Rhoda is a successful fashion designer, styling people and creating beautiful garments. She is the young owner of Raz Couture, a fashion house that makes beautiful outfits.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Though Rhoda Ayeni did not intend to become a fashion designer, her early training in her mother’s shop laid the groundwork for her future success.
The 2019 graduate of History Education from the University of Benin in Edo State grew up watching her mother, a talented fashion designer, create beautiful garments, where she picked up basic sewing skills. But her professional aspirations lay elsewhere. She was more interested in pursuing a white-collar career.
“I just wanted to be able to make clothes for myself and not for business. I wanted the 9 AM to 5 PM job after school,” she said.
‘COVID-19 as blessing’
The COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, however, changed everything. With time on her hands because of the extended lockdown, Rhoda decided to hone her sewing skills further under her mother’s guidance, while also waiting for her call-up for the National Youth Service (NYSC). Within three months, she perfected her craft. “Even where we served, there was so much that needed to be made, clothes, uniforms, etc, and that was how I started having customers. At that time, I was like, Rhoda, why not go into this thing fully? Because I have this inner joy in styling people. The love of seeing myself in clothing people while they look beautiful also drove me to take it up as a business,” she said.
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In 2021, while completing her NYSC in Kwara State, Rhoda began sewing as a way to earn a living. She quickly found a growing clientele and, through hard work, discovered her innate passion for styling. Despite this new passion, she still sought a traditional nine-to-five job. So, after her service year, she got a job that allowed her to balance her corporate work with her growing styling business.
The making of Raz Couture
As demand increased, she could no longer cope with the two jobs, so she had to resign from office work to allow her to focus on her thriving fashion-making business. “I thought about my business paying me well with the increase from customers and the fact that my income also increased. So, I had to resign from the paid job to focus more on my business,” she said.
Not long after, her fashion venture flourished. Today, Rhoda is a successful fashion designer, styling people and creating beautiful garments. She is the young owner of Raz Couture, a fashion house that makes beautiful outfits. “Looking back, I don’t have any regrets about quitting my paid job. I have enough time for myself, to improve my skills and time to bond with family. It was hectic for me while I was combining the two because I was trying to give my employer my all and was still trying to retain and satisfy my customers at the same time,” she said.
Raising capital
Because Rhoda has a fashion designer as a mother, she didn’t have to stress too much about getting materials for her business, for example, a sewing machine. She had one from her mother, and all other materials needed for her business. She bought them from her savings from her job. So, Rhoda didn’t have many challenges raising capital.
Breakthrough
Rhoda’s breakthrough is linked with her sales after quitting her 9-5 job. According to her, “The kind of customers I had is not the same now. The quality of my work has increased. I have been able to put in more time to also develop myself since I am not doing my 9-5 job again. One thing about business is that you have to keep developing yourself so that you can be up in the game. Just the way things change every day, you also have to follow up with the trend”, she advised.
Running business in Nigeria
Rhoda identified the persistent rising cost of raw materials as one of her major challenges in running a business in Nigeria. She said customers don’t understand when it comes to price changes. She also added that the high cost of dollars adds to her change of price to customers since some materials are affected by it.
Japa
Rhoda is weighing her options. She has no plan of leaving Nigeria, but then, if the opportunity comes, she would weigh them together to know which would pay. “Whether I am in Nigeria or not, if I am given a sewing machine, I would still deliver. One thing I like about my class is that it goes everywhere with me. So, if I have any opportunity of leaving the country, I will still be doing what I am doing,” she said.
About Rhoda
Rhoda is a fashion designer. She is a 2019 graduate of History Education from the University of Benin. Born in Asaba, Delta State, she relocated to Lagos in 2022 after her Youth Service for a better job. She worked in a security firm, later in a mall, while simultaneously running her fashion business. When she could no longer cope, she resigned to face her fashion business.
She is the proud owner of Raz Couture, a fashion outfit which she also uses to train people. She is also an employer of labour. Her journey is a testament to the power of embracing one’s passion and turning it into a fulfilling career.
