In a country where unemployment is the other of the day, it is expedient for youth to channel their energy to acquiring soft skills or vocational skills.
While it is true that it is not everyone that will work in a big company given the circumstances of things in the country, it is also important to understand that engaging in a vocation is not demeaning neither does it reduce the worth of an individual. Rather with the right strategy ones vocational skill can not only put food on their table but also make them an asset to their community and country as a whole.
Mrs. Abosede Ajayi, an entrepreneur who specialises in making varieties of headgear such as hat, fascinator etc. explains how young people can start the business of making fascinator with ₦5000 rather than wait for white collar job.
Mrs. Ajayi who is a graduate with over 20 years experience in the business explains that despite her academic qualification she decided to get her hands busy and key into her passion for fashion.
In an interview with Savvy Media, she said “What drew me into the business is passion, passion for creativity because since I was a little girl I have been creating something with paper. I love fashion, I love to beautify people, seeing people looking good.
“Since I was a little girl I can just pick up a paper and make a gown or iro and buba with it. I just try to create something even though I did not know I would end up being a fashion designer.I just know that growing up I had passion for fashion.”
When asked to explain how young people can start the business with ₦5000 she said “If you have ₦5000 you can start infact with ₦2000 you can start just that we will point out few things that you will buy that you can start with but with ₦5000 to be fair with you, you can start fascinator business. You can make something with ₦5000. Tell people about it.
“If you want to start with ₦5000 I’ll say, china has made some of our work very easy. There are some ready to wear things. Some are selling for ₦800 some for ₦1,000, so, instead of going through the stress of moulding you can just get this(bishop) or this(emirate cap) and get any flower(the ones used for headgear); some are ₦500, ₦700 upward. So, if I get this and just get feathers that are not as expensive and attach to the base by the time I will spend like ₦2,500 – ₦3,000 this fascinator will be ready.”
It is interesting to know that with the increasing number of unemployed youths there are lucrative skills that are not gender-bias which youth can leverage on.
Anyone can start the business of making and selling fascinators and in extension hats as it is a sort after head gear among other kinds of head gear.
When it comes to pricing, Mrs. Ajayi noted that it is dependent on the quality of the material use and the design.
According to her the least price for her headgear is ₦5000 and it depends on what is used to beautify it.
