Chief Fatai Layiwola Olumegbon, MON, popularly known as Lai Tailor, pioneered indigenous industrial tailoring and garment manufacturing in Nigeria. He started as a street tailor on Lagos Island and rose to become a tailor for the high and mighty. He was once the tailor that sewed the uniforms worn by the Nigerian Army and had many political elites on his long list of clients. Olumegbon, who recently turned 90, spoke with OKORIE UGURU about his life, career and the industry that turned him into a celebrity.
How you do feel at 90?
Well, I don’t feel like I felt when I was 20, 30, 40 or 50. But other than that, I feel very well.
Are there dos and don’ts you observe in order to live long?
Normally I used to drink, but not too much. Anywhere I went, I took a little. But that was a long time ago. When I realised that drink is not good for me and my religion, I stopped it.
Is that your secret for long life?
Not just drinking, the most important in life, from my experience, is to be closer to God. When you are closer to God, you get closer to your heart and your heart talks to you. If you are doing well, or anything you want to embark upon, whether you like it or not, it comes from the mind. And anything you want to lay hands on, you have to put it across to God. Ask God for assistance.
The brand Lai was for many years synonymous with tailoring in Nigeria, particularly when it comes to industrial tailoring. Was moving from a single shop tailor to an industrial one a target you set for yourself from the beginning?
Actually you are asking me about my beginning or the beginning of my profession.
Yes.
Well, I was going to school. I went to a Catholic school. I had everything and I was looked after from both sides of my family. But suddenly, I stopped my education.
Why?
I don’t know why. I didn’t know why. When I stopped it, they (family) were having meetings on my case. It took months before they allowed me to go for tailoring. The reason being that my paternal grandmother in Kakawa compound (in Lagos) had deposited so much money for my education, including a house. They wanted me to be a doctor, because at that time, people recognised doctors, lawyers and engineers. So, I don’t know why I just stopped going to school. But they asked one of our servants in the house and she told them I said I wanted to learn tailoring.
Then, there was a young man that used to come to our house. He was usually impeccably dressed. His name was Iroko. He came from Badagry area. I saw the way he dressed when he would come to see my sister. I always admired him. They were two, but I didn’t admire the other one that wore ties. The one I admired was a very physical man. He came in white short and shirt all the time. It was later on that I realised what I was doing.
They took me to one of our family members, Oni, on Akin Ajisomo Street, and that was where I stayed. It was God that put the career in my mind. That is why I cannot forget what God has done for me in life. When they (family members) decided to allow me to go and learn tailoring after one month, I started having money in pocket from mending clothes.
Were you happy with what you were doing?
Oh yes. I was to spend three years as a trainee, but I ended up spending seven years. My boss was John Ade Taiwo.
Why did you have to spend seven years instead of three?
No, I knew the job within three years, but I was managing the whole place for my boss. He felt comfortable with me being there. So, my boss was not even coming to work. I was the one to take clothes from customers, sew, collect money and go to my boss to deliver it.
You were probably thinking of being a single shop tailor when you set out. How did the vision change to become so big?
I became known as Lai the Tailor in 1946. I became very well known in the whole of Lagos Island. I was sewing clothes for justices, politicians, lawyers, and other big people at that time.
You were the like the biggest fish around at that time. Why did you decide to travel out of the country?
That is why I say God is the best in everybody’s life. If you are close to God, you get direction. At that time I decided to go abroad, I was planning it at all.
What were you thinking about?
I thought I was alright in the market. That was when one of my friends, who is very well known, even abroad, his name is Omooba (Prince) Subomi Balogun (the founder of First City Monument Bank), he has a lot of stories in my life.
How?
The first was when he came with many others from Ijebu Ode; children from well-known Ijebu Ode families; they came to me whenever there was a holiday or a festival, to sew their clothes. But on this particular occasion, they were all coming to me to make two, three or four pieces of suits. I asked them, ‘Why do you want to have two three or four suits?’ It was Subomi who told me why when I called and asked him why they were all sewing so many suits. He said that their families were sending them abroad for further education. Then I said to myself, if all my customers, they were more than 20 going abroad, by the time they would come back, they might not want to patronise me again. I therefore decided to also try and go abroad and learn more.
I asked somebody how I could get myself to London. I had no knowledge. Then, one of my best customers was the late popular musician, Bobby Benson. I was designing all Bobby Benson’s clothes and he was very popular.
Even at the height of his music career?
Yes. So, I told him that with your fame, you know so many people, how could you secure a visa for me? I told him that I would love to travel out of the country. Bobby said, ‘Ah, you want to travel? To where?’ I said to the United Kingdom or the United States of America. He said he could not help me. I asked him why and he said, ‘You are the one sewing all my clothes. I will help you only if you agree to make 12 pieces of suits for me.’
I said okay, I will do it. After I finished making the suits, he took me to one of the embassies at Herbert Macauley. So, they helped me to get Authority to Pass (lesse passé). The idea was that I would use the lesse passe to board the ship here as a stowaway. They would hide me in the engine room until we got to the middle of the sea and I could then come out. I said okay and started preparing for it.
After that, I got my passport. Then another friend came. His name was Mikano. I told him that I was winding down my business, and he asked why. I told him I was travelling abroad. He asked how and I told him the secret; that I wanted to stow away. He said, ‘Ah, Lai, you want to do that and you didn’t tell me?’ He asked me to give him only one day and he would come back to me. He came back to me the second day and told me he knew somebody who could get me a visa, but I would have to go to Ghana.
From here, I took a plane; they just started operation then, and I flew to Ghana. He was able to get me the visa. I worked there until everything was perfected. I had customers in Ghana. Then I used to have customers from all over the West Coast. So, knowing that I was in Ghana, they came.
So, why did you decide to take this kind of risk, trading the known for the unknown?
You know I started this interview by calling God. There is nothing you can do without God’s direction. If something is worrying you and then you talk to God, God will guide you on how to get out of that problem. So, it was God’s direction, because even after I left Ghana, I travelled to Freetown, Sierra Leone. They invited me to Sierra Leone. I was there working. I opened a shop there and I was sewing for the top personalities there, including ministers.
Your family members were not worried?
I had left my family and didn’t think so much about them. I just took the risk because I wanted to make progress in my life and in my business. I knew that if I became successful, my family would also become successful. I just kept thanking God for every situation, because as at the time I left, I had four children with a wife. I promised my wife that I would be away for two years, but I ended up spending seven years. This was because I didn’t pass through any formal tailoring and garment school here in Nigeria.
There in the United Kingdom, I finished my tailoring course at the Tailors Academy and then went for a holiday job. Where they took me, Elen Clothiers, at Old Street, London, they gave me a job as a machinist. But as I was doing the machinist job, it just occurred to me that if I could get the knowledge to establish something like this in Lagos, I would be on top of the business since not many then had the opportunity to get the kind of exposure that I was getting. So, I approached a technical college that was off Oxford Street then. When I got there, the college said they could not take me unless I had three subjects: English Language, Mathematics and Anatomy.
Anatomy? When you are not studying medicine?
Yes, if some people see me do certain things while sewing, they think maybe I’m using juju. It is the study. You go through everything. So, I had to enrol myself into another college, Pitman’s College at Osborne Street. It was a private school for those who could afford it. They take one-on-one tuition. I was able to go through that within a year.
How were you able to finance the tuition in the school?
I had to work. I went to work in the day, came back and went to school. I was attending school for three or four days in a week.
When you came back, did this knowledge give you the edge you anticipated?
Of course, it did.
What was the level of tailoring in Nigeria when you left and when you came back?
You know there were some things that happened. I had to join the association of tailors in the United Kingdom. Our boss then was one Mr. Botha. Whenever we wanted a job, we would consult our association, and they would send us out to whoever wanted our services. So, on this particular day, they sent me to a company on 11 Savon Road, W1, just behind Oxford Street. The area the company was located was where you find the leading tailors in the United Kingdom. They sewed for American shipping magnates, politicians, presidents and so on.
So, they called me to go there for an interview. They asked me to come to the fitting room. They came and interviewed me and realised that I was good for them. But their problem was my colour as an African. So, the man who was interviewing me left to go and consult with his superiors. While there, customers came and he forgot about me at the fitting room. They closed and locked up the place, and I was still sitting. But when I saw that the light was being switched off, I shouted and drew their attention. The cleaner then had to call the police. The head of the place also came and he apologised.
Did they give you the job?
No, they didn’t complete the interview. So, when I left, about a week or two after that, they wrote to me to apologise again and asked me to come. This time, they didn’t interview me at the fitting room. They took me to the top floor where their more experienced workers were. Those workers, when they saw me work, they advised their management not to lose me, that I was an asset. I was there until it was time to come back home. Before coming back, I had started sewing for top Nigerians in the United Kingdom.
I said I didn’t want to come home and stay without a job. I decided that I would come and get a job that I would be doing until I established my own place. I brought two machines and everything that I would need. I didn’t come with cash, but I came with a lot of materials.
So, the money you were making, you were also investing them in equipment?
Yes. I bought the equipment and sent them home. Finding job was also difficult because the place they asked me to work when I was given my first letter of employment was Apapa, but Apapa was not ready while Ibadan was ready. They asked me to go to Ibadan and I didn’t know anybody there. I had never travelled to Ibadan. I was waiting for the place in Ibadan to be ready when one day, the personnel manager called. He told me, ‘Lai, we have found out about you that you were the best before you travelled and now you are even more qualified. So, why are you waiting for our job? You see, we know that most of the tailors who studied abroad established their business along Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. Why can’t you go there and find a place and establish your business? We are sure it will be better than anything we would offer you.’
Prince Adekunle Ojora was with the company at that time. I went to Herbert Macaulay Way. The first place I got was where I met the Vanguard publisher, Mr. Sam Amuka. He was a tenant in that property.
Who gave you the name Lai the Tailor?
It was given by my late friend, Mr. Wilki. He was a sign writer and he had a shop also at Herbert Macaulay.
How did you start sewing for the Nigerian Army?
It was Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle who found me. When the Biafran Army got to Ore, Ondo State, the top officers of the army had a meeting. After the meeting, at around 5 pm, Adekunle drove to my shop to collect his safari. When he asked of me, he was told I was not around, that I had gone to the factory. He said, ‘Eh! He has a factory? Take me there.’ They drove to the factory. My factory was at Sabo, Yaba. It was given to me by the Lagos State agency in charge of SMEs. I had one unit. But when I started having jobs from the army, it increased from one to four units. At four, they couldn’t give me any more. I had to go and build my factory at Ilupeju.
So people would ask, what do I need to do to be 90 years, what would you say?
First you have to know the direction of God for your life. For that, you need to be closer to God.
