David Wej: A fashion brand on the rise
BY LISETTE FELIX
Nigerian-born David Eweje is proud of his heritage. So much so that he weaved it into the fashion business bearing his name that he opened in London’s West End in April 2021.
“When I came to London, I decided that I wanted to let everyone know where I was from so to reflect my heritage, I have David Wej LAGOS written into our logo. It is above the store and on the website. I try as much as possible to carry that into everything that I do. As a Black designer from Africa, I use my designs to unite Africa,” he said.
Graduating with a degree in geography from Lagos State University in 1999, Eweje first made a career in telecoms in his birthplace. But after spending eight and a half years in the industry, he began to yearn for something more creative. “I just realized that I wasn’t finding the real fulfillment that I wanted,” he said.
A dapper dresser, who won ‘Best dressed at work’ many times, Eweje soon began selling his designs out of his car. “I saw the acceptance and people liked what I was offering, and I made enough to open my first store.”
As demand increased, he opened five more stores. “Eventually, I could no longer juggle work with the business, so I resigned and focused on my clothing business.” Eweje said, adding that Nigerians “are highly fashionable people because we are well read and exposed to what the fashion scene is.”
Around 2019, Eweje decided to move to the UK, spurred by the support for his online sales from Nigerians here. The outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic delayed his arrival, “we didn’t think it would last more than six months, but once there I was determined to stay and ride it out,” explained Eweje. More than 8,700 chain stores closed in British High Streets, shopping centres and retail parks during that time.
The Great Portland Street shop is a reflection of Eweje’s aesthetic. There are brightly coloured clothes grouped into different categories including occasional wear, formal wear and ‘street smart,’ in contrast Eweje, a slender-softly spoken man, was dressed in a grey suit with an olive-green jumper and grey cap, on the day of our interview.
“With occasional wear, you want to stand out and be different, so yes; it is black, but you want something extra. For the conservative customers the plain black velvet, if they are the ‘celebrant’ [host], they don’t want to wear what everybody is wearing, they want to be different.” One of Eweje’s signature pieces is a jacket adorned with the flags of every African country. It is called the African nations’ bomber jacket and is an extremely popular item with his African customers and a source of pride and conversation, he said.
Working with a staff of four, the shop opens seven days a week. Its popularity is based in part on the fact that “we don’t follow 100% fashion rules. We realise that a lot of people want to be comfortable, and they want assortment. They just don’t want to wear the black, the grey and the brown,” Eweje explained, adding that sustainability is also a key component of his designs.
Most of the company’s global sales are from Africa, but it has also garnered support from Black America, who seeing “Lagos” in the store’s name, are excited to support a ‘real’ Black business. In person Asians make up the majority of his clientele, he said.
Eweje will be the first to admit that he has faced challenges as a Black business owner in the UK. For instance he has noticed that when there are a lot of Black people in the store, other people don’t always want to come in.
So in addition to Black History events, the shop hosts a variety of diverse events including book launches, poetry recitals, and lectures hosted by different artists.
“I advertised the space inviting people, some with nothing to do with the business, to come in and use the store to sell their products or have social events such as cheese and wine parties.” The move has paid off.
Eweje said he has found support through memberships in organisations like the British Council, whose motto is ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, where “Black designers, such as Andrew Ibi, Harris Elliott Bianca Saunders and Saul Nash, are there pulling their weight and making great strides in the industry,” he explained.
Now a seasoned businessman, Eweje said he feels a weight and responsibility to pave the way for others to come after him. One way he gives back is by mentoring a large number of young would-be entrepreneurs, instilling in them that running a successful business, including a store, in London is possible.
With his eye on becoming an international brand, these days Eweje is focused on growing his business through collaborations with other brands such as Selfmade and London Presents.
“The UK market is a tough one, but we hope to continue to expand our operations here through concessions possibly in Selfridges and Harrods.” There also is a collaboration with Wolf and Badger in the brand’s future. “We are also looking at new opportunities in the US market,” Eweje said.
For information about David Wej, visit https://uk.davidwej.com/
Eweje’s describe his African nations’ bomber jacket here.
RECENT POSTS
David Wej: A fashion brand on the rise
When entrepreneur Dennis Owusu-Sem launched his minority, youth-focused organization Success Talks UK in 2013, he didn’t let limited resources curtail his dream. A decade later, it has impacted hundreds through more than 30 live events, conferences and workshops which have hosted some of the most influential people in the country.
Owusu-Sem, an analyst, wanted to remove barriers that deter young people of color in the UK from being successful. He chose to focus on areas including learning computer coding, entrepreneurship and media, using apps as a way to reach his audience. “The world is always evolving and changing which is the main reason that we want to be able to provide the younger generation with these skills,” Owusu-Sem said.
The organization attaches great importance to the concept “Do more with less.” Owusu-Sem explained, “From my perspective, I think we try to do everything to the highest quality. And that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a lot of money. We just utilize all our resources properly to make sure when we do things; we do them to the best of our ability. That’s pretty much what it means.”
Doing just that Owusu-Sem has attracted some of the UK’s top professionals from all walks of life to assist in his cause. They include former corporate CEO Damon Buffini, Olympic gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu and orthopedic surgeon Samatha Tross, all of whom have spoken at the organization’s events.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, commonly known as PwC, a multinational professional services network, joined with Success Talks because of Sem’s methodology. Partner Paul Cleal said; “I believe this approach will be successful in engaging young people, because it has a good medium (the app) and a good message – I like the way he uses people from very different backgrounds to talk about where they came from and their journey to success, rather than simply where they are now. This helps people understand that successful people are just like them.” Cleal was pleased about some recent workshops and events; “We had a room full of people with lots of questions about what careers are like at PwC.”
Owusu-Sem who was born in London of Ghanaian parents, has a background in education, creating GCSE notes. He recalls that founding Success Talks UK was inspired by his passion for his role as president of the African-Caribbean Society at the University of Bath and for creating computer apps.
Technology is at the center of the organization’s educational efforts and participants are encouraged to be innovative. “When you stop innovating, others catch you up and you can get left behind. We have to stay relevant and useful to the people we want to attract,” Owusu-Sem emphasized.
Owusu-Sem has used personal networks to fund the non-profit’s operation, using its flagship events to draw the attention of a wider audience and to promote its cause and services.
Many have come in contact with Success Talks through word of mouth or advertisement. “The first time I heard about Success Talks was when I went to an Oxford University conference by their African and Caribbean Society, and Success Talks advertised their organization and one of their insight workshop there,” student Liberty Martin said. Martin was a participant at the organization’s maiden event, a pitch camp, where young participants were taught how to become better public speakers. Mohammed Hammeda who also took part contacted Owusu-Sem after finding out about the free workshop. “We were afforded with the opportunity to speak in front of a lot of people, so we increase our confidence,” he said.
With already several well-attended events under its belt, Success Talks UK’s has big plans for the future. Owusu-Sem said he would like his organization to be global in five years; “And by global I mean I want us to become a one stop shop, where we can gather speakers from different ethnic backgrounds and from all over the world.”
Owusu-Sem is also working on a program, called Internship’s Insight event, where professionals who have overcome adversity to become successful share their respective experiences with the younger generation.
“This will enable the younger generation to realize, that even though they come from a challenging background, people have become triumphant and successful, without necessarily being a member of a well-to-do family or graduating from a higher learning institution,” Owusu-Sem said.
For more information about Success Talks UK, visit http://www.success-talks.co.uk/
RECENT POSTS