenges associated with this and we now have a fully vetted and efficient team that can deliver quality in our products as well as consistency.
Being a Woman of Rubies
A Woman of Rubies reaches for greatness and sets her sight on achieving it. She supports and empowers other women, celebrates victories with them and strives to uplift others. These are all attributes that I have, that I am. I believe in the growth of others. I believe in supporting others. I believe in inspiring others with my story and with what I can offer and so I share at any opportunity so that I not only grow but also take others along with me.
