Excitement, as Alter Ego berths in Nigeria

Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria was agog recently, as the Alter Ego Project Group opened first-of-a-kind Private Atelier in Africa. Held at the company’s outlet located in Gaduwa, Gudu District, the opening party attracted celebrities, lovers of luxury brands and distinguished members of Nigeria’s high society, who joined to herald the famous Italian luxury brand to Nigeria.

Since its creation in 2003, the brand has specialised in providing bespoke solutions in numerous luxury segments for clients around the world. Having identified Africa as the next frontier, the CEO of Alter Ego Project Group Julia D. Lantieri noted that their mission in nigeria is to bring exquisite style and elegance to the daily life of the discerning customer on the emerging continent.

On this project, Alter Ego is collaborating with Black Pelican Ltd, a private limited liability company in Nigeria, led by Mr. Michael Owolabi to take advantage of the country’s strategic importance to the continent and deliver premium services in the marketplace.

No doubt, the new Atelier will become the focal point of the brand’s operations in Africa. The facility is tastefully furnished with state of the art Alchymia art-deco interior objects and staffed by highly-trained personnel to ensure that customers are offered the same service experience here as they would anywhere else around the world.

Alter Ego is one of the first premium Italian brands to open an official point of presence in Nigeria. Being that Italian luxury labels are very popular around the country, this finding will come as a surprise to many. Meanwhile, the Nigerian upper class is renowned for luxurious living – Italian leather ware and French champagne are just some of the global symbols of success that the super-wealthy indulge in.

The potential for growth in the country’s luxury sector is enormous, while French wine companies have taken note and made inroads, Italian brands have largely passed on the opportunity to establish a presence in the country and have been unable to interact directly with their customer base. The result has been the massive counterfeiting of premium products and the watering down of prestigious Italian brands.

Supported by the importation of inferior alternatives and the production of copycat products locally, a black market for knock-off luxury goods has also emerged. The black market is said to be worth several millions of dollars, according to some estimates.

Aware of these challenges, Lantieri explained that their aim is to give their loyal customers a direct, firsthand experience with the brand and also to give new customers access to authentic products.

“The best of Italian luxury is now available in Africa. We are very proud and happy to make it happen finally.”

As a plus, the Alter Ego Private Atelier has also thrown in an exclusive offer for the Abuja opening, which includes purchasing any item at the showroom or through its exclusive catalogue without pre-ordering.

“There is an exclusive offer dedicated to the opening of Alter Ego Private Atelier in Abuja: Nigerian VIP’s are granted with a rare opportunity to purchase any item from Alter-Ego exposition on site without pre-order exclusive of limited edition accessories,” Lantieri said.