Yomi Makun, the younger brother of celebrated comedian, AY, has been in the fashion business for 10 years. In this interview with OVWE MEDEME, he talks about his early days and how a chance happening led to his present status.
YOU ‘VE been doing this since 2007. What has kept you for the past 10 years?
It’s consistency. It’s all about me being creative and giving the people what they want. I feel I understand my industry to a large extent because I always give them what they want and they keep coming back. They have never complained. And when people keep coming back to you, it means you are getting it right.
How did you set out?
I studied fashion and design in Auchi Polytechnic, so this is me doing my profession. I never wanted to study it as a course. I always had a desire to study arts because I’m an artiste. I paint, I sketch and I do all of that. But my elder sister made a mistake. She bought my JAMB form for me and she filled fashion design instead of fine and applied arts. So that was how I found myself doing fashion. It was all a mistake and the mistake has paid off. It’s really helping me because I’ve been able to infuse my artistic abilities into fashion.
Did you fight it?
I fought it with my blood. I frustrated my elder sister for three years. It got to a point that she suggested that she buys me a new form. But along the line, I saw myself liking the course. We did an exhibition and I came out tops, even the white guys who came around were celebrating me.
Because what I did was extremely different from what they asked everybody to do. I tried to get out of my comfort zone. At the end, they brought me on stage and used me as an example to everybody. So, my lecturer, a white lady, encouraged me to do it. At first, I kept telling her that I could never be a tailor, but the rest is history.
Who are your clientele?
Very soon, I want to set up a different brand and it is one that cuts across. I’ve heard people say that my designs are expensive but they are just scared from afar. They’ve not even come close. When they come close and I break it down for them, they will see that that is not the case.
Every design falls into class. It’s just like buying a car. You can’t just say all cars are expensive. There must be one that falls within your budget. If you say you want to buy a Rolls Royce, it means you have a lot of money. You could also decide to buy a Toyota Camry. We know the difference. So it all depends on your pocket.
How would you describe your brand?
I always like to leave that for my fans and my clients to do, but my brand is a very simple and a unique brand and I’m still working on it. I really don’t see myself as a brand in the conventional sense. I’m just a guy working hard to get to his destination.
As one who does mostly African designs, do you intend to start exporting them?
Hopefully, I will be taking my designs outside the country. Africa is very big, so for now, if we can take care of the continent, we are ok. But I intend to expand my reach, take my designs outside Africa and, I want a situation where I will be able to stock my designs in foreign malls.
What has been your experience dealing with staff and customers?
My experience has been very good and bad as well. You can’t really say it’s only good. Definitely, there have been some bad moments. As for managing staff, you need to know what they want because they are humans. You need to make them happy. When they are happy, you are happy. When they are happy, your work comes out well.
So sometimes, you have to go out of your way to make sure they are ok.
Sometimes, you have to know if they are ok, as in their personal needs, if they are having any crisis at home, you need to find out, because whatever they are going through will affect your work. So I always do that once in a while. I call them together and find out if they are having any issue and we find a way around it. I do that a lot, so that has helped me, even when I’m not around. They can’t even plot against me because I make sure they are ok.
How has the economy affected your business?
The economy has affected me in only one direction because I built my brand around that area. When I started, I started with just celebrities and politicians. So when the recession started, it really affected me from that angle because all my clients are politicians. At some point, they started reducing their orders. So I realised that my original market shouldn’t be politicians. I then decided to cater for everybody, which is what we are doing now.
How did you get to this level?
I started from AY’s house. After school, I was still in Warri, so AY encouraged me to come down to Lagos. Me, I liked my Warri. I was making handmade cards, doing sign posts and I was ok with the 5k or 10k I was receiving. o when I moved to Lagos, I made something for him and Alibaba. Alibaba wore it and everybody commended it. I was in that same event and one guy came to AY to commend his outfit and he told them I was the designer. Then, I had no name. I was just doing it for the fun of it.
Suddenly, all the camera men beamed their lights on me and I was struck dumb. I couldn’t say a word. So they took the camera off me and coached me on what to say. That was it. AY bought me my first sewing machine in his house. Then he was staying in a three-bedroom apartment in Iponri Estate. Then, it was me, Elenu and Seyi Law living in that same room.
During the day, the room was my office. We would just remove the bed and just leave the sewing machine and the chair. It got to a point, I moved the machine to the kitchen and I was working from there. So we made the room an office, so when my clients come, they came straight to the room and AY did not have a problem with it. From there, AY moved out. I turned the living room into my office. From there again, I moved into a proper office in Aguda; from Aguda to Bode Thomas, and from Bode Thomas to Lekki.
What would be your advice to the younger generation?
I will just generalise my advice. A lot is happening in the country. Don’t fall for it. Don’t join the crowd to complain about the system. Master your craft, look for something you can do. There is always a new idea that you can work on. And stop saying you don’t have the capital to start. I started with just 10 thousand naira, and it was my sewing machine. That was all I needed because I had the talent. All I needed was the machine for me to sew. Stop complaining. While you are complaining, the time is ticking and if you’re 25 today, before you know you are 30. And if at 30 you are not already working on your dreams, you are losing it. Because you can’t start your life at 40. Apart from meeting one chairman to dash you money or setting you up, if you say you want to master your craft or you want to go into business, at 30/35, you should be doing it already.
How do you handle competition?
There is and it is ever getting serious now because designers are springing up every day. Young that their blood dey hot. But if someone like me decides to relax, then I would lose it. Everyone has their own market. The market is big enough. As good as I think I am, there are people that are tired of me. They want something new.
Congratulations on your recent engagement. Is the asoebi out yet?
The asoebi is around the corner. The wedding is in October.
How long you have been together?
