For Adaramola Ifedayo, the Creative Director of Cocodeal Bespoke Line, the desire to wear something different pushed him into fashion. The Electrical Electronics Engineering graduate told our correspondent that he could not really say the particular amount he started the business with because he started with himself.
He said, “I was hungry for differentiation, I wanted to wear me; I wanted to have a control on what, how and when I wear any apparel. So, I got tired of buying ready-made shirts and trousers, and decided to enter the market to feel the vibes of the fabrics and shirt making. I first discovered the Oshodi market, then the popular Tinubu market (Lagos Island) and that was how we started. Today, we source for fabric from every part of the universe as long as it meets the taste of the client. So, to answer your question, I will say I started this business with less than N5,000, the cost of making a shirt and trouser for myself then.”
Born and bred in Lagos, he explained that his fashion outfit specialises in creating quality and stylish bespoke apparels for the modern man at affordable prizes. And his brand, Cocodeal, was coined from a nickname, Kokodayor, given to him at the university, Olabisi Onabanjo University.
He added, “Virtually everyone in the country is a fashion designer one way or the other, but what stands us out as Cocodeal is the way we do our business. To us, it is more like a mandate and not just a hustle; we are divinely inspired and guided by the passion
My first office was on my phone because that was where we related with clients and also displayed our catalogue to prospective clients. In terms of location, my first office was my father’s house in Meiran, in Agbado area of Lagos.
When he started out, he recalled that his parents were somewhat indifferent. According to him, he never allowed the fashion hustle to affect his primary career in any way, which explains why he doubles as a fashion entrepreneur and an auditor.
“I had a CGPA of 4.05 in electrical electronics engineering and I have worked as an audit consultant in one of the big 4 audit firms in the world with significant work experience. I never allowed my love for fashion or the business to stand in the way of my education. Today, my parents are cool with my hustle as long as it is legit,” he said.
