LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Femi Olayebi is a self-taught handbag and accessories designer, trainer, mentor and the creative force behind the eponymous FemiHandbags brand. A translator turned designer and manufacturer, her entrepreneurial journey started in 1992 when she tried her hands at making a diaper bag for her first daughter. Since then, she has poured all her energies into building her business, consistently pushing the boundaries and emerging as a leader in the Nigerian leather space. Renowned for her statement, colour-drenched pieces, Femi has received several awards, and in 2013, her business became a case study for MBA students at the prestigious Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos.
Lionesses of Africa spoke to the irrepressible founder of FemiHandbags, Femi Olayebi, this month to find out more about the brand’s mission to change the narrative on African luxury.
Tell us more about the business
My World of Bags is a Nigeria-based design and manufacturing company that specializes in the production of two independent lines: on the one hand, the mass production of conference bags and related items (such as folders, conference totes, laptop bags and sleeves, tablet holders etc) for corporates; and on the other, a bespoke, affordable luxury leather line of handbags and accessories named after me, FemiHandbags. All our pieces are designed and handcrafted at my atelier in Ibadan, Nigeria, by a team of skilled craftsmen and women.
What inspired you to start?
There was really no sudden spurt of inspiration, or a light bulb moment. I started my business by accident in 1992, after I tried my hands at making a diaper bag for my first baby. I had just returned to Nigeria from Strasbourg in France where I had just finished my Diploma in Translation. Finding translation jobs was very difficult at the time - the opportunities were few and far between and it was quite tricky for a ‘fresher’ like myself to crack the very closed circle of translators and interpreters. Soon after, I became pregnant with my first baby and went baby shopping one day, as we all do. When I tried to buy a diaper bag, I couldn't find one I liked or could afford, and because I had just learnt how to use a sewing machine, I felt I could try my hands at making my own. Looking back now, I would say that the real inspiration was my positive outlook, and a can-do attitude which has always pushed me to believe I could experiment and do something I had never done before! So I headed to the local market, bought some pretty fabric, sat at an old machine my mother-in-law had gifted me, and proceeded to cut and sew what became my very first bag. Little did I know that I was sowing the seed that would become the company that I run today, twenty eight years down the road. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had registered a company (My World of Bags) and was fast becoming a self-made, self-taught entrepreneur.
What makes your business, service or product special?
In terms of the product, I believe it is the fact that exclusivity and excellence remain at the core of what we do. Each one of our bags is individually handcrafted and usually a limited edition piece, making the wearer feel very special. Added to this are our high level of craftsmanship, our bold use of vibrant colour palettes, the attention we pay to every detail and the subtle infusion of aso-oke, (the traditional cloth of the Yorubas hand-loomed by weavers in Western Nigeria) meshed into contemporary, vintage-inspired silhouettes. All these have become unmistakable signatures of the brand’s aesthetic. In terms of the brand however, FemiHandbags has become much more than a handbag brand. It embodies the values of excellence and integrity that I cherish and has become a symbol and an expression of creativity, positivity and possibilities. The brand sends out very clear messages and seeks to tell a powerful African story, change the negative narrative around ‘Made-In-Africa’ brands and shatter established stereotypes around African luxury.
Share your entrepreneurial journey. Do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Nothing, absolutely nothing in my background, had prepared me for the world of entrepreneurship and I certainly did not have an entrepreneurial mindset. My parents were academics, I had no experience whatsoever, and so found myself in a whole new world without a clue or a plan. The internet was barely three years old, and Google did not exist, so the only learning tools I had at my disposition were books. Once the business kicked off, I navigated the business terrain the best I could and started to market my products through friends and family, learning some really vital lessons through the many experiences along the way.
I participate in lots of exhibitions, got invited by the international community to do private showings in their homes, got on the Embassy’s list of places-to-visit in my city of Ibadan, and very slowly started to build a reputation. A major turning point along my journey was being selected in 2008 as one of the first set of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women scholars. This gave me the opportunity to attend an entrepreneurial programme at the Enterprise Development Centre in Lagos and undergo a business course for the very first time. After that, the ball started to roll and I was twice nominated to attend mentoring and networking programmes in the United States, where I job-shadowed some famous American handbag designers.
In 2010, I participated in my very first stand-alone international Accessories Show, Pure London. I felt the time had come to reposition my brand, and that led me to rename my line of leather handbags; FemiHandbags was born. Before long, my business became a case study for MBA students at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. In 2016, I excitedly attended my first ever course in Handbag Design and Construction at the ModainPelle Academy in Milan and in 2016, won the first of many awards as best Accessory Designer. But it wasn’t all roses and daffodils. At the beginning, it was extremely difficult convincing Nigerians to appreciate my work, because there was a general penchant amongst Nigerians for foreign designer brands. Then there were other challenges - the cost of production was high because of a lack of proper industry infrastructure, lack of good quality raw materials, and a difficult business environment. Finding highly skilled leather workers to achieve our very high standards was also a major setback, alongside a lack of high quality hardware, which meant I have always imported all my hardware and accessories.
In 2017, determined to change the landscape, I took the boldest step of my life and created the Lagos Leather Fair, a platform designed to promote Nigerian talent, tackle the industry challenges and begin to unlock the massive potential of the leather industry in Nigeria. With the support of the Bank of Industry, and a few other organisations, we were able to curate a massively successful, world class event. We have earned some recognition and been featured on local and international media, including CNN Marketplace Africa and BBC News Africa. In 2018, I opened my first flagship store in a high-end area of Lagos, showed on the runway at the Autumn/Winter edition of the London Fashion Week and have since participated at two editions of the Coterie trade show in New York at the invitation of SheTrades, a businesswomen’s empowerment initiative under the International Trade Centre (ITC) based in Switzerland.
It has been an exciting ride with many twists and turns, but one that I have enjoyed and one that never ceases to amaze me. I continue to grow and learn valuable lessons, and I have certainly become a better entrepreneur over the years. I have learnt that success as they say, is 10% inspiration (creativity) and 90% perspiration (hard work), that failures, frustrations and setbacks are all part of the growth process and that very simply put, in spite of the curveballs that life may throw at you, you must keep showing up. But I think the most valuable lesson of all is that you’re not truly successful until you have created value in the lives of others.
Tell us a bit about your team.
I have come to recognize over the years that your team plays a very vital role in your business, and no matter how successful you become, you’re really nothing without your team. Naturally, when I started out, it was only me and I had to wear many hats. But as the business grew, and I could afford to start hiring more employees, experience taught me to not rush into hiring people, and to trust my gut more than I do what’s penned on their CVs. Some of them have been with me for over ten years, while my longest serving member of staff just clocked her twentieth year. We have 20 employees in total. However, it’s been a journey of many lessons: learning to deal with people from different educational backgrounds, (ranging from machinists working on the factory floor to craftsmen and women to the creatives, to the staff in charge of admin, procurement, logistics and retail), and always looking to bring on board professionals who could complement my own skills and ultimately help to drive the company vision. I am thankful to have a team that fully gets me and feels invested in the business, and one that constantly provides valuable feedback - for that reason, our Monday morning meetings are priceless and have become a ritual at the office, even when we get really busy and have to postpone till the afternoon of the next day! Of course there is no perfect team, and we have our share of sunny and not-so-sunny days, but I feel very connected to them and count them amongst my greatest assets.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
This is a very exciting time for us as a company and as a brand. I believe we have been able to establish a following in Nigeria; even though numerous opportunities have opened up for us in the international market, we still have a way to go in terms of marketing the brand to a wider, global audience. We are fiercely working on strengthening our online presence and social media platforms to complement our brick-and-mortar store, offer a richer customer experience and tip the scales. Further down the value chain, we are deploying more technology to improve the quality of our work and enhance our production processes. We also intend to continue to curate special events, online and offline, around the very important Lagos Leather Fair, and plan to create an online marketplace for leather designers. At the moment however, we are about to embark on our biggest adventure yet - a partnership project with one of the world’s largest foundations and an incredibly transformative initiative - one which aims to improve youth employability and access to employment opportunities in my country by training thousands of Nigerian youth in leather-crafting skills, and helping them find a pathway out of poverty by providing the tools they require to access dignified work. We are truly honoured to be a part of this project, and are extremely excited about our next adventure!
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being a creative, I think it is the joy of seeing how my business has grown from a tiny seed, which in my case was a blue and white checkered diaper bag, and blossomed, developed and bloomed in the past twenty eight years to become this brand that is respected and that has earned recognition both at home and abroad. It is being able to see growth crystallize before my very eyes, and see the rewards of my passion and my perseverance. It is the sense of fulfillment I derive from building, creating, innovating, mentoring, and making an impact; it is the recognition I have received just working quietly away at what I love to do, and the amazing connections I have made along the way, that have made it all so worthwhile - this is not something I take for granted. But more than anything, it is experiencing the actualization of my dreams, and knowing deep within me that I can become everything I have ever dreamt of becoming, and more.
What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to startup?
I will whisper many things into their ears. Experience has taught me that there’s no such thing as an overnight success and that it takes time and a lot of hard work, grit and tenacity to crack the code of success. I will tell them amongst other things that they must believe in themselves and their vision and not be afraid to dream big dreams, and that when they do, to not allow the negative voices around them to dampen their dreams or drown out their aspirations. That they must not be afraid to ask for help, but build a tribe on the way up, because at the end of the day relationships matter. That they must stay focused, stay curious, expand their mind and programme their mind to win, so they can develop a growth mindset and continue to thrive and grow. That they must keep challenging themselves, never stop learning, keep building and preparing because, like they say, luck favours the prepared mind. That they must seek to exceed expectations, and excel in all they do. And finally, that they trust the process, and remember always that good things take time.
Find out more
Email: femi@femihandbags.com
Website: www.femihandbags.com
