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Every successful entrepreneur has a bold yet inspirational story of how they started their businesses from zero to hero. The late legendary Steve Jobs, the founder of the Apple brand started his now global acclaimed business from a garage in his father’s house. For Clement Mudiaga Enajemo, the CEO of Mudi Africa fashion house, whose footprint extends beyond the Nigerian key cities to Ghana, South Africa, Senegal and Kenya, his humble beginning for the business started with just a creative mind, a needle, thread and inauspicious house (see picture) in the suburb of Ketu in Lagos. In this interview with Mr. Enajemo, who has had the rare privilege of clothing John Koufour, the former President of Ghana, Yousou Ndour, the Senegalese music icon to mention but a few, provides a rare insight into how he built his fashion business empire.
Ezekiel Akinbo Of Inside Mainland Newspaper recently spoke with him and below is the excerpt of their conversation
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| The Multi-million Naira headquarters of Mudi Africa in Anthony, Lagos |
How significant is Anthony to the story of Mudi?
My first well set-up shop was at Oyedele Oguniyi Street in Anthony in 1997 – a one room space that I rented for two years. Raising the money for the two years wasn’t easy; Richard Mofe Damiji (RMD) came to my rescue. The rent was about N47, 000 I had only N19, 000 he gave me the balance. I will always remember him saying in Pidgin English “this money wey I wan give you so, I no wan regret”. I replied saying “bros no give me the money, give am to your Junior brother make we go together and pay for the shop’. Though I was making money but it wasn’t enough as I would make a shirt and profit of about N50 to N100 but I was able to raise 19,000 naira.
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So you would say RMD was your first investor?
Yes, even after paying for the shop, I paid for two years it took me about 3 months to raise money again to buy carpet, ceiling fan and paint the place. I could not go back to him. After the 2 years expired the landlord now said, Mudi you have to renew your rent and you pay one year. I could not raise money for one year rent I had money for only for six months.
Why has Mudi choose to continue to have its head office in Anthony even after becoming a pan African brand?
Let me tell you there are businesses in Onitsha, Nnewi, Sapele, Zaria doing very well and well known and so why not Anthony village in Lagos? It depends what you want. I have clients who fly in from Port Harcourt, Enugu, Onitsha, Abuja, Warri, Benin to take measurement and return to their base. Anthony’s proximity to the Airport solves the inconveniencies of going to the Island. Anthony is central and strategic.
How did you get into Fashion?
First of all am an artist, people say I’m a born artist, I know am a born artist and I know I’m good! I say that with all sense of humility I know I’m good. I needed a platform to express myself so I choose fashion designing.
Fashion is an inborn thing for you?
By the grace of God, Yes.
Mudiaga (Mudi) the man behind the Mudi Africa fashion brand
Mudiaga (Mudi) the man behind the Mudi Africa fashion brand
You didn’t learn it somewhere?
No no no. All I did is just to learn how to sew and know a good cut. I learnt that from an established road side tailor, ability to create is already inborn. You don’t learn creativity.
How have you managed to stay on top after over two decades in the fashion industry?
I thank God for the wisdom, the talent and gift and most times I praise myself for at least discipline and the drive because it’s one thing for God to bless you it is another thing for you to take it to another level, so discipline and drive is what has taken me this far.
What have been your highs and low?
Let me go back to when I started, which was very, very rough. After the two years I paid for my first shop expired I could not raise money, I went to see a friend of mine an elderly friend like a senior brother to loan me money. I didn’t tell him I wanted to pay for rent but to rather to grow the business by making some clothes down so customers can make choices from readymade pieces. The guy said Mudi, “No, this work you are doing will not pay you, forget this work”. It was a depressing statement and I almost cried! “Mudi, fine you have taste and you know good thing”, he said, “don’t worry I will link you up with a friend of mine who goes to Italy to bring in clothes him so that you can take clothes from him to go and sell in offices, you will make more money than what you are making now. So a beg forget this work”. But I had an unflinching determination and I remained committed to my dream. It’s just by the grace of God.
Was that your low point?
Yes! That moment I felt very bad because I could not raise money to pay rent, I had money for only 6 months. That period, I would sneak into my shop and you know the unfortunate thing was that the owner of the house lives in the same building so I would sneak in and sneak out, I was under serious pressure.
So how did you get out of it?
Luckily for me I went to see one of my landlord’s friend, Chief Fola Ajidagba a popular man in Anthony village, to help plead with my landlord. Luckily, I was able to get two a grace of two weeks and God did it, I had jobs from customers and I was able to raise the money and paid my rent for one year. One day Uncle Fola Ajidagba called and asked “Mudi do you save?” He insisted that I find an effective way to start saving, “saving culture is key”, he advised. To ensure that I made savings my way of life, I went to a certain woman behind my shop in Anthony, who sells provisions and said madam “there is this man I see this ‘Alajo’ (daily thrift collector) that comes to your shop, please tell the man to come to my place, I want to start saving with him. I started with fifty naira every day and at the end of the month he brought N1,500. I said Oga let me start saving hundred naira daily, so I gave him four hundred naira up front from the N1, 500. I moved up to saving N200 daily that moment and gave him N600 for 3 days upfront and the man kept encouraging me. I saved N200 daily for only one month and increased to N300 for about three months. I then increased to N500 for about six months and opened an account with Afribank. Then banks were not common place as you have today, so I had to go Ketu. Once I retrieve my month full savings, I will board the popular Molue bus to Ketu, bank the money and return to the shop. I gave my bank withdrawal booklet to RMD to ensure I did not access that account indiscriminately. I said bros hold this thing even if they call you that I’m sick, please don’t release it. So I was saving not knowing that the bank was monitoring. I kept on saving with the thrift collector and had graduated to N700 daily contribution. One day a friend advised that I should get a car to aid my mobility. I went to the bank and out of the N257, 000 I had saved, I withdrew 250, 000. I travelled to Cotonou in Benin Republic with my friend and bought my first car, a Toyota Corolla with manual transmission and no Air Conditioning system for N245, 000. I increased my contributions to N1,000 daily after buying the car and kept on saving till I had enough to move to another the flat. The very month I moved into the flat I was still saving N1,000 for about two months and suddenly the man stop coming. He did not run away with my money though. I concluded that God’s purpose for meeting this man has been fulfilled. I have not seen that man, whom I believe is an Edo man, up till date.
Where was your first outlet outside Nigeria?
Accra in Ghana was my first shop outside Nigeria, then Nairobi in Kenya, followed by Johannesburg South Africa and lastly Dakar, Senegal. After my African outlets I then expanded my Nigerian business to Port Harcourt and Abuja.
Who would you say is your biggest client outside Nigeria? The former president of Ghana, John Kuffour I still make clothes for him till today.
Former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, is clothe by Mudi
Former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, one of Mudi’s prominent customers
That was also one of your high?
Yes and apart from making clothes for him most times he advises and inspires me. He told me ‘Mudi we all have 24 hours and how you make use of your 24 hours matters’ that I will never forget. We all have 24 hours how you make use of it matters it is what you put in you get. Take for instance there are designers like me that get to their office around 10 – 11 am but I get to work by 7am every day. If I’m a designer and you are a designer and I
get to my office 7am and you get to your office around 10 – 11am we can’t be on the same level except God is partial. It is simple and God is not partial it is what you put in that you get.
How do you run your business outside of Nigeria?
It’s simple, outside of Nigeria you buy off the rack everything is made in Nigeria so that I can monitor the finishing and quality. It’s mostly like a showroom, just go there and buy off the rack.
How are you planning to give back to society?
I am planning to start a training school to equip young people with the needed skills to excel in this business.
Where will it be, mainland or the island?
It has to be mainland.
Your message to upcoming designers who look up to Mudi or want to be the next Mudi?
You must have passion for the job. You must have the drive, and must be discipline.
Source: Inside Mainland
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