Temple Ikeke Daniel, graduate of Computer Science of Abia State Polytechnic now Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba Abia State, is a young entrepreneur that is making a mark in the fashion industry with his ready-to-wear boxer shorts.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Temple Ikeke Daniel, graduate of Computer Science of Abia State Polytechnic now Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba Abia State, is a young entrepreneur that is making a mark in the fashion industry with his ready-to-wear boxer shorts. Boxer shorts are an essential item in many people’s wardrobes, especially for men who wear them because it makes them comfortable. For Temple, majoring in boxer shorts is not a coincidence.
He started his journey in the trade as an accidental apprentice. This was in 2003 after his common entrance when their landlord who was a tailor started asking him to do some small stuff for him in the shop. This ignited his interest in sewing as he went further to learn how to sew boxers after completing his secondary school in 2008.
After working and gaining experience in the industry, he established his company, ‘TD Wears’ in April 2024.
His products quickly gained traction as they were spotted by the Vice president of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima at an SME exhibition in Enugu in 2024. Today, Temple is a successful manufacturer, sewing for companies, selling in bulk, and retailing his products.
Learning the art of sewing
Temple’s journey into sewing started when he assisted his landlord who was sewing baby pants with electric machine during his summer break after his Primary six Common Entrance Exam in 2003.
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His landlord, impressed by Temple’s eagerness, encouraged him to learn the skill. Within a month, Temple mastered the skill and began working for his landlord, earning N200 weekly. “While at home waiting for admission into Secondary school after my primary 6 Common Entrance Exams in 2003, my landlord who was a tailor saw me sitting at home and called me to assist him in finishing a job. He sewed baby pants, and asked me to help him package them. From packaging, he asked me to sit down and showed me what to do on the machine. But I was like I can’t do it. He told me it’s a simple task. He asked me to put my legs on the pedals, control it and give it the shape that it needed. It was an electric machine, so I did as he said. That was how I started and within a month, I became perfect in the job. So, I was learning and working for him. He was paying me N200 weekly. After my holidays and gaining admission into secondary school, I continued working for him. I was doing the job after school,” he told TheNiche.
In search of better opportunities, Temple, went to learn how to weave clothes. He soon left his landlord for another employer who offered N700 weekly, which later increased to N4,000. “In 2004 December, I felt doubling my hustle and went to learn how to weave clothes. It was challenging for me because it was a different machine all together. I made a lot of mistakes but at the end I got it right. That weaving introduced me to sewing of Polo, Singlet and skirts”, he recalled.
Temple said with the added skill, he stopped working for his landlord because his pay was poor. “My landlord was paying me N200 in a week which was very poor and didn’t care to increase the money because he felt he taught me the job. So, I left him for another person that was paying me N700 a week which was a good money for me at that time. You know I would just go out in a week and make N700. My new boss increased it to N1,500, and N4,000 after a week. I did this from 2003 -2008 during my secondary school days. Once I returned from school in the afternoon, I would rush to my work place to work. The money I was getting then helped me a lot in paying for my school fees, my younger sister and to also help my parents,” he said.
The boxer short business
After completing secondary school in 2008, Temple moved in with his uncle, who introduced him to a new opportunity through his wife; learning to sew boxers. Despite initial struggles with the machine, Temple persevered and became proficient within a week.
“I visited my uncle in August 2008 for his wedding. After his wedding, I stayed back doing nothing. So, he told me he had a job for me since I knew how to sew. He asked me to follow his wife to her place where they sewed boxer shorts. That was September 8, 2008. The first, second and third day, I was learning, on the fourth day, I made 40 pieces of boxers. And in the space of two days, they paid me N3000. It was mind blowing for me at that time, I felt I have arrived. Within a week, I became a pro. I worked with the company from 2008 to 2018. I was working and schooling too.”
Temple worked for other companies before establishing his own in April 2024. He said his motivation for pursuing a career in sewing boxers went beyond just mastering a skill. He wanted to challenge a common stereotype. ”I hated hearing people say, ‘one man, one boxer. “I wanted to make it easy for men to have at least 12 pairs of boxers,” he explained. To encourage customers to buy more, Temple offers a unique incentive: “I give my customers an extra one or two boxers to motivate them to purchase more.'”
Sourcing capital
Sourcing for capital was challenging for Temple. He recalled attempting to start up his business in 2015 but didn’t go ahead with it because he could not get a loan of N30,000 from a bank, so he had to continue working for people. In 2019, he got a job at FCMB in Calabar through a friend so he could save money to start up, but along the line, COVID-19 came and he lost his job. Frustrated, he asked his sister to help him buy 24 pieces of boxers and send to him in Calabar to start.
“I didn’t have any money with me again at that time because I had already borrowed money from the bank and had to pay back. It was just the 24 pieces of boxers my sister helped me to buy that I started with. Then some of my friends reached out to me too financially. When I got the boxers from my sister and with some financial support from friends, I used my phone as my number 1 store and I also moved from shop to shop, from there I started getting orders and making sales,” he said.
Temple recalled with a smile being asked to leave the office in a bank while he went to ask for a N30,000 loan for his business. “I went to the bank to get a loan of N30,000 and the officer there asked me to leave his office and look for a friend who would lend me that amount. It was an experience I will never forget in a hurry while struggling to start up my brand,” Temple recalled.
Breakthrough
Temple said his major breakthrough was when a big customer called to supply 2000 piece of boxers. “That was a breakthrough for me. It encouraged me to stay on. I told myself that I will do this business,” he said.
View on Japa
“Money dey this country oo!,” Temple exclaimed when asked if he was considering to japa, that is, leave Nigeria in search of greener pasture abroad. He says he prefers to stay in Nigeria to make his money because of the freedom of movement. “I have traveled to Ghana and if you don’t have your resident permit, you cannot do business or move freely and I believe it is the same in other countries. I love Nigeria and I want to do my business where I can be free to move around with my products.”
About Temple
Temple Iheke Daniel is a graduate of Computer Science from Abia State Polytechnic now Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba Abia State. The young entrepreneur has garnered over a decade in the fashion industry. He also adds Duvet, bracelet, beed necklace, and bedspreads to his business. Highlight of his industry was when his products were spotted by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima at an SME exhibition in Enugu in 2024 accompanied by the Governor of the state, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.
