Spotlight  

Start small, grow big, Xtra Brides Lagos CEO advises young Nigerians

By Guardian Nigeria

16 June 2022   |   11:23 pm

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Telegram

To those afraid of starting their business because of little capital, here comes a piece of good news: start small and grow big in the future rather than letting that latent talent go to waste. This is the unsolicited counsel from Nigeria's queen of the fashion industry, Oyetomiwa Elizabeth Daniel. Oyetomiwa Daniel, founder of Xtra…

Xtra Brides Lagos founder Oyetomiwa Elizabeth Daniel.

To those afraid of starting their business because of little capital, here comes a piece of good news: start small and grow big in the future rather than letting that latent talent go to waste. This is the unsolicited counsel from Nigeria’s queen of the fashion industry, Oyetomiwa Elizabeth Daniel.

Oyetomiwa Daniel, founder of Xtra Brides Lagos (XBL), wants young Nigerians to learn from her humble beginnings which started with a modest investment a few years ago and now, a big fashion brand that has taken over Nigeria, having made significant in-roads into the African fashion scene.

Speaking recently to a team of select journalists, the Xtra Brides Lagos CEO who left for Paris after graduating from a fashion institute in Lagos said: “I came back to Nigeria and started my business in a tiny room in my boys’ quarters. I remember how excited I was when the very first client saw a dress I had posted on Instagram and paid N30,000 for it. My heart was in my mouth as it was a sign of fulfilment. I said to myself, ‘Yes, this is the start of something great.

“While I was furthering my training in Paris in 2019, I concentrated on detailing, which was the fashion course I took back in Nigeria. Back then, I knew I had all I needed to be the next big thing,” the Xtra Brides Lagos founder recalled.

According to the delectable founder of Xtra Brides Lagos,  “as a young girl, I had a dream of being the number one couture designer in Africa. Even at that young age, I was fascinated by exquisite clothing.

“I see myself on the global map, dominating the fashion world and changing the narrative of black women through fashion. Xtra Brides Lagos is not just an international brand servicing top celebrities and classic women across the globe but a fashion brand admired by thousands,”added the owner of Xtra Brides Lagos

Dreams are considered the starting blocks of a successful journey in life but it takes commitment and discipline to stay on track given the vices that daily compete to derail visions. Oyetomiwa Daniel is reaping the fruits of discipline and never say quit attitude that has become the lot of many successful stories.

Like Chinua Achebe advised in his widely acclaimed classic, Things Fall Apart that those whose palm kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble, the amazon of Xtra Brides Lagoshas turned her attention to less privileged women, vowing to take at least 1000 of them out of poverty. What a woman!

The XBL founder is an alumnus of the Bowen University, Iwo, Osun state.