How TKB Is Shaping Fashion Culture

There are many fascinating business stories. The sheer grit, consistency of purpose and clarity of decisions make business owners exciting to listen to. Where their motivations come from are diverse but each one is unique and special.

One of my closest friends once narrated the story of how he started his business to me and it was nothing short of astonishing.

He was a student at the University of Ibadan and had become tired of having to wait on his elderly father and his mum for upkeep and school fees. He spoke to an events decorator in Ibadan who’s also a former student of his university and soon became his apprentice.

After a few months of learning and understanding the basics of the business, he took the initiative. His first pay from his boss — N3000 went into the printing of business cards and the rest is history. On the day he printed those cards, he didn’t have a single customer nor had ever decorated any event on his own. Last year, he told me there was no weekend he didn’t have an event on his roster. That’s my friend’s story in a nutshell but he’s not the reason for today’s focus.

A small business I’ve been following keenly is.

It’s 9 a.m on Monday morning and a glance through Instagram shows images of Adire made in simple yet deeply intentional designs. It’s Adire season. There’s barely any day one checks Instagram and won’t find an Adire piece. Nigerian and African women are reshaping the cultural narrative and are making modernity count in traditional stories.

A small fashion business birthed out of passion and a desire to make a difference sits perfectly poised for everything this new wave of cultural acceptance will bring. Watching the business grow has been immense.

When I knew TheKuluBrand (TKB), it was a business known to sell quality scarfs. The time spent on content creation, getting good colours and quality scarfs was impressive enough and one could tell it was a business managed with intent.

With a social media page that regularly engaged its customers, and a clear pattern of social marketing which places premium on customer satisfaction, it was clear TKB had a direction.

From afar, it seemed like a business detailed for difference but like every serious business, evolution is necessary for growth. That explained my pleasant surprise when I saw TKB go into ready-to-wear clothing.

Adire has always been a clothing choice that means so much to me. I think it tells a story of our culture from a very literal and literary lens. You get to see what it means for what it is and its strongest definitions have a seat at the centrepiece of local arts and culture.

The patterns on them celebrate the diversity of our arts. And the joy of producing, and history of those clothing are at the heart of its excellence.

The first time I went to an Adire market was about ten years ago and it was with my mum. I absolutely enjoyed the sight of the carousel of beautiful clothing I saw.

Observing TKB and their current Adire collections explains a company deeply interested in a closed-loop system where nothing goes to waste. Clothing materials which have oftentime made tailors’ sacks of wastes have become new designs that customers can only love. It is giving a ‘Circular economy’ vibe where nothing goes to waste. Everything is recycled and upcycled.

Recently, I read about a South African fashion company which raised $6m in funding. Their business model is to make the most of clothing wastes from foreign clothing brands like Boohoo and ASOS. That model helps them to contribute positively to the environment and reduce the fashion wastes of the world.

In TKB’s case, the business is not sourcing from foreign clothing brands but designs materials and what they want on paper and take it to the traditional producers of these Adire. This completely tackles waste.

According to earth.org, the fashion industry contributes 92 million tonnes of textile wastes to the environment every year. That’s massive. If that trend continues, that number will rise by 46 per cent over the next decade.

TKB’s approach of clearly defining what they want in size and patterns and also ensuring that every wool is woven for a purpose makes such eventualities less likely. The Adire patterns are designed from scratch, in yards that perfectly fit what they are needed for and made by some of the best and most traditional Adire-making sites.

The tailored designs are also made to maximize both customers and designers’ satisfaction and freedom. This way, waste is beaten and the materials left behind are upcycled into making designs that catch the eye and make for an excellent wear. It’s a fascinating sight.

Like many small businesses, it is a business that started with a love for art and culture. Other than Adire, the use of Sáńyán which purely embellishes Ilorin’s arts has also been incorporated into their designs which makes them a conglomeration of two distinct yet beautiful fashion cultures.

Recently, TKB was featured on Bella Naija’s style page and it was a surprising turn, especially as it came for free.

“I didn’t see that coming. It felt so good. I asked everyone who was close to me if they paid Bella Naija for them to do that for me but they all said no. I felt like my business was reaching people and that was good” TKB’s Creative Director and Founder, Hawa’u Jogbojogbo said.

In years past, Sáńyán was a kind of clothing known to be seen in weddings and celebratory engagements only. To find those materials in everyday clothing speaks to modernity that appreciates everyday life.

Technological advancements have come in different forms in Nigeria. For small business owners, keying into this tech promises matters.

From a business ownership strictly limited to Whatsapp and Instagram reposts and mentions, my observation shows that TKB has also incorporated a website where people can order their products. This website allows customers flow through a carousel which allows an open engagement with whatever they want.

That innate desire to constantly grow and rewrite the story has made the business one with an immense potential for advancement. From their social skills to their business model and how they tackle environmental wastes through redesigning, observing TKB’s processes have been incredibly satisfying.

I like the potential of seeing small businesses thrive and making the most of what they have. In TKB’s case, I see a distinct case of the 5S methodology of the Lean process. As their website shows — they sort, set in order, shine — which comes in the form of their marketing, standardize and sustain.

Another Lean technique I’ve observed from the business is the Just-in-Time (JIT) methodology of producing only what is needed when it’s needed. Several times, I’ve seen the business produce orders freshly for customers and not just produce for the sake of having something on their stands.

Although it’s a small business, it is one that has its processes clearly defined while also having a great room for improvement.

Editor’s Note

Watch this space for more insider stories on small businesses and the people you see.