Mary Awanovwe: I will rule the fashion world in next to no time
Mary Awanovwe is the chief executive of Groovy Chic Fashion. Mary started her business in 2016 after going through some training at Sophwel Couture Fashion and Style. Like most entrepreneurs who delved into the fashion industry, Mary was pushed into the business because she often could not get her preferred designs from most designers. Therefore, she decided to go for training in order to change this narrative.
“I started professionally a year and six months ago. I have always loved fashion and I always wanted to make my own dresses because sometimes when I took my clothes to designers, they would not make what I actually wanted, in terms of the picture and the creativity I had in mind. They wouldn’t give me the style the way I wanted it, so I had to learn fashion myself in order to design my own clothes,” she says.
Mary says she started her business with N50, 000 which she used in buying her machine and other materials but, like most creative people in Lagos, she works from home and doesn’t have a shop.
Speaking about her challenges, Mary says, “I encounter a lot of challenges. Working from home is very challenging. People tend to look down on you because you don’t have a shop and they bid lower prices for services than they really worth.”
However, Mary is set to overcome all the challenges because, according to her, she offers unique services. “I am very creative. I create styles for people and they don’t complain. People comment a lot on my jobs. They often say that my work is very neat. I believe that is the only genuine way I can attract people and get more clients despite the challenges I face. When they cannot resist my designs, they will have no choice but to come to me. I look forward to ruling the fashion world,” she states.
Mary tells Start-Up Digest of her long term plans. According to her, she wants to expand and become an important player in the industry.
“My aim is to expand my business, make it big. I want to get money to do this. There are good machines that can do better jobs without stress and those machines are expensive. I would really love to buy them. But the most important thing is to get an open market where I can get a shop and do my job,” she further says.
As a woman who has gone through several trainings and is established, she advises people who plan to go into the fashion world to ensure they have passion for it.
“The learning process is difficult. For those that do not have passion for it, it will never be easy for you because it is stressful, but if you love the job and have passion for it like I do, you will see no limit,” she admonishes.
She adds that people should go into the careers they are suited for, rather than move into professions just because some people are making it. She believes that when big challenges come for such people, they will chicken out as they do not have passion for the career.
Angel James