Excerpts____ “In this exclusive interview, Miss Bukola Anouluwapo Ikulagba, a Microbiology graduate from Kogi State University, shares the inspiring story of how she founded her fashion brand, Kaybos Clothing, in 2017. Get ready to learn about her entrepreneurial journey and the passion behind her brand!”

1* Can I meet you?

Yes, my name is Bukola Anuoluwapo Ikulagba, a graduate of Kogi State University Anyigba, from the Department of Microbiology. I’m dGovernment, in Kogi State, Nigeria.

I am a fashion designer, fashion educator, and fashion illustrator. I ventured into entrepreneurship in 2017 and officially started my fashion brand, Kaybos Clothing, in 2019, which I have been running successfully ever since.

* Can you tell us about the journey that led you to become a fashion designer?What inspired you to start your own brand?

My journey into fashion design was fueled by a deep-rooted passion for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. I began as a makeup artist in 2017, shortly after completing my training in a makeup school in 2016/2017. Following my National Youth Service program, I decided to pursue formal fashion education and graduated from a Fashion Academy in 2019. This marked a turning point in my career, leading to the launch of my own brand.

* What’s the story behind your brand name? Does it carry any special meaning or significance?

The name “Kaybos” holds significant personal meaning for me. It is a tribute to my late dad and my mom. “Kay” represents the initial of my dad’s name, while “Bos” stands for the initial of my mum’s name. My family has been incredibly supportive throughout my journey, from my early learning stages to now, making it a natural choice to honor them in my brand name.

* How would you describe your design style, and what sets your creations apart from others in the fashion industry?

Kaybos Clothing is recognized for its strong commitment to reducing fabric waste and promoting sustainable fashion. Our designs combine timeless elegance with a modern twist, using high-quality, eco-friendly materials and precise pattern techniques. This ensures our pieces are long-lasting while minimizing environmental impact.

Our style blends classic silhouettes with bold, contemporary details, creating unique, stylish pieces that reflect our focus on innovative fabric use and intricate craftsmanship. Each design is made for versatility and practicality, enabling the modern African woman to transition seamlessly from day to night with grace.

Through our Virtual Fashion Academy, we teach aspiring designers these principles of sustainability and precision, empowering them to create fashion that is both stylish and environmentally conscious.

* Where do you draw inspiration from when designing your collections?

At Kaybos Clothing, our designs are inspired by a mix of global fashion trends, cultural influences, personal experiences, and a strong focus on sustainability. Each collection is created with the modern African woman in mind, blending style and substance. We take cues from nature, architecture, and urban life, combining tradition with innovation.

Our mission is to craft bold, statement-making clothing that reflects creativity and self-expression. Committed to sustainable development, we ensure our designs not only highlight aesthetics but also promote eco-friendly practices. This approach allows us to create beautiful, sustainable pieces that support a responsible fashion industry.

* Could you walk us through your creative process, from concept to finished product?

At Kaybos Clothing, our creative process starts with in-depth research and gathering inspiration from trends, culture, and personal ideas. We create mood boards, sketches, and select fabrics, all while focusing on the Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production. Sustainability is at the core of our process, with efforts to minimize waste and use eco-friendly materials.

Once the concept is defined, the design team crafts initial sketches centered on the collection’s theme, colors, and aesthetics. We then source sustainable fabrics that align with our vision of creating durable, high-quality pieces.
During development, patterns are made from the sketches, and samples are carefully crafted with attention to detail. We remain committed to sustainability by refining samples through fittings and using precision techniques to reduce waste.

As the collection enters production, we maintain a focus on efficiency and sustainability, ensuring each piece is crafted with care. Quality control is essential to guarantee that every item meets our high standards of craftsmanship and environmental responsibility.

The collection is finally presented to the public across various platforms, highlighting not only our unique designs but also our commitment to sustainable fashion and responsible production in line with global sustainability goals.

* What message or values do you want your brand to convey to the world?

Kaybos Clothing aims to convey a message of confidence, individuality, and empowerment through its designs, aligning with the principles of Gender Equality. The brand seeks to inspire the modern woman to embrace her unique identity and express her personal style fearlessly.

Each piece is crafted to celebrate the beauty of diversity and the power of self-expression, encouraging the modern African woman to feel bold, sophisticated, and comfortable in her own skin.

By promoting confidence and self-empowerment through fashion, Kaybos Clothing contributes to gender equality and the empowerment of all women, reflecting SDG 5’s goal of ensuring that women everywhere have the opportunity to express themselves freely. The underlying value is that fashion is not just about looking good, but about feeling confident, owning your narrative, and embracing your power, wherever you go.

* Do you design with a specific type of customer in mind? Who would you consider your ideal customer?

Yes, Kaybos Clothing caters to women who value timeless elegance, versatility, and self-expression while embracing sustainable fashion. Our ideal customer appreciates a blend of classic sophistication with a modern edge, and is unafraid to make bold fashion choices. These confident, dynamic women lead lifestyles that require clothing capable of seamlessly transitioning from casual to formal occasions.

They seek pieces that reflect their individuality and commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and functionality. Whether they are fashion-forward professionals, creatives, or trendsetters, our designs resonate with those who want their wardrobe to make a statement about their identity and values.

Additionally, Kaybos Clothing supports the local economy by sourcing materials and resources from small and medium enterprises, ensuring that each piece contributes to a more sustainable and community-focused fashion industry.

* As an upcoming designer, what challenges have you faced while building your brand, and how have you overcome them?

Kaybos Clothing is an emerging brand that shows our growth and commitment to improving through self-development and better production and service processes.

Building the brand has had its challenges. One of the biggest has been creating a unique brand identity in a crowded market. To tackle this, we focus on clear and consistent messaging through our designs, storytelling, and visuals to create an image that connects with our audience.

Securing funding and resources has also been a challenge, especially as we look to grow. To manage this, we focus on smaller collections, use cost-effective production methods, and rely on social media for marketing instead of expensive traditional campaigns.

Attracting and keeping customers is another area we’ve worked on. Building trust and loyalty takes time, so we’ve focused on having a strong online presence, engaging directly with customers, offering personalized service, and maintaining high product quality to encourage repeat business.

Competing with larger, more established brands has been tough, but we’ve found success by targeting a niche market with exclusive, high-quality pieces and creating an authentic brand story for Kaybos Clothing.

Finally, managing production and supply chains has been important for our growth. Maintaining consistent quality and timely deliveries can be hard at a smaller scale, but we’ve overcome this by building reliable relationships with manufacturers and vendors and carefully managing our production process.

* What achievement or milestone are you most proud of since starting your brand?

It’s hard to highlight a single achievement since we always aim to exceed our previous milestones. Right now, we’re focused on our virtual fashion school.

We’ve launched two comprehensive courses and are working on more. This effort addresses a major issue: many aspiring designers lack the resources to improve their skills. Our platform allows people to learn fashion design from home, with simplified concepts that make mastering them quick and easy. We’ve seen many success stories of learners becoming professionals.

Kaybos Clothing is also proud of its growth and impact in the fashion industry. We’ve made progress in ethical production by using eco-friendly materials and following fair trade practices.
We successfully launched our first full collection, which received positive feedback from customers and industry professionals.

Our online platform has increased our brand’s visibility and established us as a credible fashion player. We’ve built a loyal customer base that connects with our designs and values. We’ve expanded our sales from local markets to national reach through our online store, boutique partnerships, and e-commerce platforms.

* What’s next for your brand? Do you have any exciting collections or collaborations coming up?

After five successful years of running Kaybos Clothing, we believe it’s time to give back by sharing our expertise in a way that aligns with the principles of sustainable development.

That’s why we’ve launched Kaybos Virtual Fashion Academy, a platform dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of fashion designers, in line with the Global Sustainable Development goal, Quality Education for all. Our academy offers courses and mentorship programs that help aspiring designers develop the skills, confidence, and knowledge of sustainable fashion practices they need to succeed in the industry—all from the comfort of their homes. It’s our way of nurturing talent, promoting responsible fashion, and contributing to a more sustainable future in fashion.

We are also entering an exciting phase of growth and innovation. Our new collections will continue to push the boundaries of creativity, blending unique designs with our signature Afrocentric style while incorporating sustainable materials and processes. We’re also exploring collaborations with emerging designers and influencers to bring fresh perspectives to our brand. These partnerships will not only expand our reach but also allow us to offer our customers exclusive, one-of-a-kind pieces, all while contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive fashion industry.

* How do you stay current with fashion trends, and where do you see your brand fitting into the future of fashion?

Kaybos Clothing stays current with fashion trends by continuously researching emerging styles, following industry influencers, and attending fashion events both physically and virtually.

We also keep a close eye on cultural shifts and consumer behavior, ensuring that our designs reflect what people are looking for, while maintaining our brand’s unique identity. Social media plays a significant role in helping us stay connected with trends, as we can directly engage with our audience and receive real-time feedback on what resonates with them.

Looking ahead, we see Kaybos Clothing fitting into the future of fashion by emphasizing Sustainability and Innovation. As consumers become more conscious of environmental and ethical concerns, we aim to lead with eco-friendly designs and transparent production processes.

We also plan to integrate more tech-driven solutions such as virtual fashion and digital designs, allowing us to reach a broader global audience which is why we launched Kaybos Virtual Fashion Academy. By combining creativity, sustainability, and technology, we envision Kaybos Clothing as a forward-thinking brand that adapts to the evolving demands of the fashion world.

* How do you engage with your audience and customers? What platforms do you use to showcase your designs?

Kaybos Clothing engages with its audience and customers primarily through social media platforms and direct interactions.

We focus on creating an active online presence where we can connect with our community, receive feedback, and build relationships with both new and loyal customers. Platforms like Instagram(kaybos_clothing) and Facebook(Kaybos Clothing) are key to showcasing our designs, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and promoting new collections. These visual platforms allow us to tell our brand’s story through imagery and videos, which resonates well with our fashion-forward audience.

These platforms provide space for creative content like fashion tutorials and styling tips, engaging a broader audience in fun and interactive ways and also allows Kaybos Clothing to engage meaningfully with a diverse audience and showcase our designs in dynamic ways.

* As an entrepreneur, how are you handling the current economic situation?

Kaybos Clothing is managing the current economic situation by making strategic adjustments. Inflation has increased costs, so we’ve focused on sustainability by using local and eco-friendly materials.

We’re managing expenses carefully, negotiating with suppliers, and finding more efficient production methods. Instead of raising prices, we emphasize the quality and uniqueness of our designs and offer flexible payment options to support our customers.

We’ve also launched the Kaybos Virtual Fashion Academy, providing fashion education to create new revenue streams. These steps help us stay adaptable, keep customers happy, and ensure the brand’s long-term growth.

* What kind of attire do you do?

We focus on creating timeless, sustainable fashion that not only embodies elegance but also stands the test of time, reflecting a balance between tradition and modernity. These are the pieces that leave a lasting impression, designed for those who appreciate fashion with depth and meaning.

Kaybos Clothing specializes in crafting Afrocentric designs uniquely tailored for modern African women and girls. Our collections proudly celebrate African heritage through vibrant patterns, bold prints, and culturally inspired styles, seamlessly blended with contemporary fashion trends to fit today’s dynamic lifestyle.

Beyond our Afrocentric attire, we diversify by offering rhinestone embellishments for plain fabrics, particularly T-shirts. This adds an elegant and unique flair to simple garments, transforming them into standout pieces with creative and stylish details.

* Any support from anywhere for your brand?

So far, Kaybos Clothing has not received external support. However, our family has provided financial help and encouragement, which has been crucial to our journey. Our loyal customers have also played a big role in keeping the business going, and their trust motivates us to keep improving.

We’ve also received a lot of moral support from friends and well-wishers, which has helped us stay motivated and overcome challenges. This support has been key to our growth.

* Do you do training programs? If yes, what’s the cost implications?

Yes, and our training is now online/virtual, in line with our belief in digitalization and leveraging technology to enhance processes and improve lives. This not only reduces costs for participants but also minimizes carbon footprints. Virtual classes are more affordable and convenient compared to physical ones, and they help students cultivate discipline, a critical skill in this industry.

* What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers who are trying to make their mark in the industry?

My advice to aspiring fashion designers looking to make their mark in the industry is develop your own unique style that makes you stand out. Learn about the business side of fashion. Build a network of people who think like you and can support and inspire you. Focus on high-quality work and good craftsmanship. Use social media and technology like Instagram and TikTok to promote yourself.
By combining creativity, business acumen, and determination, you can make a lasting impact in the fashion industry.