This month, we are bringing you to Lagos to meet Chinenye Ugonna, a Co-Founder, Partner and Chief Operating Officer for Get Tailored Ltd. Chinenye is a fashion entrepreneur who was able to adapt to challenges and create a solution alongside her partners, Toochukwu Chido, the founder and CEO and Ankur Gupta, Head of Product and Growth Strategy which will benefit the fashion community in Nigeria and in the diaspora.
What is “Get Tailored” and why was the app created?
Get Tailored also known as Tailored is the first online marketplace connecting reliable local tailors in Africa to people who want custom-made outfits from anywhere in the world. Getting clothes tailored in Nigeria and most of the work is time-consuming, inconvenient, and costly. Some of the challenges people face include finding reliable tailors you can trust, not knowing if your outfit would have the right fit and fabric quality, no assurance that your outfit would be delivered within the stipulated time, and little or no guarantees on refunds or remakes. . We started Tailored because we knew there had to be a better way to find trusted and reliable tailors, and get custom-made outfits from the comfort of your home without a doubt insight of how their clothes will turn out and if it would be delivered on time.
How is the app helping the designers that registered for it?
Since the inception of the Tailored app, it has been able to provide designers with access to a wider audience outside their usual client base which translates to more visibility and brand exposure, as well as an additional revenue stream.
“Digital assets have given fashion designers and fashion lovers the opportunity to connect on a global scale with sales and exhibition“
Chinenye Ugonna, co-founder Get Tailored Ltd.
What are the main challenges Nigerian fashion designers had to face during the global pandemic?
Most businesses took a downturn during the global pandemic and the Nigerian fashion industry was not left out. Events, shows, concerts, dinner dates, fashion runway shows and exhibitions, parties – what we call owambe in Nigeria, were put to a halt globally and this is where most designers make their profit and maintain relevance with showcasing and sales. As a result, most designers had to result strictly to the digital space and tech to gain visibility which in turn increased the level of competition. If you’re not internet savvy and do not have your business online your brand is definitely bound to suffer. This is why at Tailored, we decided to bridge that gap for designers who couldn’t reach their audience whilst giving them more visibility and exposure to new potential clients
How do you see the contribution of digital assets in the development of the African fashion industry in the upcoming years?
It has given fashion designers and fashion lovers the opportunity to connect on a global scale with sales and exhibitions. On the Get tailored app, we have had people reach out from the UK and other parts of the world to place orders for custom made clothes by Nigerian designers. This with many other various initiatives just like ours, you can say we’ have added and are still adding that positive growth to the African industry
What advice would you give young fashion designers struggling to use digital tools for their business?
My advice to young fashion designers struggling to use digital tools for their business is to take crash courses to educate themselves because the digital space will keep evolving and they’d need to get with the program. All they need is consistent work and learning through it all.
To know more about Get Tailored, click here or download the app for IOS and Android.
