Stephen Abimbola learned to crochet while still in secondary school; it was a hobby she used just to while away the times. For young Bimbo, it was a genuinely amusing pastime that, unbeknownst to her, would go on to play a remarkable role in her professional career.
She began to crochet professionally in October 2016 shortly after the birth of her daughter. She made her a breathtaking baby booties which captured the attention of her friends and families, propelling them to request for same to be made for their own babies and they were willingly to pay for them.
This was all the breakthrough Bimbo needed and she has been crocheting avidly ever since.
KMB interviewed her and here are excerpts of all she had to say:
Funmilola Abeke Olurinola is a Mass Communication graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State where her natural talent and genuine love for all things beauty-related led to her starting her salon business while still an undergraduate without any formal training. She is also a Goldman Sachs Scholar of EDS. Pan African University Lagos.
Popularly known by her traditional name: Abeke, Funmi is an Inventor and well-rounded Celebrity makeup artist with over thirteen years of experience in the beauty industry who has revolutionized the world of beauty with her solutions-based approach to her work. This is evident in her creation of autogele; a solution to the age-long challenge of Gele tying in the African beauty terrain, thereby making her the inventor of the now popular Autogele.
Abeke views her work as an art form and it’s this principle that drives a signature style that is Feminine and looks effortlessly natural while still staying in line with modern styles. She gives the most enlightening beauty consultations and creates timeless looks gorgeous enough to be framed for clients from all walks of life.
An award-winning makeup artist, an astute teacher, and a beauty professional in the truest sense of the word, Abeke is a seasoned expert in the areas of providing all makeup and hairstyling services for Bridal Events, Tv, commercials, and photography purposes, while still maintaining her position as the head of the first and best autogele production company.
In her interview with Kemi Mobuse for Onigele blog, Abeke walked us through her journey in the industry, her craft, and how it came to be.... excerpts from the interview are below........
What I like about photographs is that they
capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.
– Karl Lagerfeld
I met Echa when I had to do a bridal shoot in collaboration with some amazing and talented ladies and I badly needed a photographer because the shoot had to happen before independence day.
I was not very happy with the way I looked on my wedding day and I wanted a do over😆 and thankfully, I had beautiful souls who wanted to help me look my very best. I sent her a Dm after going through her profile and we clicked immediately. She was very approachable and was willing to listen to all my crazy ideas 😃...... trust me,I had so many of them, hehe!.
She offered us the use of her studio for free for the day and on our first meeting, she hugged me like she had known me for years, and the shoot?????? It went sooooo well that I even managed to convince myself, I'll make an excellent model.😀😀😀.
Echa is an extremely talented photographer and my interview with her makes for an interesting read. Excerpts below........
I have this great love for flat ballet pumps. I fell in love during my childhood watching kids practicing ballet dance on the TV and I couldn’t wait to travel out and join them. HEHE!
Unfortunately, my dream of becoming a prima ballerina was not achieved, but the love for ballet and ballet shoes remained.
I own several pairs of ballet pumps, and among was one green one I bought on H&M exactly six years ago. It’s now very old and extremely worn out. I love that shoe, but it's obvious that it had definitely seen better days.😣
Even though it no longer looked particularly great and had been worn into submission, but it’s so comfortable that I felt I had to save it and turn it into something gorgeous – probably a shiny silver flats.
Every one of us has a favorite shoe that makes us sad when they no longer look great and wished they could revamp it. Thankfully, all that will be made possible thanks to Made in Nigeria Shoe Revamp brand. Yayyy!!!!!
KMB had an interesting interview with Austin Okpagu, the Creative Director and he shed more light on the brand and the services rendered. Read below:
Flats, heels, boots, ballets, sandals, clogs, platforms, wedges, scrappy, buckled, lace-ups, peep-toes, it’s a known fact that I love shoes. Infact, truth be told, if I didn’t have kids, I would have travelled just so I could get me some more amazing pairs of shoes. Hehe!😜
Believe me, when I say I am not alone in this, every woman I know definitely has a shoe fetish. Plain and simple…! A great pair of shoes can make a woman feel like she is on top of the world! Marilyn Monroe quoted “Give a Girl the right pair of shoes and she will conquer the world!” I couldn’t agree more!
This right here is why we have so many amazing brands popping up in the Nigeria Market and I realized that, when it comes to quality, made in Nigeria shoes are among the top of the range ones.
One of such amazing brand is Purple stripes, a footwear/ shoe label. They brand is all about making quality shoes for the Nigerian market. KMB is proud to bring to you, the story of the amazing lady behind the brand….read below:
Jumoke, a working class mum had an event to attend out of town. Dress code :- Owanbe with a touch of sexy. So she decided she had to slay and as such she was going to make that jumpsuit style she had been dreaming about. She called her designer who promised to get it done in record time. Now all she had to do was sort out her accessories, so she went :- shoes ? purse ? jewelry ? gele ~~~~~~~
Growing up, I have always been surrounded by African prints especially Ankara and Adire, i can't really say I developed a taste or liking for either back then. Fast forward to many years later however, when I became more fashion conscious, I fell in love with made in Nigeria Ankara accessories, especially neck pieces and palm slippers. My love nearly turned to obsession because I just couldn't do without having one neck piece or the other adorning my neck, irrespective of what outfit I had on. It was so bad it got to a point that; I had to be indebted to a colleague just because of Fashion. The lady brought some made in Nigeria Ankara and Adire slippers to work and wanted me to buy a pair or two. Although, I was broke during that period, I immediately took two of the pairs, hoping to pay once I got my salary. When I got my salary however, It took all of my strength for me not to return the slippers and just keep my money...after all, I'm from Ijebu, money get motivation pass fashion , biko!😑. Nowadays, while I still have mad love for Ankara accessories, its safe to say my children have cured me of all obsession I have for them, hehe! 😅😅 But, coming across the amazing pieces made by Koko Williams , I could feel the obsession gradually returning, so I decided I cure it, by asking myself, how soon my baby's food needed to be replaced,lol! KMB sat down with the talented lady behind the brand for an interview, and excerpts from the interview is here below........
Are you a female Entrepreneur or an aspiring one, you'll be glad to hear this!!! The Ladies In Business Magazine; a platform born solely to showcase, inspire and motivate Made in Nigeria products female entrepreneurs is going to be officially launched soon.
Their mission is to ensure that every lady doing business is prepared and ready to be SEEN, HEARD and RECOGNIZED without fear but with great confidence to excel- and we aim at using this function effectively for our magazine luncheon to reflect this.
The launch event holds on the 7th of July at the Oriental Hotel Lagos. Entry is free.
Oluwatobi Oreoluwa’s career can simply be described as an adventure in wood. The desire to make a difference, his fascination with interior designing and the willingness to provide affordable furniture which has a story attached to it was the inspiration behind his brand. He studied architecture in University and when he made up his mind to start out, Design and craftsmanship came naturally to him.
Oluwatobi Oreoluwa is second to none. ...he produces furniture which is classic and modern at the same time - and represents workmanship at its very best.
KMB is massively inspired by not only his finished pieces, but also his background as an architect and the way in which he approaches the design process. Made in Nigeria furniture has never looked this unique and beautiful until now. This led us to have a chit chat with him about his passion….Read excerpts from the interview here below….
African designers are having a very good year. In just a
matter of months designers like Duro Olowu, Mataano and Mimi Plange are pushing
their way to the forefront landing in big magazines and on even bigger stars.
Chief among them are Deola Sagoe, the Nigerian born beauty is making a
splash in her homeland and abroad with chic pieces which offer flu, femininity
with all the authenticity of African fabrics and prints. Deola Sagoe was
interviewed by leading Black Women’s Magazine Essence.
Tobi Fletcher popularly called “the Ofada boy” is
not just an Ofada boy by name, it is a representation of his family genealogy.
Tobi is an original indigene from Ofada town, Obafemi Owode Area of Ogun State,
a place famous for the production of local ofada rice.
With his great
grandfather being among the first set of farmer to plant the ofada rice, Tobi
sure has the ofada blood running in him. He is a graduate of Microbiology
from Olabisi Onabanjo University, where he found his passion.
A crazy busy full time estate facility manager, on-the-side blogger & content writer, wife to a man I think the world of and mom (to two super amazing boys!).
My blog was created to showcase made in Nigeria entrepreneurs and their unique productsthat match their unique personalities through supportive, friendly interviews, feedback and networking.