By Sewe Ishola,

Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) kickstarted its annual Fashion week yesterday with a series of masterclasses and subskills acquisition opportunities for participants, even as there were lots of shopping options available at The Civic Center, Lagos.

The day started with a message from the First Lady of Lagos State, Bolanle Ambode, who was represented at the event by Mrs Jumoke Bank Olemoh, who shared just how proud the First Lady was of the activities of the association.

In her words, the First lady said, “the fashion industry has the capacity to change the face of the economy of this nation.” Ambode added, “FADAN has been doing well and I urge you to keep up the good job.”

Welcoming participants to the masterclass, the FADAN president,  Funmi Ajila-Ladipo enjoined them to have fun during the Fashion Week.

Moving straight to the Masterclasses, the Principal consultant of Valucon Business Service,  Abimbola Osuchukwu pointed out some of the fundamental things that fashion entreprenuers need to do in order to have sustainable businesses.

Osuchukwu highlighted the importance of having a business model canvas, which helps a business to know what to do per time. She strongly urged participants to have goals and ultimately to take actions in pursuing those goals.

Another facilitator, a brand expert,  AyanfeOluwa Oluwaseun was also on hand to share insights into how branding works in the fashion industry. She took participants from the basics to the advanced levels of branding and how it affects customer’s perception of their business.

The founding president of FADAN, Mrs Thomas Fahm was also around during the Masterclass and had a word  of encouragement for participants. She said, “Don’t let anyone deceive you about Nigerian finish. Take a look at some of the designs down there (the shopping area) and you will know they can compete anywhere in the world.”

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