‘When you look good, you feel good naturally’

Aduragbemi Animashaun Euba was born into the family of former Juju musician, Reverend Idowu Animashaun a.k.a Apola King and the late Deborah Animashaun. Today, she is the C.E.O. of Signatures by Adura, a one-stop fashion store located in the heart of Ibadan. She tells ROTIMI IGE how, as a graduate of International Relations, she enrolled at the London College of Fashion to hone her skills as a fashion entrepreneur.

You studied International relations yet dumped it for fashion. Why?

I’m a graduate of International Relations from the Lead City University, Ibadan. I have a diploma in Public Relations from the then Ogun State University, now Olabisi Onabanjo University. I also have a diploma in styling and fashion business from the London College of Fashion. I love fashion, fashion is my passion and that’s why I’m in the business of fashion.

What is your own definition of fashion and looking good?

Fashion is something that has to come from within, in the sense that you have to prioritise wanting to look good and be ready to look good. If you feel like looking good without making it a habit or priority, no matter how we try to help you look good, it may not really show. It has to come from within. The thing people don’t know about fashion is, a lot of times, you actually may not even feel good when you dress up, even when you have a good designer.

You may not be feeling good but decide to just dress up and then you look into the mirror; your dress should make you feel good. So, I am just saying that feeling good and looking good should go together. Sometimes, you have to look good first to feel good, in the sense that you can dress up even if you are having a bad day and then maybe you take an outfit from Signatures by Adura, wear it…looking into the mirror and seeing the fittings on how you look, the quality and everything, it should make you feel good. So, yes, fashion makes you feel good.

You have many celebrities on your client list. Do you take general orders?

I wouldn’t say that we are for general market or for everybody because we focus on quality and not quantity, so I wouldn’t say it’s for everybody. However, it’s for anybody that values quality and wants to look good. You know we have different kinds of people, those who value quality and some who value quantity. Our outfits are usually very precise because we pay attention to details and we don’t use cheap materials. That is why we have some celebrities like Gloria Bamiloye, Lady Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye, Iyabo Ojo, Desola Afod, Yetunde Are and many others who have worn our outfits. Spending money on yourself is an investment, and like people say that you dress is how you want to be addressed. So, to dress well and be addressed well, you have to invest in your clothing and accessories.

I’m not saying you have to break the bank. It is like an affordable luxury. We are not going to chase you away with prices, but we don’t come cheap. I would call it an affordable luxury brand.

People usually complain about fashion designers as regards deadlines. What would you say makes a designer keep a client?

I have many returning customers because whatever we make for them suits them perfectly. They rarely complain and also, being able to understand your clients is key because fashion is all about styling. So personally, you have to understand the character or the personality of whoever you are making a clothe for. The personality and the outfit have to go together. Your outfit needs to match your personality, so when you come into my store, I’m meeting you for the first time so I would naturally ask you questions about what you like doing so as to be able to figure out some things about you that would help us make you look good. So, these are my two major strengths.

You seem to have learnt so much doing this business. When exactly did you start?

I started professionally nine years ago but as a fashion entrepreneur, anybody who knew me during my university days knew I had a small car then which was full of goods; fabrics, hair, perfumes, clothes, etc. I’ve always been a fashion entrepreneur since I was in 200 level in the university. I remember back then, my mother would take me to China town in Ikoyi (that’s where I started my fashion business), we used to go and buy Ankara and we would buy everything that had to do with fashion that we could lay our hands on and then return to Ibadan. My mother actually taught me fashion and business, but she wasn’t a fashion entrepreneur. However, everything I know today she taught me and my foundation in the fashion enterprise is from her.

When I was doing my IT (Industrial training) at former TransInternational Bank, I would buy things as a young girl and take it to the bank to sell to my bosses, colleagues and my friends. After my training, I went back to school and just continued with my fashion business. So, I’ve been doing the fashion business since 2002.

Can you share some of the challenges you’ve faced in the business?

I have tailors working for me. I style and sew, but because I’m also a very busy person, I don’t really get time to sit behind the machine and sew but I design. I teach my tailors on how to sew certain designs. I forgot to mention that I first learned tailoring in Aleshinloye market. It was odd then because everyone felt I was a privileged ‘daddy’s girl’. So, back to our discussion, the challenges I face as a fashion entrepreneur is managing tailors. Managing people is generally not easy. I have a large number of staff and it is not easy managing them. It is always one issue or another and one has to always be on one’s toes because at the end of the day, when anything goes wrong, customers wouldn’t face your staff, they are coming to for you. So, you have to be calculative and constantly on your feet so that nothing goes wrong and that alone it draining. Also, patience with clients is very important; you know women have different body shapes and everything, so like a customer might comment, “My outfit looks fine but I still want it fitted at the back or bust that alone takes a lot of patience.

You can’t fight your customers or argue with them, you have to give them what they want. So, yes, managing staff, customers and then the power factor. Sometimes one can go days without light so you have to always use generators. Sometimes, you spend more than you bargained for and you still can’t go back to the person and ask for more money. So, these factors are major issues.

What is your advice for the unemployed youths seeking white-collar jobs?

Male or female, whatever you can get your hands on to help yourself legally and financially, please do it. I’m not from a poor family, do you understand? So, it’s not about having a rich or poor father. It’s just about making yourself useful. I did all the fun things that young people did but anytime I found the opportunity to make money, I explore it. You don’t have to wait till you finish university. You can start while you are an undergraduate. Whether ASUU strike or holiday, don’t just waste your time, make good use of the time you have now.

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