Startup Story
Every woman wants to feel and look good, and finding the right stylish clothing for any occasion plays such an important part in that process. In Nigeria, entrepreneur Ijeoma Onuoha, founder of fashion business Asoebigirl Limited and creator of the brand, Touchbyasoebigirl, is bringing her stylish designs within reach of every discerning woman.
LoA found out more about this stylish and growing woman’s fashion brand from founder Ijeoma Onuoha this month.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Ijeoma Onuoha and I am the founder and head creative designer at TouchbyAsoebigirl, a female fashion brand founded in 2017 under the parent company Asoebigirl Limited. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Technology from the University of Port Harcourt and a certificate in the Essentials of Entrepreneurship from Harvard Business School. I have over 7 years of work experience in Business development, relationship management and sales across different industries including Telecommunications, Media and most recently, healthcare. When I am not working, I enjoy creating fashion designs, travelling and reading.
“A Touch Woman is a woman that stays stylish regardless of what time or day or occasion it is, and to this end, Touchbyasoebigirl caters to different events; corporate look, casual, events and weddings, swim wear, lounge wear etc.”
“In the next 3 years, I hope we can scale up operations to cater to more women beyond the shores of Africa.”
What does your company do?:
Touchbyasoebigirl is a female fashion brand (parent company Asoebigirl Limited) created to meet the fashion needs of women through affordable but stylish clothing. We fondly refer to our customers as "Touch Woman". A Touch Woman is a woman that stays stylish regardless of what time or day or occasion it is, and to this end, Touchbyasoebigirl caters to different events; corporate look, casual, events and weddings, swim wear, lounge wear etc. A Touch Woman is bold and confident in her own skin. Regardless of her size, body measurements or type. Our pieces are tailored uniquely to meet individual style and personality. Our customer base currently extends beyond Nigeria into other African countries (Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon), UK, Europe and the US/Canada. We had in the past years released collections for the UK and the US markets respectively in collaboration with Fashion aggregators and sold out our pieces. We are also going to be releasing a collection for the Kenyan Market in April 2021. We have recently launched a collection called the Touch Executive Woman which offers finely tailored pants suits that show the sexy, confident and powerful sides of the women that wear them.
What inspired you to start your company?
My mum is a fashion designer and has been in the business for almost 3 decades. I discovered my love for sketching designs quite young (less than age 10). As I navigated through my work life (post University), I picked up sketching again as an escape from the work stress. At some point I decided to make it into a proper business as I was already providing these services to my friends for free. Honestly, I am most at peace when I am designing (with a glass of wine of course).
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We strive to make every product personal to the customer. There is a lot of thinking that goes into making an outfit (especially bespoke) for a person. I think about the personality of the customer (I actually enjoy getting to know my customers on a personal level in the best way that I can), and this plays a huge role as I recommend fabrics and/or design pieces for them.
“We have recently launched a collection called the Touch Executive Woman which offers finely tailored pants suits that show the sexy, confident and powerful sides of the women that wear them.”
“We strive to make every product personal to the customer. There is a lot of thinking that goes into making an outfit (especially bespoke) for a person.”
Tell us a little about your team
I have a team of 4 tailors, 1 social media strategist and an operations lead. We are a small but efficient team.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Every time I walk into a room, I start to look for where there are needs (in some situations, I create the needs), and then find ways to meet these needs. You can say I have always been a sales woman. I started my first business at 19 years old while in University, I sold make-up products for a couple of years, sold thrift jackets from the UK and even lifestyle products like BP machines. The idea of multiple streams of income forever appeals to me and this explains why today I have a business running in fashion while I maintain a 9-5 job in the Healthcare industry. I guess we can say entrepreneurship comes naturally for me.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
In the next 3 years, I hope we can scale up operations to cater to more women beyond the shores of Africa. I am looking to build partnerships and collaborations across Africa that would see my designs more in these African markets.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
A happy customer.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Your dreams are valid regardless of what your present situation looks like. Just start!
Contact or follow Touchbyasoebigirl
INSTAGRAM | EMAIL ijeomaaonuohaa@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
Africa’s fashion industry is rapidly growing, as is the interest in home grown fashion brands that are created by women, for women. Ijeoma Onuoha is one of the highly creative and business-savvy women entrepreneurs who are building great fashion brands and high quality clothing, but at affordable prices which bring them within reach of fashionistas across the continent. With her latest range of tailored designs for the executive woman, she is poised to take her brand to the next level with a whole new lucrative market segment. Ijeoma and her brand are definitely ones to watch in the fashion sector over the coming years. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa