Who is Ndidi Obiora? I am the CEO of Enthyst Events and Enthyst Fashion Klinik located at Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos. I am a free-spirited person. I am spiritual, passionate about everything I do. I am me. And I am easy-going, to a large extent.
You’ve been in the social scene for a while, even winning fashion and style awards here and there, what aspect of fashion are you involved in?
I’m not a fashion designer; rather, I am a fashion buyer. Over time, I have been able to source and identify international designers and labels which I stock for sale exclusively to my clients. Hopefully too before the end of this year, I would also be able to add the local designers too because Nigerian designers are now understanding the whole idea of the ready-to-wear fashion line. We are getting to that point. I will be very proud to carry the works of our local designers.
I am not new in this business. As an organisation, we have been on the clothing business for the past four years. But as an event consultant, we are warming up for our tenth year celebration next year. For the event consulting business, we conceptualise, define, plan, manage, execute and implement events. When we get a brief, we come up with the full concept of the brief, define it for the client. What sets us apart from our colleagues is the fact that we are very creative, we turn a small idea into great ones and our clients are usually surprised at the outcome of the brief they give us. From birthdays to weddings, fashion shows, music shows and award nights, everything event is what we do. No matter the size of the event. We have done events for 30 people, 50, 100 and 3000 people. That is the beauty of it all; no two events turn out the same because of the different concepts for the events that we do.
Let’s talk about the fashion aspect of your work. Where do you get your international labels?
The labels are mostly from the Middle East and they are mostly labels that are not popular out here. What we do is to explore the Middle East. I do not carry the American or the British style of clothing. No, that is over-flogged. The clothings from the Middle East are those that cover the whole of a woman’s body and also at the same time make her look graceful without revealing her body. Again, most of the clothes we carry from there are those that are easily called one size fits all, which means that a dress that will fit a size eight can also be worn by a size 20.
So it is different. It is new. Some of them are Grecian, there’s detail in the definition of the style of clothes and it is amazing the way it makes a woman look and cover parts that should not be exposed, I mean the parts that show the flaws of a woman. You know, by the time a woman starts to have children, it is very likely that she will start to put on weight, then a little flaw here and there. And most women will want to cover such flaws. These clothes help a woman to do just that and also make her avoid the use of girdles. But more importantly, they make a woman come out looking elegantly beautiful.
No wonder you wear clothes from the Middle East a lot of the time.
Definitely, I wear them too. I am a believer of the saying that you are a product of what you do or sell. And you have to wear your own products also. That actually makes it easy for me because wherever I go to, people are always stopping me to ask where I got the clothes from. That is how I actually started out in the business because I suddenly realised that there is an opening for a market in it. I started small with just a few people. But because it is different, it got on popular fast and then it was on major shows and every other important places.
Are they mostly gowns and boo boos?
Yes, most of them are red carpet dresses. If you want to be the belle of the ball, then you wear one of it to create that effect for you. So, they come in gowns, jump suits, boo boos and so on.
They look quite expensive and you being in an upscale area also must mean that they are outrageously expensive.
(Screams) Oh no, they are affordable. I sell to a lot of women that understand and appreciate the concept, class and style of our clothings. And that I must tell you constitute a lot of women out there. People come to me and when they get one, they turn around and tell me, thank you. That is the biggest joy I get. It is not about how much money that you spend in my store; it is the fact that you are so happy to be in that outfit because you know that you are going to steal the show at the event that you will be going to. There will be that excitement in you to finally wear that outfit after you have bought it. That is what gives me great joy.
But before the last 15 years that you’ve been in business, what were you doing?
I was in advertising. I was also in the telecoms industry, while the banking industry was my last port of call before I finally resigned and started my business.
Why were you jumping from one industry to another?
(Laughs) Yeah, I was jumping. But the beautiful aspect of it is that I kept to one line of profession which is marketing. You know, marketing and client service kind of go together, somewhat interwoven. I am a marketing person. I have always been that.
Why marketing?
Oh, marketing comes natural to me. It is not about what I studied. It is something that came to me naturally. And it is always better when it is in-born like it has been with me. Marketing is not about what you learn, it must be inside of you, though you can later go on further to polish it by getting certificates and so on. However, I studied International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University. For me, that was the academic side of life. That is because those who know me also know that marketing is in my blood. My friends even openly say that ‘Ndidi can sell ice to the Eskimos!’ But in selling anything, I always ensure that I believe in whatever I am going to sell. If I believe in it, then the rest is history.
Where did you grow up and what memories of your childhood do you recall?
I attended the Federal Government College, Owerri, Imo State but I grew up in Lagos because my parents live here in Lagos. I was born in Germany though. My parents were there about that time studying; they got married and had me there. There is much I remember of my early days. I do not really know which part to dwell on right now but, I must say that I cherish what my children now call family time. Yes, that is what I recall I had in my early days at home. I recall that we used to be together with my parents, going out together and having a nice time. Those were the days I cherish most.
Have you returned to Germany since then?
No, but I hope to. I have been to all parts of the world but not to Germany. And that is because I just haven’t had any reason to go there. So I hope to. My god-parents are Germans; so, I do hope to go and see them some day. I am, however, in constant touch with them. Every year, they send me a gift on my birthday, just like they did when I was getting married; they sent me precious gifts. I’m really looking forward to going back there some time to see them some day.
Why haven’t you gone all this while?
It is probably because I haven’t really had something to take me there. During the course of the year when I am planning my business trips, Germany does not come into the picture. That is because it is not on my business route.
You sell fashion, so tell us what fashion things attract you personally?
Clothes attract me. When I see clothes on mannequins, I gush. I just drop. I love clothes. I love details in clothes. I also love jewelleries that enhance feminine outfits and looks. I am a sucker for shoes. I have a weakness for shoes.
That means you have a closet that is filled with shoes?
Oh, this is confession time. Yes, I do (laughs). I never stop buying shoes for myself. I do love shoes. I must also confess that I am a shopaholic. And once you are that, then every lovely fashion item gets your attention and the next thing is that you are thinking of buying it. From bags to shoes and clothes, it was just right for me to open a shop and start clothing people. I was already used to spending a fortune on clothes. So when I started clothing people, it made me feel less guilty shopping for clothes and fashion items.
Could it also be your good figure that makes fashion come natural to you?
Well, well, well, (laughs) I wish I know how lovely my figure looks but I know that I love to look good in clothes. And to do that, one needs to maintain a certain body structure or figure. If you can’t keep such figure, then wear the clothes that fit your big body structure. You cannot be on the big side and love to tuck in clothes. No, that won’t fit. You have to wear what suits your body frame.
Tell us about your style
I like to be graceful. I love elegance. I like to be comfortable. I like that my clothes do not wear me but that I wear my clothes. I like it when I meet you, you see me and not the clothes I wear. I love to have carriage and charisma. That is all part of looking right. I also know that my style does not end with what I wear; it extends to my make-up, my hair, and my nails. Each of these makes up my style. Even when I am wearing a pair of Jeans, the way I put it together, the fine lines of the clothes and the neatness does it for me. It is not about just buying an expensive dress; it is about how I put it all together.
What vanities of life have you found difficult to resist?
(Laughs) Ha, if my dad was here now, he would have had something to say about that. What vanities I find difficult to resist? That must be fashion! That is what I find difficult to resist in every angle of it, from clothing to shoes, to the hair and all other aspects of it.
Do you consider Nigerian women fashionable?
Totally. I doff my heart for the Nigerian woman. We are the most fashionable in the whole world. And I like the fact that we always go all out of our way to look good, especially in the last six years; I have watched the industry grow from strength to strength. It is amazing. It is an industry that will blow up big.
If you weren’t a business woman, what else would you have done?
I have not done any other thing but business sort of. Even at that, I do not just do business, it is usually passion-driven. Event business is pretty much like being in the entertainment industry because you get to work a lot within that industry. I find myself being drawn more and more in that direction. That is another industry that does not have enough investment to drive it. For instance, we do not have real good, solid studios in this country. If there are, then they must be few. And because of that, it costs some of the very talented artistes that do not have the funds lots of money to go into the studios to produce their works. I am looking at committing funds in that direction.
Does that suggest that you like music?
Yes, I like music; I love entertainment, especially female folks in the industry. I believe that they are not given enough opportunity to blow. The women in the music industry can do better if given the opportunity. So, I am looking at investing in that direction and see what comes out of it.
Does that mean that you love to dance too?
I love to dance. I am looking forward to opening a dance school soon. First and foremost, it will be to occupy the young people’s time. As a working mother, we are saddled with the fact that we have to leave our children at home with the nannies. Most of these nannies are not educated. So, these children are spending a lot more time with the nannies than they are spending with their mothers because by the time you get to the house, they are probably asleep. I started thinking about something more rewarding for the children to do after school rather than go home and spend time with the nannies. So, learning how to dance in a convenient place with in-built security came to my mind. Dance is fun. It is relaxing and it also instills some form of discipline in children at a very young age.
You talked of your children just now, how about family and what’s your view about marriage?
Oh yeah, I am married with children. Being an events person means that I handle a lot of weddings too. I also meet a lot of would-be brides and grooms. I get to talk to them indirectly counseling them. I tell them that marriage is a beautiful thing when you marry your friend. There will be closeness. There will be communication. With someone you call your friend, there will be trust and you can tell your friend anything. For me, marriage should be with a friend and should be about friendship.
What role does love have to play?
Love is very important. I am from the old school that believes that the ratio of love should be 60-40 and 70-30: More from the man and less from the woman, of course depending on the society. That way, the man has more to hold unto. I believe so much in love in a relationship, to the extent that I liken it to a situation whereby you can pluck an eye out for the one you love. Why I put friendship before love is because having both in one makes a good combination for marriage. And lastly, a family that prays together stays together.
Was yours love at first sight?
Totally, right from day one, we fell deeply in love with each other. Also because of the love that my husband and I had, we knew that we are both AS but still went ahead to get married.
You mean both of you knew?
Oh yes, we knew but still went ahead and got married because we love each other and knew that whatever circumstances that turn out, we will be there for each other. We have three children and one of them has sickle cell. He is, however, a strong boy. He is a fighter and there is so much love around him. That is why it is important that there is strong love between couple and strong love in a home.
Tell us about your spouse
The truth is that my husband is the reason why I am fulfilled today, in terms of the support that he has been giving me. There is a trace of him in everything I have done to get to where I am today. All the things I am doing now are things that I had dreamt a long time ago that I will do. But it took him to share my dreams, to believe in those dreams with me and enable me to get to accomplish those dreams.
As a working mother, how do you find a balance?
I have a hectic schedule, which also means that I have a busy lifestyle. When I am not doing events, I am travelling for the fashion business. I travel every now and then to find the designer stuff for my clients. But having said that, my children and their dad understand what I do and that goes a long way to make it easy for me. But when I do not have anywhere to go, I stay home and enjoy my family. We also go away from it all once a year for a holiday which lasts between 10 days to two weeks in order to bond with the children.
You are a beautiful woman, how do you ward off advances from men?
I do my work and move on. I don’t give advances the light of day. It’s all about work for me.
Your best holiday?
I love Dubai because there is always opportunity to shop. Shopping is also relaxing for me. But my husband does not like us to combine shopping with our holidays. Like when we went to Seychelles, there was nowhere to shop, also in Egypt, though I eventually found a shopping mall in another part of town in Egypt. Shopping is a crazy relaxing therapy for me.
Your first car?
It was a Daewoo. It is funny the way things change. It was a small car. My husband bought it for me when I was in the university. It was everything for me then. But now I have bigger cars. I love the roomy space.
