#CustomerStories – Here Are Some Challenges Clients Face In Patronising African Fashion Brands

There seems to be a gap in the African fashion scene compared with international fashion standards. Many fashion clients have challenges with African fashion entrepreneurs, and patronizing their brands in general.

We understand that fashion designers are not super humans, but certain factors can be corrected among these brands to encourage prospective clients to patronize their brands.

We spoke to a range of customers on what discourages them from patronizing African fashion brands, and what can be done to correct these issues. Here are their comments;

Tomilola Fadaka shared this with us,

“Personally, I haven’t patronized so many African brands. This is because they, at least the ones on Instagram, always seem so overpriced because they are doing what a foreign brand is doing. The designers should try to reduce the prices of their products, not so they would run at loss, but so lots of people can patronize them. They should also try to be more kind.”

Pelumi Komolafe had this to say,

“For the sale of typical and regular outfits and accessories, I feel the Nigerian fashion brands are more expensive. I also have the challenge of designers using bad quality fabrics for outfits. The fashion designers can surely do better than that.”

Anuoluwa Bolaji-Olutunji also had extra takes on this, 

“I feel the problem with Nigerian fashion brands is that they tend to copy major designers which results in a decline in creativity. There’s also the delay in delivery that most brands always have, as well as not getting the right product, in terms of quality, size and others. Fashion entrepreneurs should correct this in order to get more people to patronize them and be recognized internationally.”

Obiageli Medebem had this to say,

“Although Nigerian fashion brands incorporate our cultural backgrounds into their style, most of their products tend to be expensive. Fashion entrepreneurs can try to expand the scope of their style, as well as reduce the prices of their products reasonably.”

Here’s what Banji Titilope had to say,

“I feel the difference between Nigerian fashion brands and other brands is that, these other brands seem more sophisticated and they also market to a larger audience. The designers also hardly want to work within the agreed timeframe, even for more money. Although, Nigerian brands can be traditional and outstanding, working on their image would definitely go a long way.”

That’s not all.

Eyitayo Adesina also had something to share,

“Compared to other brands, Nigerian fashion brands don’t deliver outfits with good quality, most of the outfits they display are usually different from what they deliver. This usually discourages people from patronizing them.”

Tolulope Medebem shared this with us,

“Compared to other international fashion brands, most Nigerian fashion brands don’t have good packaging, at least the ones I have patronized. The finishing touches on either outfits or accessories done by designers have flaws, and this is one of the challenges I face when patronizing Nigerian fashion brands. Fashion designers should try to improve on their finishing and packaging.”

Moshood Abiola had this to say about Nigerian designers and their brand,

“The creativity of Nigerian fashion brands is what makes them different from other fashion brands. One challenge I have experienced with Nigerian designers, however, is the quality of the materials used. Some of the materials used are low quality and therefore the outfits don’t look nice. Working on the quality of materials would definitely make African designers more recognized.”

Here are some of the challenges and things clients feel fashion entrepreneurs should work on.