LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Olarsgrace, a renowned contemporary womenswear brand creating unique and timeless pieces for women globally
Ola Folami is a Nigerian-born fashion entrepreneur whose business and brand, Olarsgrace, has now also expanded into Dubai. Known far and wide as Olarslim on Instagram, Ola is not just a social media sensation but also the mastermind behind Olarsgrace, a globally renowned contemporary women's wear label that caters to the sartorial needs of women around the world. With her impeccable designs, Ola has garnered immense attention and praise from shoppers across the globe. Her remarkable achievements even led to her recognition as one of the top 100 emerging businesses from Nigeria with features in several publications. The business was launched in 2017 and now employs 10 people.
Lioness Weekender spoke to the creative powerhouse brand-builder, Ola Folami, about her entrepreneurial journey, her future brand ambitions, and her source of inspiration for her collections.
What does your company do?
Olarsgrace creates contemporary and workwear looks for all women. We create unique and timeless pieces crafted with premium fabric at affordable prices. Our goal as a brand transcends fashion, but also to help women elevate their style and exude confidence and pulchritude in their everyday looks. We infuse vibrant, bold and alluring colours in designing our unique staples, showcasing the beauty in colour as it influences the mood and aura of bold and confident women.
What inspired you to start your company?
The inspiration to start Olarsgrace and venture into the fashion industry was as a result of me not finding pants that fit and are long enough. I'm a huge lover of pants and suits as this was always my go-to style during my years in corporate. I just never found pants that were long enough and fit for tall girls (I am 5'11 by the way) when shopping from most brands. In addition, I have always been a very fashionable person and made a name for myself as a part-time stylist and also influencing for fashion brands. Subsequently, I started creating my own ideas and making my own outfits, as a result of so much positive feedback and people always asking me where I got my outfits from wherever I went to during my years in corporate. Everyone wanted to have and wear my creations. This propelled me towards birthing the brand called Olarsgrace - and the rest they say is history!
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We make the best contemporary wear crafted with the best quality fabrics. Our brand offers true value for money. We have had many customers through the years who have had several Olarsgrace products in their closets for 6 years and more, myself included. This is as a result of using impeccable quality fabrics and creating timeless pieces that leave every woman looking good and feeling truly confident in their outfit. The average Olarsgrace customer tells us how they get so many complements when they rock their pieces. Olarsgrace pants and suits sets gets an honourable mention, as we take pride in knowing that we make the best fitting pants out there. If you don't have an Olarsgrace pants or suit, it’s because you haven't discovered us yet! LOL! Finally, our model and quality of service which has the customer at the forefront of our business, ensures that customers experience a seamless shopping experience from the moment when their order is placed to when it’s delivered to them at their doorstep.
Tell us a little about your team
The Olarsgrace team is made up of impeccable and diligent workers. From the creative team that brainstorms on creative ideas, to the production team, the fulfilment team, and finally the administrative team - every single Olarsgrace team member works in sync like clockwork with every department, in tune with the vision of ethos of the brand. While we are very big on quality of product and service, we are constantly seeking areas of improvement every other day.
Personally, I am the head of the creative team and together with my husband and partner, actively involved in every facet of our operations to ensure strict adherence to the ethos and culture of the Olarsgrace brand. While many may refer to me as the CEO, I humbly say, I'm just another employee of Olarsgrace.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I have always been enterprising in nature. Through the years, I have ventured into diverse businesses.I started off doing retail by importing goods from different parts of the world, photographing the products and leveraging on my social media status to drive sales. I still model my brand till date as an employee!
At some point I sold eyelashes, I had my own eye lash brand. On my path towards self-discovery and fulfilment, life happened and I explored other ventures all while working full time in corporate. People usually wondered how I was able to work a 9-5 and still have time for my business, especially in a city like Lagos. I can't say this is how I managed to do it, but I just knew I had to get things done, once I set my mind to it. It still works for me till this day.
Just before expanding my business into Dubai, I also had an interior design company. As a matter of fact, I had executed a number of projects prior to moving to Dubai. However, the work and commitment needed for Olarsgrace which was rapidly growing its customer base to a larger international audience meant I had to give it my full and undivided attention. Safe to say I had to steady the ship, especially in a new business environment.
In summary, being enterprising comes naturally to me. I started Olarsgrace with almost zero capital, my savings from my corporate days was my initial start-up capital. It’s been a daunting but yet fulfilling task. My story is a story of hard work, perseverance and God’s grace.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
The vision for Olarsgrace is to be the number one destination for contemporary and workwear looks. In the coming years, we hope to have expanded more into new regions and markets while maintaining the very essence and culture of the brand. Currently we satisfy thousands of customers from all around the world, we hope to improve on this and expand into new and thriving markets.
While I understand that the fashion industry is a brutally competitive industry, I thrive and draw inspiration in the face of challenges. The dream is to be a brand and build a community thats on par or even better than top leaders in the industry e.g. Zara, Chanel etc. It’s an astounding dream but nevertheless, very doable with God’s grace.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
My greatest satisfaction as an entrepreneur is being able to impact young women and people in general, inspiring them to be able to chase after their dreams and conquer unbelievable milestones in their careers or industry. Asides being an entrepreneur, I am also an influencer and a story teller. I love to document and share my journey to my audience. Both the good times and bad times, to make sure others can learn from my journey, celebrate my small wins and take insightful learning from my shortcomings. It’s all about being impactful for me.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Don't ever let anyone or any societal construct stop you from chasing and believing in your dreams. There are many times you would be unsure, there are many times you would feel like giving up, it happens to even the best of us. However, whatever the circumstance you face, keep pushing and keep evolving in your ideas and implementation. Those who change the world are those crazy enough to think they can change the world.
To find out more about Olarsgrace, contact Ola via email ola@olarsgrace.com or visit the company’s website and social media platforms:
Website: http://www.olarsgrace.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/olarsgrace
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/olarsgrace
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/olarsgrace
YouTube or Vimeo Video: https://www.youtube.com/@olarsgrace3748
