May 01, (THEWILL) – Evans Akere, CEO of VansKere, one of the most sought after fashion brands in Nigeria speaks with IVORY UKONU about his unbreakable love for fashion, his recent foray into furniture making, interior design and sundry issues.
You recently added furniture making to your core business which is fashion. Are you trying to deviate?
No, I am only diversifying. I am still in the fashion business, I only added furniture making and interior design although furniture making will be the core while interior design will just be on the side.
Why furniture making? What informed this decision?
The Covid-19 pandemic prompted it. The pandemic came with a lot of good and bad. People were thrown into the unemployment market as a result of companies shutting down. I didn’t want that to happen to me so it caused me to have a rethink. The good part was that I had more than enough time to catch up on a lot of things during the lockdown; like dusting books to read, thinking about the present, the past, the future and just generally reflecting on a lot of things and reassessing myself. Imagine putting all your eggs in one basket and something like the pandemic happens again. My business is about making party clothes, red carpet clothes and all through the pandemic, there were are no events, so people were not ordering clothes. They were only concerned about their shelter, food, their health, etc. Because there was no event to attend, it hit the fashion industry really hard. We were only able to stay busy by making branded face masks. Even with the gradual easing of the lockdown, it took a while before people began to get back into the groove. So this got me thinking about another stream of income. So while I was reading a book by Richard Branson on how he started his Virgin brand, it occurred to me that diversification was the way to go. A client told me that the guy he bought furniture from told him that he made the most money since he began furniture making during the lockdown. You know, during that period, people were forced to sit at home, reassess their homes which they never spent too much time in and began spending money to effect their desired change. So it got me thinking. I already have a platform, I have a solid brand so I can build a new business with it. Coming up with a new business to build on my already existing brand was easy. Furniture making and interior decoration is similar to fashion designing. They both require creativity and are similar in nature, so why not.
What is the furniture company called?
Vans Kere Homes. Like our fashion line, it is an indigenous brand and I am hoping to change the narrative with our designs, to be proudly made in Nigeria. And I am hoping that with time, people will begin to lose interest buying imported furniture because people spend a fortune on them. It is going to happen, after all we are all now beginning to embrace indigenous brands. The only thing I feel Nigerians are yet to get right according to international standards is jeans and t-shirts.
What kind of furniture will you be focusing on?
Sofas, beds, dining, shelves, kitchen cabinet, doors etc.
What is going to distinguish yours from other indigenous furniture brands?
Besides the unique designs, I am big on finishing and this is coming from my experience in the business. Some of my fashion clients are not big on designs, they are only concerned with the durability of the fabric and are ready to pay any amount just to get the finishing and fit right. My signature on all our fashion brands will be replicated in the interiors and furniture as well, that way wherever you see it, you will be able to identify this from VansKere Homes, just like our fashion brands that can be easily recognised.
Is it true that you bought an already existing furniture and interior décor company along with its factory?
Yes. I was their client and when the need to diversify came up, I made them an offer. I like what they were already doing and I intend to retain some of that aspect.
Before you made your move, did you acquire basic knowledge in furniture making and interior decoration?
No, but I am currently doing so now but I believe in delegating to people who are well experienced in that field.
Your fashion brand, VansKere is 17 years-old this year and you have successfully created two different brands in addition to the original brand. How has the journey been?
To God be the glory. We have successfully grown three different fashion lines under the VansKere brand, the Avant Garde, the Afro-Athleisure collection – Signore Fusion line and the VansKere brand itself. During the Covid19,
lockdown, I began to make easy breezy casual wear for lounging in homes or just running brief errands since the pandemic got a lot of people working from home. This gave birth to the Afro-Athleisure collection – Signore Fusion line. The Signore Fusion was already a diffusion brand which was used to create avant garde clothes for celebrity clients. So when the idea of easy breezy casuals came up, there was really no time to come up with a different brand name and go through the process of registering it. So I decided to put it under the Signore Fusion brand and it was a huge success. It is athletic but cool casual which appeals to the younger ones. It is also more affordable than the classic clothes in the main VansKere brand which is targeted at the matured, conservative but fashion forward person. The vision of the VansKere brand is creating modern traditional wears, you know creating appealing designs for kaftans, agbada that appeals to older people.
But you are aware that the younger generation is beginning to find Kaftans and agbada appealing Yes. Besides the main VansKere brand, which makes indigenous clothes appealing, we now have new designers with fresh ideas who are changing the narrative, making traditional clothes really appealing. So it is not a coincidence that 90 per cent of people you see at events wear Nigerian made designs and they are proud of it. It is no longer like in those days when people shy away from wearing traditional clothes or when they do, they are ashamed to say who the designer is.
So back to the question. How has the journey been?
It has been sweet and bitter. The truth is that I do not see myself doing any other thing. I didn’t come into the industry for fame and fortune. I didn’t even know that I would get to the level that I am today. If I was money driven, I probably would have been running my law practice but it was all about the passion. I come from a family of lawyers. My dad already had a law chamber. He was one of the most successful lawyers from Edo State. My brother is also a lawyer and has his own chambers as well. So if it was about money, I would have ended up either in my father’s chambers or with my brother who tried to convince me to abandon my passion. My family didn’t think I was ok abandoning law for ‘tailoring’. They all told me that if my dad was alive (he passed on while I was still in school), I probably wouldn’t have thought of abandoning law to be cutting fabrics. I am called to the bar, I just never practised with my law degree. Even when I was reading law in school, I was just trying to fit in. I knew that law wasn’t for me. But I am glad I finished school and got called to the bar otherwise no one would have taken a dropout seriously. Today my family is proud of me. I strongly believe my journey into the fashion industry wasn’t by accident, but a fulfillment of destiny.
Are you fulfilled?
Yes I am. I am happy because I do what I enjoy.
What do you like most about being a fashion designer?
It is the ability to transform plain or patterned fabrics into gorgeous and beautiful attires. That is the kick for me. It starts with the mind and translates to the fabrics. I tell people that the business of creativity is the most difficult business on earth. The mind is constantly at work, and you are under pressure round the clock. As a designer, people expect gorgeous designs from you each time they walk into your studio. So much is expected from you, which I believe is the same with everybody in the creative business. People want innovation, new things which are better than the previous ones. So you have to deliver.
Some fashion designers have also incorporated accessories production to complement the clothes they make. Are you looking in that direction?
Yes and this we started last year. We do shoes, belts, cuff links, caps, cravats, pocket squares. The idea is to make VansKere a one stop fashion and accessory business. It is capital intensive but it is all part of diversifying.
What do you make of everyone trying to get into the fashion business?
The fashion industry has no doubt become very glamorous and lucrative, that’s why lots of people are coming in, and the industry has grown over the years, which is good. I remember that in those days, the profession was usually associated with illiterates and school dropouts, but these days, that is no longer the case. Lots of graduates have come in to revolutionize it and give it a new face.
You also run the VansKere Foundation. What is it all about?
I try to impact younger creatives through the foundation under a mentorship programme called the VansKere Mentorship Programme. I enjoy passing across knowledge, helping people discover their potentials and encouraging them to reach for the heights in any way that I can. As I grew in business, I began getting private messages from younger creatives most of whom I have never met, seeking my advice on certain things. So, I would invite them over to any of my offices or simply talk things over on the phone if it was something that could be handled immediately. But over time, the number of creatives reaching out to me grew and I couldn’t handle it anymore as I got busier. Since I couldn’t delegate, I thought it best to just gather them together for one day to trash out issues. I started from using one of my offices and when it could no longer accommodate them, I began renting halls in hotels and hosting these bright-eyed creatives. I invite other creatives like myself to make it a broad spectrum. It is fully paid for by me, no sponsorship from anywhere. It is an annual thing and the last one we held, we had to prune down over 600 applications to 300. This year, I am looking at how I can empower some of them. I know how difficult it was when I started out. It took me three years before I could even buy an industrial machine so I know they are also not finding it easy.
Speaking of difficulty, was there ever a time you thought of quitting?
Oh yes. At that point, I had moved from where I started out in Ojodu to Opebi, Ikeja where I felt I would gain more visibility and grow rapidly. But it was as if I was starting all over again. My old clients just fizzled out because they assumed that they could no longer afford me. Things became tough. In fact I had already started calling my friends to tell them I was going to take up a 9-to-5 job. Some of them were already making jest of me saying they are happy I was now back to my senses. A few were willing to help and one in particular was already showing me the ropes and told me to focus on real estate as opposed to litigation. So I made up my mind to split the place I got into two, use one part for the real estate firm while I continue part time with the fashion designing. The following Sunday, I went to church. My church was holding a special programme and invited Pastor Ituah Ighodalo as the guest pastor and the Lord spoke to me through him. God used him to redirect my thinking and keep me on track. The topic of his sermon was being consistent, never losing focus, paying the price for greatness and remaining on course as long as what you are doing is something meaningful. And it was just what I needed to hear. There and then I made up my mind to stay the course with my fashion designing. Surprisingly, the Monday after when I resumed at work, it was showers of favour. First, someone I never knew before that day contacted me and put me through on how to go about packaging and marketing my brand to the right people. He pointed out the things I was lacking in or not doing and he didn’t collect a dime from me but we settled on barter. That was the turning point.
Was that how you established your relationship with Pastor Ituah?
No because even after I had made some progress in the business, it was difficult trying to reach him. Then one day I attended an event and sat near a lady with whom I struck up a conservation. She took my complimentary card and said I should expect a call from some of her male clients who are always looking for good designers to make their clothes. Surprisingly, the next week, I got a call from the office of Asue Ighodalo, Pastor Ituah’s brother. At first, it didn’t occur to me that they were related. I just did my job, made some clothes for him and he said he would introduce me to his brother. When he mentioned his name, I just knew this is what they call divine connection. So when I finally met him, I didn’t tell him about how his sermon changed my life until two years after. And since then, we have remained so close.
How do you tackle challenges?
Challenges are inevitably a part of life. If the government doesn’t create it for you, your clients will. If they don’t you may inadvertently create it yourself. When it comes, deal with it and move on or find a way around it and still move on. I don’t think any challenge I face now is as tough as the one I faced when I started out.
What would you consider to be your greatest achievement since starting out?
I don’t think I have gotten there yet. I am still striving to push my brand to a level where the high and mighty will see me as a reference point in cloth making. That being said, I have a few awards in my kitty which has sort of given me the push and motivation to know that people appreciate what I do and that I am on the right track. I have made clothes for the high and mighty, one of whom is among the three richest men in Nigeria. This is a man that can afford the best of clothes, but chose me to make his clothes. It just showed me that I must be doing something that he and all others noticed. It wasn‘t about the money.
If you weren’t a fashion designer, what other areas do you think you would have excelled in?
Most likely interior designing because it is similar to fashion designing.
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