How To Start Fashion Designing Business In Nigeria (2023)

This article is about how to start tailoring business in Nigeria this 2023. Fashion designing as it is widely being called these days, is one of the most profitable businesses that one can venture into and make a lot of money from once all the right things are done. With new fashion trends and style inspirations springing up every now and again, you can be sure to get a lot of customers as people get to know you for your designs, especially if you are consistent in delivering quality at the right time for the right fee once you set up your dressmaking business. The garment making business has become one of the most attractive business ventures in the country and we will guide you on the important steps to take in order to become a successful entrepreneur in this profession.

The Nigerian fashion industry is worth a fortune and it continues to increase and improve in worth due to the high number of creative minds entering into the industry at a very fast rate, and because this sector of the economy promotes good looks with different style inspirations, there is a very big chance that you will succeed in the sewing business if you truly know your onions and can play with different coloured fabrics and designs that suits the needs of the 21st century fashion lover.

Some of the top fashion designers in Nigeria own fashion schools that train upcoming tailors on the best practices in the business, honing their skills in the latest fashion trends to suit the needs of their various customers. A beautiful thing about garment making is that you can earn weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly and this depends on your consistency to deliver; that is how lucrative this business really is, and as we proceed, we will see the steps required to become a fashion designer in the country currently but before that you may want to just find out how much it costs to start your own tailoring business in the country today.

COST OF STARTING FASHION DESIGNING (TAILORING) BUSINESS IN NIGERIA 2023 

If you want to start small and grow your fashion designing business in Nigeria, with an amount ranging between the sum of ₦100,000 – ₦200,000 you can, and that is if you are starting from home. The amount required to establish your tailoring business is determined by the level at which you choose to operate it, and we have stated how much it will cost you to start on a small scale, that is, from home. If however, you want to start as a mid level dressmaker, you will require between the sum of ₦500,000 – ₦700,000, and you should budget over ₦1 million if you are starting your sewing business as a large scale tailor.

HOW TO START FASHION DESIGNING (TAILORING) BUSINESS IN NIGERIA 2023: STEP BY STEP GUIDE

The following are the step by step guide on how to start fashion designing (tailoring) business in Nigeria this 2023:

GET THE NECESSARY TRAINING

Before ever venturing into the fashion designing business, you will need to acquire the necessary skills. Enrolling at some of the best fashion schools around you should be a priority at this stage so that you will learn everything you need to know about the sewing business in order to stand out among your competitors.

DRAW UP A BUSINESS PLAN 

On successful completion of your fashion training, you will need to write a good business plan for your dressmaking business going forward. Having a great business plan can guide you on which direction you want to take with your tailoring business.

KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET

Knowing your target market for your sewing business should have been decided upon from the beginning when you enrolled into a fashion school. Are you focusing on men only? Women only? Or both? Will you major in designing for children as well when you sew for men and women in the process? What are the trending styles that your potential customers love? Will they buy your bespoke outfits if you mass produce? All these things should be considered when you want start your fashion designing business.

GET YOUR CAPITAL READY

After going through the preparatory processes that will launch you into your fashion business, your starting funds should also be made available so that you can launch your tailoring business without much hassles. You can decide to start small and grow your business or you can start big if you have the finance to do so. This means that your principal equipment for the business which is your sewing machine should be factored into your capital requirements. Your capital is one of the most critical elements to consider before beginning your garment making business. It is nearly hard to start a new business without finance. When you inquire about the cost of beginning a tailoring business in Nigeria, you are essentially inquiring about the amount of capital required.

GIVE YOUR BRAND A NAME AND A LOGO IF POSSIBLE

You should think up a great brand name for your fashion design business that will resonate with your potential customers in the future. You can also develop a very unique logo for your sewing business that will differentiate your brand from the others.

GET A GOOD LOCATION FOR YOUR FASHION DESIGNING BUSINESS

If you are not starting your tailoring business from the home, you will need a great location that favours your business so as to make great profits and reinvest into it.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

Your fashion designing business is a dynamic one and should be advertised with every opportunity that you get. You can take breathtaking shots of your designs and leverage on the power of social media by advertising on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp or other social media platforms that allows you to reach a large number of people. You can create a page for your tailoring business on Facebook to help you reach your target market. Paying for sponsored posts across your social media platforms is a great way to reach people faster than usual.

HAVE AN OFFICIAL FASHION WEBSITE/BLOG (OPTIONAL) 

You can decide to have an official fashion website or a blog to further promote your dressmaking business and also teach upcoming fashion designers certain things they should know about creating great dresses.

IMPORTANT SKILLS TO HAVE AS A FASHION DESIGNER (TAILOR) 

The following are important skills to possess as a garment maker in Nigeria:

• Good managerial skills
• Excellent creative skills
• Impressive marketing skills
• Great negotiation skills
• Excellent time management skills.

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS NEEDED TO START UP A TAILORING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA 

Here are the basic materials and equipments needed to start up a small fashion design business;

TAPE RULE

You will need a tape rule to get accurate measurements of your clients so as to give them the preferred sizes of dresses that they want.

NEEDLES AND THREADS

Different colours of threads are required for different cloth designs and you will always need a combination of threads and needles to sew excellent dresses for your customers.

CHAIRS AND TABLES 

In sewing, the importance of chairs and tables can never be overestimated. You will need a good chair to sit on for your work so as not to give you back pains and tables are needed for cutting and ironing clothes.

SEWING MACHINE

This is the most important equipment in your work as a fashion designer. A good sewing machine helps you achieve your targets easily.

Other fashion designing equipment include:

• Weaving machine
• Embroidery machine
• Scissors
• Pressing Iron
• Mannequins
• Generator, etc.

HOW PROFITABLE IS GARMENT MAKING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA? 

Fashion designing is very profitable and this is dependent on the number of dresses you sew for your clients per day, per week or per month. If your customers come to love and trust your work, without a doubt, you will make good profits in this business and with that, you can keep expanding.

NOTE: If you live in Niger State, around Bida precisely, and you need a very good fashion designer that specializes in women’s wears and that can capture your imagination excellently, contact Ellacious Designs on this number 08158681432 or send an email to ellaciousdesigns.ng@gmail.com. You can also follow them on Instagram @ellaciousdesigns_ng and send a direct message. They are also into nationwide delivery.