‘I enjoy the element of freedom I have in my creations’

Sandrah Tubobereni is a fashion enterpreneur and creative director of TUBO, a luxury fashion brand. She holds an MBA in Global Financial Services with distinction from Coventry University, London and a BSC in Economics. Having recently concluded an Owner Management Programme at Lagos Business School, Tubobereni also holds a certification from the London College of Fashion (LCF) in Producing Your Own Fashion Label and Fashion Business and from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in Stock Trading. In this interview, she speaks on her career path in fashion and thriving as a business owner.

Share with us your growing up and how it informed your passion for fashion?
My passion for fashion started from childhood where I learnt directly from my mother who was a seamstress. By the time I was in primary school, I was in charge of the weaving machine and was making baby dresses for clients’ children. By the time I was in secondary school, went on to university and throughout my NYSC I would take home fabrics and make clothes which I would sell to support myself and my family. I was also a makeup artist so I would not only design and make the clothes but also do clients’ makeup and dress them up for their events.

How long have you been in business and what are your services?
TUBO started operations in November 2014. We are a multi-award-winning and internationally acclaimed luxury fashion brand providing Bridal, Ready-To-Wear and Bespoke pieces for stylish women worldwide. We are known for our handmade custom pieces, and the ability to make every woman feel and look their best with our signature silhouette. We are powered by our mission to empower women through clothes and preserving our cultural heritage through supporting our local community.

As a fashion entrepreneur and artist, how are you able to hone your skills?
As a fashion designer, honing my skills started at an early age where I learnt directly from my mother. I developed my skills further with self-taught skills and short courses. I have developed my business knowledge through experience and most recently graduating from Lagos Business School. Taking this course has helped me get a strong grip on my value chain and to manage my team better. I also do a lot of reading about the lives of designers that inspire me. In the coming year, I will be taking more intentional courses in my field of expertise.

How would you describe Nigeria’s appreciation and response to fashion?
In the past, I believe many Nigerians at home and abroad were focused on acquiring pieces from the international market and big names but now with the way Africa has become focused across music, art and fashion, Nigerians are looking to Africa first and making at home brands a priority before looking internationally and appreciating home-grown designers more. Many designers have also realised the importance they play in the global market and are developing their products and services for international scale and consumption.

Playing in a multi million dollar industry, how rewarding has it been for you and how challenging too?
Being in this industry is both rewarding as it is challenging. One of the key rewards is in my team, it is really a privilege to do what I do with the people I share this experience with. I am grateful to have such great in-house artisans and staff. The people you choose to work with are important and taking the time to choose the right individuals has benefitted my brand in the long-run. I am big on providing value and as a brand that has tried to manufacture internationally, I have found that whether home or abroad you face similar issues in logistics, finding the right manufacturer, laws, labour etc and the advantages such as MOQs, constant electricity and access to cheaper labour, working in Nigeria, despite being faced with issues such as not having constant electricity, limited fabric choices and finding quality artisans/seamstresses etc the advantages of locality and control of the process does make it easier. The ability to produce in-house is a great reward because we have full control of the design and garment construction process, from ideation to reality.

We source or design our own fabric and it helps us ensure the highest quality and gives us enough time to meet deadlines without the back and forth of using a manufacturer plus there is protection for our production process.

What lessons have you learnt in the course of running your business?
As a business owner, I am driven by my creativity and my ability to be innovative.

Through my years in business, one key lesson is process management whereby I have established systems that ensure my business can keep running as I focus on other aspects. I have learnt the importance of upholding work ethics, whether it’s how we treat our staff to the environment we work in. As a brand, TUBO is built on honesty and excellence. We pride ourselves in creating custom pieces for every TUBO woman and for our Ready-To-Wear (RTW) collections we draw inspiration from various sources such as nature, travel, art, culture etc. Being authentic also plays an integral part in the work we do, copying anyone else’s style or using their design is an ethical violation to us and we always highlight to our clients that we do not make replicas of other people’s designs but at their consultation we try our best to capture their vision and make it a reality by taking inspiration from our catalogue of work mixed with their expectations and purpose of the event they are attending to make a one-of-one piece just for them.

Understanding my business environment on multiple levels; locally, nationally and internationally. Building strong relationships with clients is absolutely necessary as most of our work is bespoke. You’ll be faced with many challenges, setting up a business is one thing but maintaining one successfully is another thing. Being in the know of what’s happening keeps me on my toes but ensures I am able to future-proof my brand because Nigeria is unpredictable and things can change quickly so you must be willing to pivot and adapt on the go.

What inspires and motivates you?
As a fashion designer, I enjoy the element of freedom I have in my creations. Although I have to make sure my designs are commercially viable, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to experiment and try new things. I’m not afraid to fail, and use any mistakes I make as lessons to improve myself, my designs and go on to create pieces that embrace and celebrate the woman’s form. I am greatly inspired by travel as I believe exposure to new places, people and cultures brings fresh ideas and concepts.

Are there platforms you have set up to give back to society? How are you encouraging and motivating young people?
Community is at the centre of TUBO; locally, at our headquarters in Nigeria and internationally. Giving back is our way of contributing and building our community in a way that is sustainable and beneficial. I have been privileged to learn from an amazing community of men and women in my journey so far. This has helped me in several ways and this year, I hosted #IMPACTDAYWITHTUB022 to celebrate International Women’s Day. Initially I was going to host 10 women selected through an application process but in 48 hours, close to 500 young women registered interest and my team and I went through every single application and selected the women who stood out. On the day, after a few changes to accommodate as many of these women as possible, the venue was packed with engaging, brilliant, and resilient women ready to push through all the challenges the economy and their various industries had imposed on them. I spent the day sharing my insights on operations, sustainability, finance and business. I recognise that I have been at this for some years now and I embrace the fact that I have achieved a few things and this is one of the ways I can pay it forward. I am also in the works of putting together TUBO Academy, our overarching goal is to increase the number of quality fashion entrepreneurs in the industry by providing premium fashion education that will help participants to be better positioned for the opportunities that abound in the business. We also try our best to employ individuals from our community and intensely train them to develop the skills they already have and ensure that they are capable of delivering to our standards.

As a woman in business, what advice do you have for other women looking up to you?
Get educated, gain the knowledge and understanding of your industry that will enable you to excel. I recently graduated from Lagos Business School, an important step in my personal and professional development despite already having an MBA and first class in Global Financial Service from Coventry University, London. When I started TUBO, after moving back to Lagos, I quickly realised that business in Nigeria is not easy and selling to Nigerians requires a different set of skills that a western business institute wouldn’t be able to capture and teach. For me, it was important that I learnt at an institute that had boots on the ground and could respond to the questions I had about business in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. It wasn’t easy but I pushed through and now I am working towards my next step. I believe whatever industry you are in, it is very important to continuously learn and develop by keeping up to date with professional certifications and courses. Industries are changing overnight and you have to be in the know of the ever changing industry environment and knowledge so you know how to adapt your business to the current climate.

What is your style?
I would say, my personal style is a fine line between classy and edgy. I am deeply inspired by imperfections from asymmetric lines to rough edges and I love trying new things when it comes to the pieces I design and make for myself. Much of my style is eclectic drawing from my travels, nature, culture and sometimes just seeing a fabric and an idea will come to mind. I like to mix components to create interesting looks that are thought provoking.

When you are not working, how do you relax?
When I am not working I really enjoy solo-travelling to experience new cultures and places.

What is your life mantra?
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13)