‘Nigerians’ aesthetic appreciation has really shifted’

Lilian Ikem’s credential as an entrepreneur in the fashion industry is unassailable having been a player in the industry for not less than a decade.  She owns a top-end boutique that is on a sound footing.  At the moment, the economics graduate of Edo State University (formerly Ambrose Alli University) is rounding up plans to diversify her Lily and Gees business group with the establishment of Lil-Gee salon chains. That is not all. She is also broadening her business horizons to include sales of luxury china plates, an enterprise she claims is driven by a desire to “make royalty available to the middleclass”–– an expression that encapsulate her business philosophy of filling a need, rather than just doing business for business’ sake.  In this interview with Ifeoma Okeke, she talks about the business side of fashion and beauty and the bone china plate collection trend she is poised to trigger among middleclass Nigerians.

You are known for running a fashion outfit

Yes, I have been a player in the Nigerian fashion industry for about 10 years, thoroughly enjoying my experience, growth and relationships that have been fostered over the years with my numerous clients. My boutique of mostly ladies’ things, suits and accessories such as bags and the likes.

Let’s tap into your fashion knowledge. What is the distinction between a suit and a jacket?

A suit is a full outfit. That is why it is called the suit, like the pant suit or the skirt suit. People have gotten tired of those ones, so they buy jacket. Jacket is just what it is. A jacket is a single piece. The top. You can blend it with whatever you want to blend it with. You can’t wear the jacket without wearing the marching pant.

Talking about suits, do ladies still wear suits?

Ladies still wear suites. We all have different parts of our bodies we are trying to hide. Some of us are into trousers, because we do not want parts of our legs to show.  For some women, it is their shoulders. Suits are still good. You can decide to get them in the three-quarter sleeve, the jacket. If you are able to do that, it is still interesting.

Given your background in boutique, one can easily understand your delving into salon. But the plate business seems to be a different kettle of fish altogether

Don’t get me wrong. I am not leaving the fashion industry. I love it too much to. I am merely expanding my frontiers. The salon franchise like the fashion world is beauty based. The dishware business is beauty based in a sense. What Lille and Gee is positioning to do is to raise the overall aesthetic appreciation in Nigeria.

The focus should not just be on what people wear and how they look but also on how they live.

As for the plate, once my husband travelled, on a good day, I would go straight to a store and just change the household dishware––the plates and cutlery––before he comes back home. I used to go as far as change the bed sheet. So it’s a love, a passion.

Are you going to be manufacturing the bone chain?

Eventually yes, I would be designing the plates. For now, I am in collaboration with some major manufacturers on this. I am going to be importing them from China.

Tell us about it

Bone China is one of the highest premium qualities of plates that you can find.  Imagine very good quality China plates with beautiful delicate prints on them. You have got dishes that are flat plates, saucers, cups, trays, wine glass––all in the same motifs, but in variety of colours.

Such might appeal to a few connoisseurs. Why would an average Nigerian leave the plate in the supermarket to buy one of your exquisite Bone China?

Nigerians’ aesthetic appreciation has really shifted.  Bone Chinas are beautiful plates, on a different echelon altogether. Imagine plates for royalty that is being made available to the middle class-

And you think there is a market for it?

There is a market for it. Though things are really expensive these days and people are running away from spending money, that is why I will be making it available to people that are like me.

How do you intend to cultivate this taste among the masses, the middleclass especially?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. When you see the plate, nobody needs to cajole you.  Merely looking at them says everything. They market themselves.  It is something worth saving up for.  The plates are on a different ladder and that is why I said, imagine a tableware meant for royalty that is now being made available for the middle class, as simple as that.

Let’s shift to the salon franchise

The salon is under the Lily and Gees Group. Having looked around, I noticed that for women to get their hair or nails done, they most often travel some distance. The idea behind Lily and Gee Salon is to turn it into a franchisable brand so that in almost every hub, every locality within the metropolis, you can find a Lily and Gee salon you have at your service best braiders, best nail technicians, best wigs specialists and the likes.

Already Lagos is filled with popular salons. What are you bringing differently, aside assembling the best team?

Affordability. Imagine coming to the salon where you are going to meet the expert in hair and hair care, where you have products available as well and it is all affordable––the best of everything at affordable prices. That is really what the salon is about.

 Given your background in the beauty industry, what areas do you want to fill?

There is a hair knowledge gap, and Lill and Gees is motivated to fill that.

Nigerians are excelling at making hair look good. Lil and Gees want to combine that with maintaining healthy hair that retains its luster, length and nutrients to old age. Nigerians are lacking in knowledge. We are not lacking in the appreciation of good hair when we see it, but it is usually at the neglect of our own natural hair. Right now, it is fashionable to have multiple wigs, but then, what are we really doing about our natural hair? What products suits fine or coarse hair? Those are the things we are bringing into the Nigerian market. We want to beginning to educate, so the stylists and the dressers are trained to educate the clients of Lily and Gees to knowing the particular products that they require for the different hair textures.

Take for instance, women who seem to be going bald. I have seen people use very expensive products, such as weave-on but had it on too tight and too long a time, and perhaps failed to apply a little bit of coconut oil, Shea butter or something that could help. Problem such as hair pull is a small thing, if you know one or two things to do. This is not about expensive products; it is, one, about knowledge, and two, consistency. That is why we are coming into the market. Our franchise is not about just taking customers’ money but also educating them on what to do to the hair.

What business trainings have you to embark on these ventures?

I have had multiple personal development training. I own a boutique. I have consistently done business. If a person finds that her interest lies beyond one thing, and she has the capacity to do more than one thing, then why not?  That is essentially the motivation. The capacity is there, so is the willingness to do all these, and what’s more, the market is there also.