•What She Told City People 25 Years Ago
She is one lady with a lot of guts. And plenty of it too. She is also a very enterprising lady with a lot of promise. On December 14, 1996, she went into the fashion world with a different concept and approach. She set up Every Woman, an exquisite clothing store on Opebi road, Ikeja, Lagos. It is the shop where over the last 25 years, every woman goes to shop. She was Debbie Ogunjobi then. She was single. She spoke to Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE about her business. She is now happily married. And she is Mrs Debbie Akindele Ojo. Her clothing store has remained one of the leaders in corporate and non-corporate female attires in Lagos. Below are excerpts of her 1st major interview with City People.
Why did you set up Every Woman?
The first time I came up with it was when my mum died in 1996. A friend of mine suggested the idea, my sisters endorsed it and to give it a trial. I went abroad, got some clothes and we sold it from the house. And it went very well. And luckily for me, the same friend who suggested it, also found my present shop and virtually pushed me into going there.
How did you come by the name Every Woman?
Funny enough, the name came up over lunch. My friend was there, with his wife and another guy, so we just sat down and began to brainstorm. We first said Dress Sense, everybody liked Dress Sense, somebody said Debbie’s Thing, I said I don’t want to use my name. Then I said Every Woman and two people voted for me, and we managed to convince the other two guys there.
Why did you settle for Every Woman?
It was because it made sense. It was straight to the point. I just thought Every Woman, we are selling women’s clothes, and then, since at that time, my friend and I, were thinking of going into partnership, we thought we could do Every Man, we could do Every Baby. It all seemed like a nice concept that could grow.
Did you try with the idea of making those clothes yourself, or was it going to be strictly importing them?
I would never have tried to do the clothes myself, because, before that, I had the situation where, when my mum was alive, we ran a place where we did Boubous, (Agbada’s) basically for the expatriates. It was quite good, but what I found was that tailors can disappoint. It can be quite embarrassing. After some time, I just got tired of all the complaints. And one day, I just walked in and I said I am sorry it is all over.
So, Every Woman wasn’t your first attempt at the cloth business?
No. Before Every Woman, I had Well Worth Interiors, we did a lot of interiors. I had Set Trust Ventures, we did a lot of contacts, I had Wind Rights; we did a lot of contracts as well. It is just that Every Woman is the one that everybody knows. Before Every Woman, I made a very good living. Obviously, Every Woman because of the nature of the business, attracts a lot of attention, because of the size of the shop, the concept behind it.
What are you trying to achieve that other shops haven’t achieved?
When I started Every Woman, a lot of people said, another shop yet again. They argued that shops are so common. But, I told them that for me, I always like a challenge. I wanted a shop where we could be talking in major bucks. The way I worked it out, I saw an untapped market. The challenge was there that I could do this, and that I could do it in a big way, and that I could do it better than anybody. For me, if people do things that are good, it’s motivation for me to do a lot better.
So, how have you been able to turn what was considered a small shop about a year age into the big shop it is today?
I will like to think that I am very creative. I am one of those people that always have ideas and always think ahead. It was so easy for me, because basically, I am a friendly person. I am not a proud person. I don’t exactly hoast of what I don’t have, even what I have, I am very quiet about. I think it makes me acceptable to most people.
How is Every Woman different from the next shop down the street?
The size of it. The fact that it is big. If you come to Every Woman and you want to count individually, you will be looking at about 800 things. That is even when the shop is empty.
Why do you need a shop that big?
Because if it wasn’t of that size, it would be the same thing, it would be the same kind of shop where you’d sit down in a shop that is all cramped up, tight. I need space to show my stuff. I needed something big to be different. What also makes my shop different is that unlike other shops, I advise my customers. I like dresssing them up.
What prepared you for this role?
I have always been good at Counselling, I always like to look at things from another point of view. And I like clothes. I love combining clothes. I love to see women who dress well. Then, I love simple things, especially being able to combine simple things, having a good dress sense. I have the ability for being able to combine colours that would look nice. Because of the magnitude of Every Woman, I am able to do such. Let me give you the example of The Actress Of The Year, Bimbo. She walked into the shop and said, Debbie, I think I have put on weight, I don’t want to open my arms. And there was this lovely evening gown that I knew would be lovely on her, but Bimbo, being Bimbo, she has a mind of her own so, I had to carefully advise her. I gave her this evening dress, we now put a jacket on it, it was fantastic.
Even she, was amazed at how nice it was. I believe the hallmark of a good wardrobe is being able to mix and match.
You seem to spend a lot of time in your shop daily, how do you occupy your time there?
Every Woman for me is every day, a challenge. You can say Every Woman is a pass time for me because I live and breathe it. If a customer goes out and she is not very satisfied, I get very upset. But I guess the difference between me and other shops is that this is not just another shop. It is a good way of making a living, don’t get me wrong. It is a profitable business. But, I will confess to you, it is a lot of fun. Anytime I enter Every Woman, I look at the shop, it inspires me.
Would you say your dream has been achieved fully with Every Woman?
Not even one-tenth. I am very far from when I want to be, or, where I would like to be. Every Woman for me is when it’s a whole street. Every Woman for me is when every woman in Nigeria has put 50% of their income in my pocket. It is not because I want their money, it is because it shows that they trust me, they like my taste and they believe in me personally. Every Woman for people is not even there yet.
How do you attract customers?
That is a good one, because people say I have a very aggressive marketing campaign. My strategy is very simple. I want every woman in Nigeria to know of Every Woman. If I hear of one person who hasn’t heard of Every Woman, then I am not doing my job well. And luckily for me, these days, they are getting more has not heard of me, I will know defintely, there is something I am doing wrong.
In what way has Every Woman rubbed off on you, vice versa, in what way have you rubbed off on Every Woman?
Every Woman has rubbed off on me in one sense. I used to think I have good taste, but I have since realised that my taste is not the only taste. Every Woman has given me different opinions, points of view. For instance, because I think that red is not a great colour to wear in the afternoon, does not mean someone else shouldn’t wear it. Some people, positively glow in red.
As for me rubbing off on Every Woman, I will say most women who come in there happen to ru off on me became I like to think, I am a very persuasive person. I am always in a mood to show what I think is better for them. There was a lady that came in one day and she was wearing something I had chosen for her. I felt like a million bucks.
What is the essence of your styles?
Comfort. After comfort, comes Elegance. I would wear Jeans and I would manage to look very nice in Jeans.
Are you a formal or an informal person, dress-wise?
I am more like a Cameleon. I can be formal when need be, and I can be informal when I need to be. I know how to blend, to suit any particular situation.
How do you fix your prices?
I am a very shrewd person. I will get the best bargains anywhere. What I look at is, can I Debbie, pay much for this dress? So you can trust my prices in Every Woman. They are reasonable.
Let’s get a bit personal. For years, you have always had a long hairs on, why did you choose to go bald?
Yes. I am bald and I like it. Really, it is more or less a take it or leave it situation. I have been threatening to cut it for a long time, but nobody believe me. But I kind of see it as unfair why a man has the right to put his head under the shower every morning, and I don’t. I think it is the greatest form of slavery accepted by women. When I first cut my hair, the first thing I said to a friend of mine was “see, I am free”, and he was like “did you die”. I look at men and I think, they have such a great life.
And then the relaxer. The relaxer is not a fun thing, people don’t know that. And the drier is not exactly one of the nicest things either. Oh my God! It is like the sun, times seven on the worst day of your life, and then your hair refuses to dry. So, I just said to myself, I don’t need this stress. I have gotten to a stage in my life where my cup of confidence runneth over. I have gotten to a stage with my hair, where I am like take it or leave it, my hair is short, I like it. If you don’t like it, I am sorry you can take a light.
Does that mean you plan to wear your hair short?
It depends on my mood. I might. The way I feel right now, I am totally in love with it. I might change. It is like a woman that gives birth, they forget the labour thing after they hold the baby. I might forget how bad the relaxer burns me and in the next three months, decide to go back to it. Before, people’s opinion used to matter to me. Now, I don’t care anymore.
What explains this change in your life?
It is because I have acquired a lot of confidence I didn’t have. Before now, I used to feel like a person whose social values were based on how I looked and what people thought of me. People thought that I looked great. A wonderful skin, a wonderful face. She looks really
nice. “So, I worked hard at looking very nice. I was a Size 6, Size 4 then. And by the time I was through with myself, I couldn’t even retain food. It took me a long time to be a normal size. Then I was, everybody thought, oh, Debbie looks really great. I hated me I didn’t like myself very much, because I wasn’t having fun, I used to pick at food. I didn’t use to eat. It just didn’t happen.
Now, I look at myself and I am looking at that poor girl, and I am thinking, what a human being? You need help. Now, I don’t care anymore. It is not that I don’t care, really, I like to look good. But, I will look good on my own terms. I have come to a stage in my life where the most important person in my life is me, and I am making sure that me, being the most important person has a wonderful time.
And I am not going to have a wonderful time under a dryer. I don’t see many men doing that to please women, so why should I do it. So, I think you need to get to a point in your life when you are comfortable with yourself, enough to be able to do anything.
Seriously, in the past 2 or 3 years I have grown, I have matured so much. I have realised important things in life. These days, I no longer have this frenzied thing about having to be at the parties, I don’t care any more. My idea of having fun is being with someone I care about, holed up. That is my idea of fun. It is not like before, when my idea of fun was being the heart and soul of the party.
So, what kind of a person are you?
Me? People say I am hyper active. And it is not a lie. If there is a better word, I will say they should use it. I have too much energy for one person. I like it when I work from morning till night and I dose off tired. But at a point, I just thought to myself, there had to be more to life than that. I wanted to do things that were deeper, which had more meaning. It is a lovely thing to grow up.
What were your growing up years like
I grew up in Lagos. My parents got separated. I lived with my granny, and my mum. I also schooled in Lagos, and I did my University at Ogun State University, which was the first time I
was ever going to leave home. I remember when my father dropped me off in school, I cried for two days solid. I have never had to be away from home before.
READ ALSO: HOW I HAVE DOMINATED THE LAGOS SOCIAL SCENE FOR 25 YRS – JOKO ONI
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