ChiMektoria has traveled within the country and abroad, making bold fashion statements with the Fascinator Hats.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Learning a skill is like discovering a new color in painting, with each stroke accentuating the progress and the beauty of the work. The satisfaction from the experience is often, immeasurable.
That is the case with Chioma Victoria Mekemam, an undergraduate, who started with cake baking, ventured into pastry, functioned as a caterer before discovering the fascinator hat, a type of formal headwear worn by women of fashion sense in the 17th century Europe.
Chioma, the CEO of ChiMektoria Enterprise, a student of Philosophy and Public Affairs at the University of Ibadan, is in her mid-twenties but already creating waves in her industry.
How it all began
As a young girl who just finished secondary school in 2014, Chioma thought of what she could do to keep herself busy while waiting for the results of her West Africa Examination Certificate (WAEC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination.
Within the period, she learned cake making, pastry and later, added catering services to the mix. This she did to see if she could find the satisfaction her heart craved for.
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She recalled the entire process in an encounter with our correspondent. “Ten years ago, I wanted to do something for myself. Nobody told me to learn anything. I was supposed to go to university. However, I decided within me that while waiting for admission, I could learn something that would help me afterward. I started with cakes and snacks because I loved anything snacks. I followed people who knew how to cook to events etc. But I didn’t get the satisfaction I needed.”
When the cost of pastry materials went high, she had to stop because she could not afford it. “When the materials went beyond me, I asked myself, are you sure you can do this? I had to stop because I could not afford it. But even at that, I still felt I had not learned something and that I had not owned something for myself,” she said.
In September 2014, Chioma’s dreams came through. She attended a youth conference in her church at Christian Pentecostal Mission in Ajao Estate, Lagos where she was fascinated by beautiful hairpiece worn by a group of women who ministered at the event.
That beautiful sight ran through her memory for many days. “The hairpiece was wow. I kept on imagining how it was standing firmly on their hair and how nice it was looking”
A God-sent arrives
While still in the thoughts, her friend visited and she shared the experience. Boom! She suddenly found out that her friend’s mum was making that kind of hat. She screamed: “Take me to your mother. I am interested. I want to start learning now, please!”
Chioma met the older Fascinator hat maker, the mother of her friend. The helpful mentor asked her to pay N5,000 instead of N30,000 for the three months course.
In addition to the discount, she provided Chioma with free materials to use for practice. This gave her a lot of financial relief as other needs were taking a toll on her finances.
She said: “I would use her rough materials to learn. I would stay with her to see how she made her designs. I would also do videos that she would always appreciate because most times that is what she uses to make galleries.”
After learning the craft, Chioma started making free Fascinators for friends and families who would only provide the materials required for the headwear.
Later, referrals started coming and she would charge a fee to make it for them.
Dealing with challenges
The initial challenge was recreating her designs. “I was finding it difficult to create what someone has created so I was thinking of how to create my own. I started by trying to make something different when my boss gave me her job to finish up. I would bend mine instead of leaving it straight which turned out to be another beautiful design. My boss would also appreciate it.”
Finance also reared its ugly head. “I could not afford to buy all the materials needed for my training. Most times I would trek to my learning center to learn because if I was at home, I won’t practice since I did not have the materials.”
10 years as a Fascinator maker
The young CEO recently celebrated 10 years in business with excitement. “I celebrated ten years of standing strong. We have not given up. Discouragements came as a young lady, but I didn’t give up. Most times, I won’t even have customers for months and I would need to take care of myself, pay school fees, maintain a good standard of living, live modestly, be godly so that one doesn’t fall cheaply before men and to be at least a bit independent for yourself,” she said.
Chioma’s dream
A Fascinator is a headwear that originated in Europe among women who wished to look elegant, especially royals and nobles.
Chioma said she hopes to travel to the source of the Fascinator so she can learn and return to impact more people in Nigeria with her knowledge.
Besides that, she said the money needed to travel abroad for greener pastures could be used to build up her business here.
Legacy
Chioma trains young people in making Fascinator Hats. She recounted having more than hundred mentees during a certain training session.
Barely 10 years of daring adventure, ChiMektoria Enterprise brand, brainchild of Chioma Victoria Mekemam, an undergraduate, has traveled within the country and abroad, making bold fashion statements with the Fascinator Hats. Her needlecraft speaks well of her.