Meet The Ankara Brand Lagos Women Are Obsessed With

African Fashion

March 23, 2017

By now, you probably should know that here at Fashion Police Nigeria, we’re crazy in love with African prints. From the strikingly vibrant prints that are irresistibly appealing to making the perfect weekend uniform, Ankara fashion always has us smiling.

That is why when we saw SGTC Clothing — a cult-favorite and unique Ankara brand taking over our Instagram timeline with gorgeous pieces, we couldn’t help but tap the owner and founder Adetoke Oluwo to fill us in on everything from why she launched the brand, the inspirations behind, and what makes her pieces loved by Lagos women. The best part? She also gave us some style advice to swear by. Keep reading by scrolling down:

FPN: Can you give us a brief history of when, how, and why you launched your brand – SGTC Clothing?

Adetoke: SGTC CLOTHING as a Brand was introduced on the 27th of September,2016 but we officially launched in October, 2016. It was actually birthed without planning, lol. I love anything Tribal, Decor, Fashion, and all, So, I had always loved wearing Ankara Pieces.

I wanted to travel out of the Country and I have had people ask me before then to make some of the Ankara Pieces I wore in times past when coming to the Uk and the US. So I simply just made sample pieces and took professional pictures with them and I SOLD OUT BEFORE LEAVING THE COUNTRY.

So that kinda struck a cord that I could actually do this as an “Everyday Business” and it has been awesome since then. The name SGTC is actually from my Feature Page, STYLEGOESTOCHURCH, Just used the acronym for my Clothing Line.

FPN: It’s obvious SGTC Clothing focuses only on creating African print pieces, can we know the reasons behind it?

Adetoke: I love Ankara with a PASSION!! I naturally love Colours and Ankara gives me all that and more! And you know that saying “Do what you love”…It was just natural to have a Clothing line that expresses my personal passion for African Prints and also, our pieces are versatile, affordable, and trendy which pretty much defines ME! I LOVE VALUE FOR MY MONEY. Why wear a Piece once?

FPN: What makes SGTC Clothing different from other African print brands?

Adetoke: Oh, I love and respect other Brands or Businesses and would never bring anyone down to make us shine but I’d just say our pieces are made with quality prints, very trendy and fashion-savvy YET AFFORDABLE!! So, you get to look Fab and Stylish without hurting your Pocket. Our Styles make us stand out! We make Ankara look cool to rock in our everyday lives.

FPN: Your brand seems not to have its own shopping website yet and with our findings, Instagram is one of your marketing channels. How does social media play in your business?

Adetoke: Instagram Market is HUGE!!! I can never say this enough! You have over 600 million global users using the App Monthly. Once you have great Pictures and understand how to use the tool called Social Media, You will never need to look elsewhere for a while.

Of course, We are currently working on our Website but for now, we make 90% of our Sales via DM on Instagram. We noticed people want to see the product, see how it would look on them (pictures) and they Order without you saying much! Simple as ABC.

FPN: We can’t deny it you create unique Ankara pieces, how do get your inspiration?

Adetoke: It may sound cliché but the truth is We are nothing without God! God is our No 1 Inspiration. We also travel a lot and try to explore the Fashion Culture of Countries we visit because we are a Global Brand.

Also, Instagram has a huge impact on what we do. Bloggers, Everyday People, Life in General and We also are stuck on the Global Fashion Shows to get inspiration on Fashion Predictions and all…..Knowledge and Inspiration come from everyone we meet daily.

FPN: You recently staged a yard sale that pulled out the aficionados of African prints from all corners, please tell us a little about it.

Adetoke: Wow! Our first-yard sale was an Outstanding Success. Still in awe of how people turned up and “bought” pieces. I would also say Instagram Publicity played a huge part in the success of the Yard Sale.

We did not sell for 2 weeks prior to the Event and we watered the appetite of our loving customers with Pieces to pick at the Yard Sale. And of course, the Pieces spoke for themselves. Give people value for their money and you will sell out.

FPN: In your position as the creative director of SGTC Clothing, you can tell a thing or two about the shopping behavior of your customers. Which Ankara style do Lagos women gravitate towards or are particular about?

Adetoke: I would say TOPS! Tops sell out faster because they can be re-rocked over and over again. For us, our wrap tops are our No 1 selling Pieces.

FPN: And why?

Adetoke: You can rock tops over and over again.

FPN: And what are the future plans for your brand? Where do Nigerians expect to see it in 5-years?

Adetoke: GLOBAL!!! LOL….You will see our Products in Major Countries of the World. Stores and Shops! On Major Key Players and Influencers all over the World. It is already happening just stay tuned ..lol.