₦airaland Forum

Really? That's interesting... So why do people look down on them. What are the weak and smelly stuff though? I saw a documentary on these exports. They go through so much sanitization and cleaning that they look like new.

eedimo:
Ladies first!!!
Growing up with the girls make you realize that it's OKIRIKA OR NOTHING.

It still doesn't change how much I hate the weak and smelly stuffs.

This makes so much sense. We live in an environment that is extremely price sensitive.

Folabimi:
The bottom line is consumers are in affordable and quality clothes. So people will go for the one that gives them these options.

But would you wear New Nigerian clothes?

grayjustin:
I would never wear Nigerian second hand clothes

You are so right. Many thanks for this insight.

chosenwan1:
Read the comments and you will see why Nigeria is the way it is. Off topic contributions everywhere! Yes it destroying our clothing industries , however it is providing a solution to a poor nation. To the extent people who can afford new clothes still buy Okrika and you will never know. Why spend money
on one shirt, when you can get 3 good ones.

Use this #stayathome period to start your application into the @ishktolaram Skills Hub. Up to 90% scholarship available. In this time of uncertainty, you need all the help you can get. There are only a limited number of applications accepted so please start now to be on the list. ⁣This opportunity is only available to weekday students.
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Visit https://www.martwayne.com/ishk-skills-hub/ for details or click on my bio if you are on Instagram. All the best!⁣

Now that we have no choice but to stay at home, what I have learnt and achieved in the past few days has been incredible. We can turn this into something good only if we look beyond the obvious. The power of technology in these times is amazing.

It is a struggle I must admit to just stay indoors but rather than feed on fear, I have chosen to use this time to feed on soooooo many things that Lagos traffic and physical meetings will not allow. The only downside is that studying / working in one place makes you hungry. � Been checking my weight every single day. What are you using this time for?

www.martwayne.com

If you’re religiously following updates & watching the news, you can be forgiven for feeling like the coronavirus pandemic is more or less an apocalyptic event.⠀⁣
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You’re probably scared, anxious and concerned about how hard your business will be affected by it. I understand. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can get through this. You just need to stay calm and work on a plan.⠀⁣
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If you’re in seriously affected areas, please shut down and work from home. You can also take a break completely, for your safety and that of your staffs.

We, at Martwayne, have closed down for 2 weeks for this very reason. But it is not a holiday for us. We are working hard on our online courses and plan to launch the Costing and Pricing Online Course this weekend. ⠀⁣
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Use the time & tools at your disposal, to seriously evaluate your business. What areas can you improve on? What steps do you need to take? What can be made better? Do you need to refresh your website or social media pages? Do you need to improve your craft? Write everything down and work on a plan to come back stronger.⠀⁣
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Identify what triggers your fear and anxiety and avoid being exposed to it. Enjoy spending time with your loved ones. STAY SAFE & DON’T PANIC!⁣
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Now is the time to take online courses in entrepreneurship, patternmaking, fashion design and lots more while you stay home. Use this time to reevaluate, revamp and work on your business with our Costing and Pricing Course. And we are giving over 30% off this Course before the launch so don’t miss out on this opportunity. Visit www.martwayne.com/costing-and-pricing-online-course/ to learn more.⠀⁣

When your dreams seem unattainable, gigantic or even laughable... don’t adjust them, work on action steps to help you achieve them.⠀
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By setting challenging goals, you force yourself to achieve the simpler ones that set you on your way.⠀
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Don’t let the fear of failure deter you, you have the power to overcome anything that comes your way. ⠀
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You are strong and capable of much more than you think.⠀

••••⠀⠀⠀⠀
Struggling with your costing and pricing? You need cash to run your business. Sign up for our online course in costing and pricing. It's finally time to pay yourself a salary. Course comes up 21 March 2020. ⁣
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Visit our website at www.martwayne.com or WhatsApp 08143402567 to learn more.⠀

I was complaining about this awful heatwave and a thought came to me:

'You know you need to be thankful. After all, the Coronavirus cannot survive in the heat'.

I don't know the exact temperatures required for the virus to die but I doubt with this sun, this virus can survive. It is even tough for humans to handle this heat.

In other words, the lesson I learnt today is to always be thankful for everything.

⁣Between working, managing the home and running the world, women deserve to be be celebrated every single day.⠀
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May we continue to stand strong, inspire & uplift together despite the challenges we deal with.⠀
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Happy International Women’s day �

The Nigerian fashion industry is facing a ton of flaws & loopholes. Beyond manufacturing, the fashion industry also suffers from a shortage of capital and quality human resources. ⠀
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Addressing these issues would unlock a myriad of opportunities.⠀
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What are your thoughts? Let’s discuss⠀⠀

It's time to charge the true value of your work, stop running out of cash, grow your income and finally get paid a salary. Get my new ebook, 'The Easy Guide to Costing and Pricing Your Creative Work', a book for every creative entrepreneur who constantly runs out of the needed cash to run their business as a result of inaccurate pricing.

Learn what to factor into your pricing model and charge what is right not what sounds right so you can get paid the true value of your work.

For N1,200 only, you get the EBook and Audiobook which you can read on any device or listen wherever you are. Special launch promo of over 50% discount available for a limited time only.

Visit https://www.martwayne.com/easy-guide-to-costing-and-pricing-your-creative-work/ to get yours now.

Ever so often, I am asked 'am I not too old to start a fashion business'? Or I love photography but if only I had done it in my younger days. There is the misconception or the general idea that age is a factor in pursuing a dream or a new venture.

I went into fashion at what I would call an 'old age'. I wish I had done it sooner but I would never have traded my work experience for anything else. I was the oldest in the class, in fact in the school. Most of my classmates were in their teens in my first year so you can imagine.

My mum's friend went back to study LLB Law at over 50 and ran her sister's Law Firm till she retired.

A long list of Hollywood actors like Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson and Melissa McCarthy who got their first big breaks at over 40.

You have the privilege of free will and the ability to become whomever you want to become. You are your own limitation, not your age or family commitments or your job. Just You! In this day and age of online courses, time or location is not really a factor anymore.

Want to start a new career? Go for it!⠀
Want to learn a new skill? Go for it!!⠀
Want to start a new business? Go for it!!! ⠀
Be determined and let nothing stop you because it’s not too late. It’ll never be!⠀

Have a beautiful week. ⠀
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Want to start a career in the fashion industry? Make those dreams a reality with our online fashion courses. You can learn wherever you are in the world and at your own pace. Visit our website today.

The market for pre-loved items is a multi-million dollar industry and has continued to grow exponentially though I'm not exactly certain on the statistics.

Do you think it has had a negative impact on the growth of clothing production in the Nigerian industry? Let’s discuss....⠀

⁣⁣It’s Valentine’s Day �� There’s no better time to reach out to the ones we care about, and we care about you! We wouldn’t have a business without you, so all of us at Martwayne are sending you our best wishes on this special day. ⠀
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Have an amazing Valentine’s Day filled with lots of love. You deserve it!⠀

www.martwayne.com

One thing I have since learnt... Never believe all you see on social media. It really is the key to complete peace of mind.

Run your own race, be inspired by other people’s ‘seemingly successful businesses’ but don’t let it depress you to the point of doubting yourself and your abilities.

www.martwayne.com

Do you desire great things in your life, yet you waste time not chasing after them. The person waiting for one day is not going to make anything happen! So what is that decision you need to make? Are you going to do it ‘one-day’ or make today your ‘Day One’? Have a great week.

⁣I have a presence on social media, is it still necessary to have a website? � ⠀

If you’re a business owner on the fence about getting a website, I’ll save you some time — you need one but not a self-hosted one when you get started.⠀
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Since social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn give you a way to connect with customers and sell products at the same time; you might wonder why you would need anything but a social media presence to succeed in the modern world.⠀
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While there's nothing wrong with using social media to your advantage, it's important to remember that there is more to marketing than having a social presence. ⠀
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A website gives your fashion business a homebase, your clients can visit when they want to learn more about you and shop from you. You can show your authority as a growing brand on your website, gives you unlimited ways to nurture your leads into sales, gives you access to analytics and insights to build your buyer personas and so much more. .

A website opens you up to a wider market searching for what you offer through search engines like Google & Bing. The best part is, you have complete control over a self-hosted site, so your website doesn't just disappear for some unknown violation unlike social media pages.⠀
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Finally, although your social media profile will help you to connect with people who are interested in your product or service, it is very limited. You need a website and you can start with a free Blogger or free Wordpress site till you are financially ready to build a self-hosted website. I would advise you to buy a domain name though which is pretty cheap and link it with your free sites.

Do you think a website is necessary or your fashion business? Let’s discuss...⠀

Do you need a website? Chat us up as well and we'll hook you up.

Do you have a factory? These machines are available: Brand New, in the carton. Please call: 08037404296 if you are interested. Posting on behalf of a designer. Please contact the number directly if interested.

It's easy to find reasons to delay action, wait or postpone working on your dreams. Lots of amazing ideas never see the light of day because people keep procrastinating and refuse to take action. I know I am guilty of this but thankfully this year has been different.
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Procrastination is not just a thief of time, but also an enemy and a limitation to success. Stop procrastinating and waiting for the perfect time. Take action this week. You can start by turning your fashion design dreams into a reality with our online and physical fashion courses. It's time to start that clothing line or rid yourself of the headaches you have been facing with your fashion business.

Visit our website at www.martwayne.com for lots of fashion entrepreneurship articles that will help you start or grow your fashion business or choose that fashion course, such as the Online Fashion Entrepreneurship Course that will help you transform your fashion business. ⠀⠀

You may be very passionate about your business, but this creative energy isn't enough. Successful businesses require more than just passion, they require innovation.⠀
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You need to keep learning new ways to make each aspect of your business better from production to marketing, and all the other aspects. ⠀
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Take the time to improve your craft and look for likeminded individuals who you can learn from. You can get trained, take courses, attend seminars and explore lots of other ways to make up for your deficiencies.By doing that you will be laying the foundation for continuous growth.⠀

Of course naturally I woud tell you to come to Martwayne. We offer various Physical and Online Courses in Sewing and Patternmaking, Fashion Entrepreneurship, Sewing Techniques for Perfect Finishing, Creative and Fashion Illustration and Creative Patternmaking and Origami Courses. And best of all, you can register for our online courses anywhere in the world! Our reviews are excellent (you can check them out on Google) and our fees are very affordable for the quality of training you get. ⠀

Running a successful fashion business goes beyond learning the skill. Click on the link in our bio if you are on Instagram or visit our website at www.martwayne.com or WhatsApp 08143402567 to learn more.⠀⠀

Can you think of more growth tips? Share with us in the comments.⠀⠀

⁣You can dream about your goals all you want, but if you didn't take steps to achieve them, you won't ever reach them!
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Don't just wait around for things to happen, take out time to work on your dreams this week.

Since I started actively blogging again, I have been inundated with calls and messages from people within and also outside the Fashion Industry who have challenges with their fashion business or have no clue how to start. Some are asking the same questions others have asked and responding to the loads of messages is becoming a real challenge and I am starting to feel the pressure.

To make things easier for everyone, I created this short form so I can address each of the problems in a post and then notify you through a broadcast when I have tackled the problem in a post, a video or a podcast. That way others who have the same problem can also benefit from it. Whatever your challenge is, please write it in the form. Where I can refer you to someone who can help, I will as well.

It's a really short form so please just take a minute or two to fill it out so I can start working on it.

Thank you so much and have a great weekend! And please also forward to those who have problems as well.

Oh PS. If you have questions, please ask under the post instead of privately inbox so I can address it there as well for others to learn from it. You can decide to be anonymous. Answering questions through just one channel is much better and easier for me than through many social media channels.

https://www.martwayne.com/how-can-i-help-you-solve-your-problem/

So we won an 'Appreciated' badge on our online learning portal. Our online fashion school is not just a place for learning. We also have a social community just like our very own #Facebook for Martwayne. And it feels great to be appreciated ���

Now you can learn from wherever you are in the world! Distance is not a barrier. Learn in your own time at your own pace and convenience. Distance is not a barrier.

I don't know... I never thought I would get this much satisfaction from paying out affiliate fees. It almost feels like #payingitforward and it seems like adding value in a way I never really thought about. I am so thankful we are able to put smiles on people's faces.... especially when they are not expecting it. Sigh... Guess we are doing our own bit for society in our own little way.

Yes so I wrote a new blog post on 'How I Paid my First Affiliate Fee'. It provides all the details on how you can join the affiliate programme and the options available. You can find it at the link here:

https://www.martwayne.com/i-paid-my-first-affiliate-fee/

If you are on Instagram, you can click on the link to access it. The affiliate fees applies to both our physical and online classes and only for courses over N65,000.

And you can do this wherever you are in the world! As long as you know someone who wants to study fashion, sewing, grow their fashion business through our fashion entrepreneurship course, tambour beading, etc, just tell them about us and we will do our part.

Looking forward to paying out my next affiliate fee �

⁣One of the most effective business growth strategy you can use to grow your fashion brand has been around since the beginning of time.
Storytelling.

I particularly love telling stories, not because it's a strategy (I never thought of it as one) but because it's just who I am. I tell it the way it is. I guess when you have the passion for what you do, it goes beyond just making a sale but focusing more on how you add value to people & transform lives. The story just connects better.
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Storytelling is a powerful strategy that you can implement in your business to market your brand and connect in a more organic and personal way with your audience. It is super effective because the buying process is not just a rational decision, it’s also an emotional one.⠀
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To create a good story that can sell your business, there are three fundamentals steps;⠀
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1.Position your customers as the heroes.⠀
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2. Understand your customer’s pain points⠀

3. Paint a happily ever after ⠀

Read more at:

https://www.martwayne.com/how-to-use-storytelling-to-sell-your-brand/

P.S.

Do you know you can learn fashion from anywhere you are in the world? Visit our website at www.martwayne.com/our-fashion-courses or WhatsApp 08143402567 to learn more.

⁣When you’re in business, chances are there are a ton of other businesses out there offering a similar product or service as you. Establishing an edge over these competitors is very important and you can do that by learning more about them.⠀

Researching your competitors is an essential tactic for finding out what your competitors are doing and what kind of threat they present to your financial well-being. After the research is carried out, you'll have a better idea and understanding of what your competitors are doing. You'll also be able to identify particular areas that need improvement and improve on areas in your business.

Now for us, we know the competition but we also try to find areas where we can collaborate on our areas of strengths and weaknesses as well. For example, @garmentproductionhouse, we pass on work to 'competitors' where we do not have the capacity or we are extremely overwhelmed. Others have passed on work to us as well. So we believe a lot in collaboration.

At the end of the day, competition is good because it keeps you on your feet. However, you cannot let other businesses the products to deliver if you want to become the industry leader. In simple terms, don't wait for others to offer an innovative product and then jump on the same idea. Be unique, don't copy, work on your product, do a lot of research and continue to be a step ahead of your competition.

Would you like to learn how to research your competitors? Leave a comment below � and I'll start working on it.
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Kickstart your career in the fashion industry with our fashion courses. We offer courses in fashion entrepreneurship, patternmaking, fashion design and lots more.⠀⠀
Visit our website at www.martwayne.com or WhatsApp 08143402567 to learn more.⠀⠀⠀

Earn extra cash for telling others about us!

To say a huge THANK YOU for your referrals, we launched the Martwayne Affiliate Programme where you get rewarded for each referral!

Promote our fashion courses, track the link and get paid. If you refer us already, why not get paid for it? It’s that simple!

To register as an affiliate in 5 easy steps, please sign up at the link below:

https:///2DNUc78

PS. This is not a network marketing or MLM scheme. If you know someone who wants to study fashion, tell them about us or send a broadcast to your contacts. If they register with us, you get paid.

PPS. When you register, you might get a prompt in your email saying the link is suspicious. Ignore it as our site is very very VERY safe and https secured. We are working on getting this rectified.

For questions, please chat us up on Whatsapp on 08143402567.

Do you enjoy shopping? Are you knowledgeable and passionate about fabrics? If yes, then fabric shopping might just be the perfect for for you. ⠀

You might probably ask yourself if there is a market for it in Nigeria. Yes there is. We had a client in Canada who placed an order with us last year @garmentproductionhouse . She requested for fabric sourcing services as many others have in the past.

We don't source fabrics so instead recommended #martwaynestudent @kqj00 of @kqj.apparel , not just to create the illustrations for her, but also to source her fabrics.

She took on the task, meticulously worked with the client, bought the fabrics, delivered them to us and got paid for it. She also sent the clothes to her in Canada when we were done. So there is a market for it.

While shopping nonstop isn't good for most people's bottom lines, it's possible to actually make money shopping by becoming a fabric shopper.

Read more:

https://www.martwayne.com/fashion-business-opportunity-fabric-shopping/

Partnerships with the right business can truly make a world of difference for your fashion brand. It could allow you to reach a wide swath of customers quickly. ⠀
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Identify other businesses who complement yours, contact them and propose opportunities for working together. For example, if you have a clothing line, you can partner with a fashion accessories business and create a special offer.

You could also partner with someone in the same field to bring a unique product to the market and split the proceeds. We do this all the time at Martwayne even though some literature I have read advise against it. It eases you of the burden of having to do it all on your own and you have more products to offer the market.
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With a combination of mutual understanding, respect and a little caution, your business can grow massively with partnerships.⠀
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If you’re open to partnering with other businesses, leave a comment, you might just find the perfect partner for your business.⠀
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••••⠀
Kickstart your career in the fashion industry with our fashion courses. We offer courses in fashion entrepreneurship, patternmaking, fashion design and lots more.⠀
Visit our website at www.martwayne.com or WhatsApp 08143402567 to learn more.⠀⠀

This message reiterates what we face @garmentproductionhouse from enquirers in general. I think the question remains: 'Who exactly is a fashion designer & what are their responsibilities?'

A fashion designer has the vision for their business and their designs. The factory also has its target market. Where the target market is a B2B market, i.e. fashion designers and not end users, the client i.e. the designer is responsible for everything related to the design including the fabrics, lining, trims, buttons, etc required to fulfil that vision. The job of a production house is to help you bring that vision to life. As the poster said, if we have to make certain decisions for you, then we become the designers. This means we either put our labels on the clothes or charge for the consulting to make certain decisions for you.


However, the reality is most who want to operate clothing lines seem to believe the production house should handle this. Truth is... Factories are here to produce what you want especially since tastes are different. ⁣Furthermore, liking clothes or being complimented on what you wear is not the same as being a fashion designer. It is sheer hard work and a lot goes on to create those stunning clothes.

Many people I speak to at Martwayne want to be designers but I eventually realise that they like the idea of fashion but not the work involved in it. If you want to have a clothing line but do not want to do the work, you have to be willing to pay extra for the consultation services. I plan to elaborate more on this. Follow @martwayne and turn on post notifications so you don't miss it.⠀
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P.S. Do you know we offer Online Courses in Sewing and Patternmaking courses, Fashion Entrepreneurship Courses, Sewing Techniques for Perfect Finishing and Creative Patternmaking Courses? And you can register anywhere in the world! Visit our website at www.martwayne.com or WhatsApp 08143402567 to learn more.⠀⠀