Nigeirian leading fashion brand, CN Daniels Couture has marked a decade in the fashion industry with a grand celebration in Abuja.
The event, which held over the weekend in Abuja, was a platform for the Creative Director of the brand, Nnamdi Daniels, to express gratitude to clients, media, and supporters, while unveiling plans for the next phase.
Daniels, also known as the “Jacket King,” highlighted his brand’s expansion to the UK and Kampala, Uganda, demonstrating the global acceptance of Nigerian fashion.
Reflecting on his journey, Daniels described his brand as one that creates clothes for beauty and glory.
“Today, we’re saying thank you to our clients, thank you to the press, everybody who’s been a part of our journey so far, and we’re getting ready for something bigger and preparing to move into a new phase of our work. It’s been 10 years since we started this,” he noted.
Daniels emphasized the transformation in the local fashion industry, which he said was once considered a field for the uneducated.
While explaining that the brand focuses on identifying talents from suburban areas like Ilorin, where fashion is learned at an early age. These individuals are brought to urban centers, trained, and supported to become breadwinners for their families.
“There’s been a major disruption in the fashion industry. Before now, fashion in Nigeria was for the really uneducated, but now even undergraduates are trying to become fashion designers. Nigerian fashion has grown, and the world has accepted it. Personally, we have a branch in the UK and Kampala, Uganda.
“Most of the tailors in Nigeria are not based in urban cities. We go to suburban areas like Ilorin, take people who learn fashion young, bring them to the city, teach them, and before long, they help their families and become breadwinners, over the last four years, the initiative has trained over 70 tailors, some of whom are now working in Kampala”, he said.
He added,”This project of empowerment started four years ago and we still have more. Right at the moment, we have some people we trained who are from Ilorin to who are right now in Kampala. That’s where they’re working from.”
Daniels revealed plans to expand further by training more individuals and contributing to Nigeria’s economy through foreign exchange earnings from its international operations.
However, he acknowledged the challenges faced by the industry, including unfavorable government policies like the ban on fabric imports, unreliable power supply, and limited access to funding.
He said, “One of them is government policies. We have so many policies that don’t favor fashion designers, especially the ban on fabric. It makes it difficult for us to access a textile because we don’t have any good textile here in Nigeria and then power is an issue.
“There’s no steady power in any part of the country so that’s a major issue. We also have the issue of access to funding because a lot of people are coming into the industry and they need funds but there’s no access to funding.”
“We plan to expand the brand, help the community, train more people, and generate revenue for the country with our international brands and offices.”
He criticized financial institutions for imposing stringent conditions such as bank guarantees and land documents, which he said discourage entrepreneurs.
He stated, “I have tried twice and I came to BOI for equipment leasing and you know what they asked me? Bank guarantee.”
Speaking on inclusivity, the Jacket King explained that CN Daniels Couture welcomes individuals with passion, regardless of background.
He cited instances of working with persons with albinism and noted that beneficiaries are often selected through referrals. Plans are already in place to train 10 individuals each in January and March next year.
Daniels also addressed the role of policymakers in supporting the fashion industry.
He applauded recent initiatives by the Ministry of Arts and Culture and Creative Industry, such as cultural exhibitions, but called for sustained engagement with stakeholders.
“Policymakers need to understand the realities of the field by involving practitioners in meaningful conversations,” he said.
