Ogunleye Aderinsola: I left Banking to Invest In Ankara
Ibadan Ankara Fiesta initiator, Ogunleye Aderinsola is an indigene of Ilesa in Osun State, South-west Nigeria she was born into the family of Chief Adebowale and Mrs Monisola Ogunleye in 1990 she attended the Staff School University of Ibadan for her primary and had her Secondary school education at the United Missionary Comprehensive College, Molete Ibadan.
The face behind the fast-growing African Print Company ‘APRIL FABRICS’ studied Accounting and Finance at the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo and came out with flying colours.
As an undergraduate she ventured into the Ankara business before she graduated and got a job in one of the top Banks in Nigeria, she worked for good five years before falling back to ‘her Love’, April Fabrics, a name she came up while undergoing the usual ‘Under The Rain, Under The Sun’ mandatory service to our fatherland in 2016.
She mounted the Tiger’s back in 2019 when she resigned from the banking sector to manage her Ankara business, according to her, “I wasn’t getting my desired goals; I was not comfortable with the job. You can’t compare building your brand with working to build someone else’s dream, I had wanted to face my brand without distractions, right now with the level April Fabric has attained If I was still working in the bank, I would not have gone this far.”
The young entrepreneur took a few questions from CREEKVIBES OLUWADAMILARE DANIELS. Excerpts.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you purchase a fake Ankara fabric or do you have a means with which you detect a fake African Print?
Yes!, by texture, we know which is original and then I already have importers that work with me. I have brands that don’t disappoint me; by their textures, I know the genuine ones.
How has it been, apart from buying do you also sew?
Yes!, I have tailors that do that for me.
Do you also do designs for yourself?
Yes, I have tailors that sew.
What does it take to start the Ankara business?
The journey has been amazing and then starting an Ankara business is zero capital for people who have customers, I also supply their customers
What do you mean, by ‘supply their customers’?
Ok, I have three WhatsApp groups; so, there are people that don’t have start-up capital all they need do is just to join my group as a member, from the pictures I shared daily, they share it as well on their statuses making it look like theirs and in no time it will attract customers, then I’ll deliver to them in wholesale price and they’ll sell at their prices and make their gains without running a shop.
Ok, that’s interesting; concerning the Ibadan, Ankara Fiesta how has it been, what brought about the inspiration?
Haaa!, the Ibadan Ankara Fiesta, I got the inspiration in 2019 April. I went to an event, so I got the dream. The idea dropped in my mind… ‘you can do something, gather people, let them know about Ankara, let them accept the brand and know that Ankara is here to stay.’ Then I opted in, I started the gathering in Ibadan which has really helped my brand April Fabrics and then the Ankara itself, the acceptability increased.
We can’t compare where we were four years ago. Right now you see the acceptability of the Ankara fabric, we now have more beautiful designs compared to what was obtainable two decades ago.
Ankara fabrics have evolved into a major fabric that the rich and poor are reckoning with.
I started the Ibadan Ankara Fiesta, It is the first of its kind, and through it I showcased Ankara to the World.
In terms of the Ankara texture which of the prints would you say you prefer for your customers?
I have different brands, usually, I prefer the one with 100 per cent cotton.
Ok, can you give us some names of some brands?
There is Super Rhema, Exotic, Bountiful, Roseberry, Ewa, Roseberry, Holantex and a whole lot of them with good textures.
Those brands you showcased during exhibitions are they aware of what you do to their brands; did you make an effort to chat them up on what you do?
No!
That means they don’t know how far you push their brands.
Yes, they don’t, anyways… I have not attempted it, but I know this is just a process very soon I will.
Ok, alright, so basically what would you want people to know about you?
General laughter…my Instagram handle is @April_fabric, I want them to know that I am just like any other person. I decided to follow a dream and left the banking job to follow Ankara, I invest in the Ankara business to rewrite history.
