Bags and footwear my cash cows –Ndidi Ugo, Founder,Creative Director DIDI Creations

Ndidi Ugo is resilient and determined. She has to be if she
must remain in the highly competitive fashion industry world
wide and especially as she is based in the United Kingdom.
She could have been a medical practitioner but she was
destined to be in the fashion business as she has always been
interested in fashion and being fashionable since childhood. In
this interview with CHRISTY ANYANWU, she revealed her
motivation and her staying power in the business and her goal
in the next five years.
Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself
My name is Miss Tina Ndidi Ugo and I’m the Founder and
Creative Director of DiDi Creations Ltd.
The brand is based and incorporated in the United Kingdom at
the moment.
We are a one-stop fashion company, which caters for the
fashion conscious through creating unique pieces of unisex
bags, footwear, clothing and accessories.
My aim is to nurture and grow the brand to become a lifestyle
brand which every stylish fashionista across the globe would
love to be associated with at some point.
When did you become a designer?
Professionally in 2012. However, I had been designing part
time and as a hobby since 2005.
While growing up, it was almost certain I would end up in the
fashion industry as I enjoyed to dress up and stand in front of
the mirror quite often.
My mum was a very fashionable woman and I loved to watch
her dress up and actually started emulating her early in my
life.
I had always loved to stand out from the crowd through my
dressing, hair, make-up and accessories from my teenage
years.
This continued into my university days at the University of
Ibadan where I altered already made clothes through
shredding, painting etc. just to look different.
After graduation in 2001, I worked briefly in the insurance,
aviation and publishing sectors respectively.
I quitted paid employment in 2005 to become an entrepreneur
and set up my first fashion business same year, though it was
part time at the time, as I ventured into other businesses.
DIDI Creations Ltd was berthed on June 2012, and building
the brand is my full time job at the moment.
Did you attend a fashion school?
Yes, I eventually attended a private fashion school in Hendon
Central, North London where I did some short courses on
dress making and sewing in 2012. I can sew and actually
make my clothing collections for runway exhibitions.
Why did you venture into fashion designing?
During my high school days, I actually dreamt of becoming a
medical doctor but had to let go of that dream when I didn’t
make the JAMB cut-off mark, which would enable me secure
admission to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of
Ibadan, so I had to switch courses.
However, I have no regrets for choosing the fashion industry
as it apparently suits my personality and lifestyle.
When I was working for others, I never really had job
satisfaction and kept on changing jobs annually.
It became more apparent as I grew older that this was the
industry that I would end up in as I dared to be different from
the crowd most times.
I love fashion and decided to start making a living off
something I love and enjoy doing.
I have come to realise that people thrive and succeed when
they venture into what they love and enjoy doing, hence my
setting up a fashion business.
Tell us how you started designing bags, shoes and ac­
cessories.
I started designing bags, shoes and accessories as a result of
my knack for these fashion pieces. My love and preference for
genuine leather and statement fashion pieces was also a huge
factor.
I believed I had something to offer on the fashion scene and
had been told many times by strangers, friends and family
that I was quite creative, whenever I was seen in any of my
designed custom-made sample pieces hence I decided to pull
the bull by the horns and made up my mind to start designing
as a means of livelihood.
I work with some of the trusted and tested artisans across the
globe to create my perfect finished pieces.
How do you source the materials you use?
You’re basically asking me for some of my trade secrets so I
will be as brief as possible.
I source my raw materials across the globe, but my print
fabrics popularly known as Ankara are mostly sourced from
Nigeria and other West African countries, while my hides and
leather are sourced from Italy.
How did you start-up?
I relocated to the United Kingdom for further studies and
decided to stay back after my MBA.
At this point, I was torn between getting a job in the financial
sector and setting up my own business and decided to settle
for the latter.
I was aware of how tough the job market could be, hence
decided to set up my own business upon graduation.
The fashion industry became my first option as it was obvious
I would eventually be fully involved in it at some point in my
lifetime.
I decided the brand would be a one-stop fashion centre which
will cater for fashion conscious men and women across the
globe through creating unique pieces of clothing, bags,
footwear and accessories.
Since this was going to become my full time job, I knew it had
to be done professionally and fortunately, my recently
concluded MBA at the time prepared me on the steps to follow
in setting up a business professionally:
I had to write my business plan
I decided how the business was going to be financed and
eventually settled to use personal savings, bank loan and
getting an Angel Investor on board.
As a designer, one of my major concerns was finding the
right name for the brand. After much deliberation, I decided
to use my middle name “Ndidi” because it was my native
name and I wanted my African heritage to be associated
with the brand. However, I had to shorten it by removing
the first alphabet ‘N’ and stuck with ‘DIDI’ to enable
everyone regardless of their ethnicity or nationality
pronounce it with ease and accurately.
I spoke with a few friends and family regarding my proposed
business name DIDI Creations. Some thought it was cool and
sounded great, while a few others suggested just calling the
brand ‘DIDI’. I explained to these minority that since the brand
would be all about creating different fashion pieces that I felt
it was necessary to have it as proposed hence I eventually
settled for DIDI Creations.
Afterwards I searched for the availability of the name on
Companies House , fortunately it was available and I
incorporated it immediately. However, while searching for
the domain name, myself and my IT team discovered .com
wasn’t available at the time so I had to settle for .co.uk,
hence we came up with www.didicreations. co.uk
Next I had to decide my demographics and eventually we
decided we would cater for the middle to the upper class of
the society.
I started sourcing for artisans across the globe and
eventually got a great team whom I work with to create our
perfectly finished bags, footwear and accessories.
As soon as our pieces were ready, I actually came home to
launch the brand in Nigeria on June 9th 2012. This was due
to the fact that I wanted a presence here as well.
After our successful launch, we needed distributors in
Nigeria . At the moment, we have about five outlets in
Nigeria (in Lagos and Abuja), and some online shops.
In the United Kingdom, I retail through my website
www.didicreations. co.uk, and I have about three retailers and
also sell through some online portals.
What’s your inspiration?
My inspiration come from vintage pieces, nature, colours,
African arts and culture; hence the retro, colourful and
Afrocentric theme in most of my collections.
What challenges do you face as a designer, especially as
you’re based abroad?
My challenges are quite a number; however top on the list is
that the fashion business is very competitive and capital
intensive.
Hence if one is not genuinely passionate about it, it could
become frustrating along the line as it takes a bit of time to
break-even or making any return on investment.
I would say I have not personally had any sad experience in
the industry till date.
However, I observed overtime that during the On schedule
London Fashion Week shows, you hardly see any African
designer . This I find appalling as we have quite a number of
great talents from the continent.
It is the Off Schedule shows during the fashion weeks that
tend to give us the platforms to showcase.
Also, in major departmental stores such as Harrods,
Selfridges, Harvey Nichole’s, John Lewis, House of Fraser,
Debenhams etc, there’s hardly any African brands on the
shelves. Hopefully this will change in the near future.
Which of your designs is your cash cow?
I make the most returns from the bags and footwear at the
moment.
What’s your vision for DIDI Creations in the next five years?
My vision is for the brand to break into the UK market and
eventually the rest of Europe and across the globe. The long
term goal is to be accepted on the global fashion scene just
like any other successful fashion label.
When you are not designing, what do you do?
My usual day starts the moment I get off the bed. I sort out
my “Things to do list” and try to achieve as much as I can in
a day. Lately, I have a busy work schedule on a daily basis.
As awkward as it may sound due to my boisterous nature; I
am actually a workaholic and without me realizing it, this has
affected my social life as I hardly go out to socialize these
days.
When I’m not working, I love listening to music, soaking
myself in a hot tub, reading or talking with loved ones on the
phone or Skype.
Once in a while, I go to the spa for massages because I
actually love being given a massage.
Finally, traveling is my hobby and I do as much vacation trips
as I can when I can afford it.
How did you feel the day you made your first million as a
designer?
As you are aware, I am based in the United Kingdom, so I
earn in Sterling. I am yet to make my first million Pounds
Sterling as a designer but hopefully in the near future and you
can bet, I will be elated when this happens.
However, I must have made my first million Naira as a
designer the very day I launched the label in Nigeria.