FASHION DESIGNING IS LUCRATIVE, NO LONGER FOR THE UNEDUCATED — EXPERTS
REPORTER: ONYINYE CHIJIOBI
Fashion design experts have described taloring as a viable means for youth empowerment.
The fashion design experts, who spoke with Radio Nigeria in Awka, observed that the trade had changed drastically unlike in the olden days where tailors found it difficult to use the proceeds to take care of their family, and therefore advised the youth to embrace the industry.
They pointed out that tailoring in Nigeria had since evolved from being a craft cum business for the not so educated, to a mainstream business for the highly educated and aristocratic segment of the Nigerian society.
One of them, a tailor in Awka, Mr. Olawale Nurudeen said that fashion designing was no longer a job for school drop outs, noting that the trade required education because there were some designs done with computers.
He observed that in Nigeria, the tailoring business had become one of the few businesses cum skills that were in very high demand.
This is according to him is because more and more citizens now prefer to wear locally customised fabrics.
Mr. Nurudeen called for concerted efforts to encourage youths to dream of far-reaching career in the fashion industry, adding that hard work and education would help one actualise their dream, noting that his designs could compete favourably with any other design worldwide.
Another fashion designer, Mr. Ola Olawale Wasiu, who said that he had been in the business for more than five years, urged the youths to come on board instead of wasting time on job hunting or getting into criminality caused by frustration.
He also appealed to Nigerians to be patriotic enough in using made in Nigeria goods and services, adding that the country had beautiful and classy fashion styles already making statements internationally.
For Miss Lilian Nwankwo, fashion designing is no longer a job for school drop outs, corroborating earlier assertion that the business now required education because there were some designs done with computers.
Miss Nwankwo said tailoring called for a lot of patience and persistence for one to master the skills, which she claimed couldnot be demonstrated by some young people.
The tailors while expressing regret that majority of youths prefer quick business because it does not call for soecialised training as they make reasonable profit from the business .
The tailors, who stated that they had trained competent cloth making fashion designers, urged youths to choose their career paths based on their talents and passion.
