Emeka Ezeilo, Chief Executive Officer of Gray signature, is one of the most flourishing fashion houses in the city of Ibadan. Born and raised in Ibadan, Emeka realized his passion for designing at a younger age and he pursued it to this point of being one of the leading fashion designer in Ibadan.

In an exclusive interview with CEOAfrica';s correspondent today at his office in Ajeigbe, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria of  the West African continent,  Emeka opens up on how he started his business, what  made him thrive and how far he has been able to carry on .

Can we meet you sir?

My name is Emeka Ezeilo, I am a triplet ( Ebuka and Nonso). I am from Anambra state but i was born here and i have lived more of my life in Ibadan except when i schooled in Anambra state.

A little insight into Gray Signature

Gray signature is a bespoke, as designing brand that listens to you and make you look outstanding. The name was created before I got admission into school, it was formally known as "Austin gray", unfortunately after school I went for the registration of the name, it had been taken so, and I thought about another name , eventually  I decided go with Gray Signature. I am a unisex designer. I make clothes for both male and female but I do more of the corporate wears.

What inspired you to go into fashion designing?

One of the major reasons I ventured into fashion was my love for clothes. I love putting on something nice and different. When I left school, there was no much fund to buy what I wanted to wear so I decided to sew it instead. I got the material at a cheaper price and made something nice out of it. From that my passion grew and people really liked what I created, so I just decided to pursue it big time. You could say I started with the word "tailoring" when I left secondary school but the word "designing" came into place when I gained admission into the university. I gathered more skills and I improved on the job every day.

How did you get your first capital in starting the business?

If I would recall correctly, my initial capital was One Thousand Eight hundred Naira only(N1,800)  which  I had in my savings  . Some were gifts from relatives and the rest was my own personal savings. So I bought some fabrics from the market and made something from it. The first thing I ever made was a male shirt for me. Although   it wasn’t perfect. People corrected some of the flaws and that made me realize that I needed to observe and point out flaws and adjust them before a perfect outcome can be realized.  This has been my drive till now. I believe in perfection. I make sure I take extra time to check out what I have done before I can let it go.

What were the initial challenges you faced and how were you able to overcome them?

For me, apart from funds to start, I had to battle with public mind set of being a “tailor”  as many people believed so much in white collar jobs then so nobody took a " tailor';'; as someone important. But after recession hit Nigeria at some point, people began to see the necessity to have a ';';hand - work';';

How did you carve a niche for your brand in the fashion world?

Well, it was quite easy for me because I had this special skill of marketing and persuasion. I could market anything at all. Since I possessed this skill, I decided to use it to my advantage. I looked for some friends who also had the same skill, I made cloth for them free sometimes at cost prices and they did the marketing. They would wear my designs and get people to like it and since they were somewhat popular it was easier to push my brand name. This was the major strategy I utilized before social media came up.

What would you say is your outstanding trademark in your line of business?

Like I said earlier, I believe in perfection. I go extra mile to study on different designs. I look and observe trends, just to come up with something outstanding. I could delay just to get a perfect finish. When I am done sewing, I still go back to check out for mistakes and make sure it is well defined.

How do you market your business?

I make use of social media but it has been all about referral and word of mouth marketing. It been on for about 10years and we have had more than a thousand customers so far.

Why did you establish Gray Signature in Ibadan despite the perception on city about  fashion?

It doesn’t really matter where I am, I will still make my brand.  Ibadan is only seen that way because people here do not like to pay well for outstanding product. They pay less for high quality services which is why most of my clients are outside Ibadan.  Ibadan residences like free things. But this doesn’t affect me. I am well - acquainted with how things work here. The advantage here is that cost of production is relatively good. The important thing is the quality service you offer, people are not too affected by your residence when your product are outstanding.

What is the greatest sacrifice you have ever made as a young Entrepreneur?

The sacrifices I had to make was, first giving up my leisure time just to build and grow myself. I hardly went out, I will work extra time just to make something extraordinary and also I found a way to balance my academic life with my work life.

What advice would you give an aspiring fashion entrepreneur?

Well, what I will say is follow your passion, and be determined not to quit, stay focused. Don’t be distracted by what others are venturing into, be sure of your path and be committed to it. Then success is sure for you

PACKAGED BY SHOBUKOLA TEMITAYO FOR CEO AFRICA