 Why 254? Imagine. Welkom back to Why 254 Business Highlights. My name is Yvonne Annula and tonight we are talking about the fashion industry and to see us through this topic tonight is Vincent Odor and Joseph Joño who are currently fashion designers and are currently dressing artists and members of Rybe Empire, a company that encourages young people to explore their talents. They also do dressing for different forums like weddings, parties and important meetings. Remember you can be part of this conversation tonight by simply tweeting us at Yvonne Annula at Y254 channel. The hashtag to use is Y254 updates starting with the word Y news. Now, with that bunch of portfolio, maybe Vincent you can tell us what you do. Currently, I'm doing insurance with the provincial live insurance company, but you're also doing fashion as part time. Also, our sisters get some money for other activities. So, Joseph, where did this start? Actually, it started back in 2013. Actually, when we had just cleared our school and we thought that the active source of income alone is not enough. So, we wanted to venture in at least an extra source that can at least bring an income and above all it was like passion. You know, there are things that somebody is born with, but there are things that somebody perceives as a result of culture. Remember, quite a number of us goes to school with an M to get a white collar job. So, we thought twice that instead of idling around, why don't we use the talent kind of that, we are feeling that. And that's why you opted to indulge in the fashion industry. Yeah, actually, that is the main reason. Where did you guys get capital to start this particular business? Our capital mainly was generated from our own source of income from our employer because based on our industry work, we had some good money. And secondly, we also talked to our parents because we also needed some extra cash to assist us and enable the business to grow so well. Because we cannot only depend on our salary to make the business be worth it. So, some sources from the family and friends and maybe and some from our earnings gave us that motivation to start the activation. A bit earlier, Joseph, I was going through some of your works online. What was the inspiration behind your works, especially when, because I saw so the things that you've done are meant for ladies mostly? Yeah, actually what happens, we men, we love doing best or having done or having something that best fits us. But you are aware that all these beauty shops that are in the world are basically made for ladies. Yeah, that's according to my point. Because for instance, you can find that men they rarely go to the boutiques and you can find out that when they may be purchased, a given item takes like kind of time. But ladies, I think they are always inspired to have the best because there are a source of motivation when it comes to occasions. They are like a source of giving the public happiness and this is why we say it that let us appreciate our ladies by at least bringing something out the best that has not been there ever before. Yeah. And also to add what my friend has talked about. Man has poor buying culture in terms of the dressing there, unlike ladies. Yeah, when ladies let me talk about when a lady sees something new, they'll be ready to buy that thing from the market. But a man will take some time for him to make the decision to buy the product. That's why he decided to venture into ladies because currently the majority of this country. So with a lot of young people maybe indulging themselves with the fashion industry, what is special with your designs? What is special about our design? I find that quite a number of individuals like the young generation, they try to Google, they try to research. But with us we wanted to do the afrofusion by first of all trying our own mods like we can get to when we are invited to do maybe a decoration for an occasion like a wedding or like a party. We first of all find the environment and then as a team we try which outfit fits the best and from there we come up with our own raw materials and as compared to others I think that's what is one of the best. We design based on our own perception and what we see not that we copy other people's what they've done. How is it for you? You design your own clothes, right? How is it for you to come up with different colors and make sure they blend? I believe it is a talent and just like we can sit somewhere and find out that if I blend green, red, blue or white it can match with this. So I think it is just something that is within us that we can sit down and try to do with the different colors and purposely the outfit will automatically come out. I mean also to assist my friend. In terms of blending we look at what most ladies like. There are some certain colors that ladies like the bright colors sort of. So when we decided to venture into this business we majored into that area where we can get good sales because of the nature of what the ladies need and require. So maybe Vincent can tell us the amount of time you take or the time you take to come up with one design. How long do you take to come up with one design? For a design to go through very well. Because we sit down the 12 of us and then we search on to it before we make a decision. It can take between 2 to 3 weeks for us to make a good design. 2 to 3 weeks to make one. Is it adjustable like what happens when a larger demand is put on to you? When a larger demand is there actually it depends on what kind of the market that is being targeted. So when a large demand like for instance we are talking about a wedding here and you know a wedding they might be thinking about a given type of design that they want to be embraced throughout the wedding session. So with that once we've researched and we can just produce in bulk. It's different from a case whereby an individual wants like I need this, I need that, I need a different designer color. Sofa Joseph do you feel like this business is profitable? The moment you are doing a passionate thing that comes from within your heart whether it gives you a little or no return you appreciate because you are aware that it's basically entrepreneurial because it is something that comes from within you and you take a risk to pursue it and at the end of the day you succeed in life. Vincent technology is taking over everything nowadays. What are your marketing strategies as a company? Our main marketing strategies what we look into is most youths because we as a company we are targeting the youths. If you look into the youth they are more or less in the Facebook, more or less in the Twitter in the Instagram. So that is our main area because 90% of the youths they take their time into the social media. So that is our main area where we as a company are venturing into. Also to add on the same at times we do advertisement and most cases when there is like occasions like when there is a launching of a given project with either of the authorities within our county we dress for the same and we display because we also have the synthetic sculptors of human being right we just dress them and place them somewhere where we know quite a number of individuals will be able to spot them out. So do you guys have an online platform where you can like sell your products? Currently we are dealing with the Reibi our empire platform who is also our partner within and we've been we've been within we did for at least one and a half years and we are saying it's not doing bad and we also planning to open a bigger platform for the same so that to reach everyone that is willing and or rather to reach a broader market Vincent different people have different ways of distributing their products What where do you use? What we do is based on the current things we talked about technology we measure on the online aspect where somebody can do an order online and then we do delivery through the delivery measures Let's talk about the challenges that come with this particular sector Actually the challenge is one you find out that there's a competition from our fellow designers you see whenever you post something you expect negativity comments or positivity comments so you have to learn to live with them and adapt Two, the market trends at times there are agreements that you make with our customer and like when they come towards the end of the delivery I find that before actually we do the delivery we request for the different measurements of individuals and at times you find out that somebody has maybe added weight within the duration because you know of things to do with wedding they are ordered early enough so when somebody comes when he or she has already added some weight it's like that it needs to be like fitted again so that's another challenge that we see also now that we are the two of us at the workload at times you have to work late in the night you wake up very early so that you meet the customers needs I think so far those are the kind of challenges we are seeing but all in all we are not doing bad You people work like partners is this a partnership thing you can say that because we are also cousins to say so I can say we are partners Are there any challenges that you have experienced working as partners Up to date we don't see because it's like all of us found themselves in the same similar just like the same batch he had the same passion at the same time I had the same passion so when we sat down to share we were coming into a agreement what do we do next and the point will come and then we implement because the secret to success is simply implementation so Vincent as a young person I am interested in this particular line of business and I want to start one what qualities do I need to satisfy to become a fashion designer first of all you must have an attitude because everything that derives towards our success is the attitude have that passion and attitude and automatically you will have to achieve it because attitude assigns everything well at the same time you need to be patient because if you take 3 weeks like Vincent said to produce a given good most of our youths want things done immediately if not now or if not today it's now so you will find that most of them try and they fail because if you make a mistake in a point not for them remain the same point you need to adjust because you might make a design and you fail it is okay somebody comes and criticizes it you should take that as an advantage and rectify the same then you proceed then to hard work everybody has taken everything based on education basis I usually ask my fellow youths at creation remember that is Genesis 128 but there is a given gift that God deposited in each and every one of us so unless you utilize that gift it may not come out but most of us go to school program to be either an employee or self employed that's why most of the youth make mistake so at the end of the day when they don't get job or they are not paid any salary they want they get frustrated and lose open life they get into other things so my main point just be patient be focused realize you have talent that is within you if it is the design you will achieve like we are doing and I think you will appreciate the life you have today do you guys feel like this is the future of this country would you say fashion designing is heading somewhere in future actually it depends on how it is embraced because at the grassroot we have very good initiative with our youth right but there are stages of development from this particular level somebody sees that you are able to benefit for the same but then cuts off that link so that is the only thing that we can say in as much as we are trying we as youths but we still have some limiting factors you get at some point your frozen come back we've seen it in so many areas of development, talk about sports talk about education talk about all sorts of areas whenever youths tries to do something they are always not allowed to go up as they wished but white that there are people who can at least embrace the same they can be always at the top because fashion and design is actually what brings somebody out because the moment, the first impression that is what you are that is what brings either somebody to love you or to criticize you so Vincent do you feel the same about that point I do because it's all about what is talked about that passion so gentlemen your final words maybe we can start with you Joseph my final words to all the ladies gentlemen who are viewing as such why 254 today unless you realize your vision and dreams nothing shall come on a silver plate and as I surely do say and reiterate again that does not depend on the education we receive in school that is only to formalize you with life but I know very well that there is something that is lingering inside you that which agitates you at times I know quite a number of us are waiting to get employed but remember shocking statistics over 12.5 million individuals are not employed currently no jobs are being created so if you just sit there doing nothing but you are waiting to be employed my friend it's getting too late you are getting elder and remember you also have a short life to live so please embrace whatever talent that you have to assist you have a good life that you've always wished thank you Vincent what I can say is currently things are very much tighter and even whatever I want to do especially based on what we have brought up in our communities we get discouraged you can even tell your mom your parents that I want to be a DJ I want to do this kind of activity but at some point they feel that it's not employing because they are looking under the future not knowing that whatever you have at heart whatever God gave you even your parents cannot know so it's all about you to go for it because the moment you leave it the moment you lose hope but people are doing it people are getting money from it people are living for it people are feeding the families the same activities somebody is encouraging you on why can't you also have that mentality and go for it because even talk about the country itself whenever you start playing football even your parents tell you that no football will never take you anywhere but people are doing so well in football one of the best playing careers in this country is even football where you are so I'm just telling my youth that life is really changing whatever you have at hand whatever you feel that you can do it for your life kindly just go for it let nobody let you down because the future is all about you not even your parents, not even your friends not even your enemies or whoever it's all about you to make your future thank you