An entrepreneur, Vincent Olukoya, has stressed the critical role of fashion designers within Nigeria’s creative industry and appealed to society to shift its perspective and recognise them as vital contributors rather than as inferiors.
 
While stressing that the fashion industry has been able to help solve the country’s unemployment issue, particularly among youths, Olukoya maintained that fashion designers are poised to change the wrong perception of them.
 
According to Olukoya, the Provost of Fashion Entrepreneurs Business Academy, the academy aims to change the narrative surrounding the industry and empower the next generation of fashion entrepreneurs.
  
He also stated that the hub currently trains about 239 students through online classes with 97 per cent female from seven different countries USA, Canada, Uganda, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, including Nigeria.

The Provost emphasised that the initiative focuses on equipping youths with the necessary skills to navigate the business aspects of fashion, enabling them to turn their creative talents into lucrative careers.
  
Olukoya maintained that the fashion sector, when properly harnessed, can stand shoulder to shoulder with other flourishing industries and sectors in the country’s economy. 
 
He said: “The fashion industry is not merely about aesthetics; it is a dynamic sector that has the power to empower and uplift our young people. We are not only enhancing their skill sets but also expanding their opportunities in a competitive market.”
  
Also, the Registrar of the Academy, Yetunde Fatokun, said: “With the right support and training, our fashion designers can create brands that resonate on both national and international levels. Our training programmes are designed to help students understand the business side of fashion, from marketing to production.
 
“It is time to recognise that fashion is not just a career; it’s a   powerful tool for economic transformation and social change.”