Growing up, famous fashion entrepreneur Kiki Okewale, founder of Hope By Kiki, never felt beautiful. As the only girl in her family, constant remarks about looking like her father chipped away at her confidence.
But those childhood insecurities quietly planted the seeds of her now‑famous signature bold embellishments and striking details that turn ordinary pieces into head‑turning statements.
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Today, that same instinct to “add something extra” has become the heartbeat of her ready‑to‑wear brand, setting her apart in Nigeria’s competitive fashion scene.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, she said: “Whatever my mom buys any fabric, I would always add something. Even at that young age, I always wanted something different when I went to parties. I’ll pick something for my mom’s jewellery, maybe a brooch or something to add to my outfit.
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“When you make additions to something, it makes something ordinary extraordinary. I’ve always had that, but I never knew I would go into fashion. But when I did, I decided I’ve always loved this, and the feedback has always been great. It makes our clients more beautiful, seen, and classy.”
Finding purpose
While planning her wedding, she realised fashion was her true calling, as she couldn’t find a store that offered everything she needed.
She noted, “There was no social media availability as there is now. On the day of the wedding, I was tired. So, I told myself that if I felt this way, many other people planning events would need a store where they can find everything they need, from fabric to shoes to jewellery.
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“That was when I decided to start the business. It started from my pain point, and we have gotten a lot of feedback where people would say, ‘Finally, a store that I can find everything.’”
Mrs Okewale explained that she ventured into fabric printing after realising that more than 200 containers of imported textiles enter Nigeria daily. Yet, none are locally produced, and these containers often return empty.
According to her, the initiative now employs over 50 staff.
Since launching the fabric printing business, she noted that many customers have praised the quality and affordability of her products, often rating them superior to imported alternatives.
“That’s a major need, and it shows that people buy. You see, Ankara, silk or chiffon, and they bring it in from India or China. This means a major market exists, so why can’t we do it? When you print it over there, you think about exchange rates, shipping costs, but when you’re printing here, you’re not thinking about those things”, she added.
A decade after
The graduate of Business Administration marked the tenth anniversary of her business on 12 July with an intimate gathering held at the fashion group’s headquarters in Opebi, Ikeja.
The celebration brought together clients, friends, family members, and close associates.
Reflecting on her journey, she recalled selling from the boot of a car.
She described the business’s evolution as remarkable, highlighting the launch of her fabric printing line as the most humbling milestone in the ten-year journey.
“The need came from this ready-to-wear. We got tired of the same Ankara everywhere. We got tired of Adire not getting repeat patterns. Because we also work with influencers, 200 or 20 clients will come asking for the same thing, and you can’t get the same pattern. It just became a big issue for us, so I decided that if we can print it, why not?
“So everything is now like an ecosystem where you go from fabric to ready-to-wear, to jewellery, shoes, bags, headpieces… when we launched our ‘ade ori okin’ cap, we were one of the first people to start caps that have embellishment and beads. Many people do it, but we were the ones that put that out there”, Mrs Okewale added.
The radio host added that she continues to evolve and grow, strongly focusing on serving her clients and making them feel like royalty.
She noted, “We launched our fabric printing company earlier this year. We now print our fabrics not just for ourselves, but for other fashion entrepreneurs, asoebi groups, and many companies.
“We’ve catered to people who need Ankara, adire, crepe, silk, chiffon, and the only thing we do not do is 100 per cent cotton. We do polycotton, and we can do anything blended with polyester.”
Ready-to-wear
Mrs Okewale expressed delight at the growing interest among Nigerians in ready-to-wear, locally made clothing.
She recalled that before the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused on creating bespoke party outfits.
However, she said she launched a garment factory during the lockdown and began producing ready-to-wear casual clothing.
“Then we started churning out ready-to-wear casuals, even if it has embellishments, it would be just a little bit that you could walk in or go to the market with, because that’s where people were going at that point. That’s how we went fully into the casual ready-to-wear. We used to do a lot of bespoke and style many celebrities and high-net-worth individuals, but we stopped doing bespoke two years ago for my sanity’s sake, my mental state. Tailors will humble you, clients will humble you, and it just wasn’t profitable.
“And by the time we wanted to scale the price, people were used to our prices, which was a loss for us. At one point, my husband said, It’s either you shut this bespoke down, or you shut down the entire business, because I’ll be on vacation, and one customer will be calling me to complain about one problem with an outfit. I’m grateful for it, though, because it was one of the things that put us out there where celebs were wearing us. It gave me value, but the time comes, and you know it is time to move on.”
She added that although many people are involved in the ready-to-wear business, her company has continued to thrive because it consistently creates something unique.
She noted that this is the value they add to the fabric, offering distinctiveness that sets them apart.
Government
When asked how she would like the government to assist, she emphasised that authorities should refrain from suffocating them with restrictive policies.
Mrs Okewale added that they need unwavering government support, not handouts or financial aid.
“The bills keep coming in, like the tax. Four agencies can duplicate the same certificate and give you ridiculous bills. It is wild. But beyond that, I would say that our operational cost is high because of electricity.
“Our electricity cost, and I’m talking about aside from generators, is over N2million monthly. Since we started, though, people have been posting to us.”
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