Oluchi Chibuzor
Cute, elegant and ebony fashion entrepreneur and Creative Director, Sassy Fashion House, Ms Ethel Eze, is living a mark in the world of fashion creation with her stylish touches that turn fabrics into gold.
Coming from an engineering background, Eze surprisingly finds joy and passion not from handling engines but from trying her hands on all manner of fabrics to give people that confident look and comfort that her brand promises.
“My brand projects comfort and most of my designs are things you can wear from Monday to Saturday – flexible, easy to wear to work, casuals and still flamboyant, comfortable still looking extravagant,” she said.
Eze who launched her brand, Sassy Fashion House in Lagos last weekend, intoned: “Having studied Mechanical Engineering from the University, I leveraged on what I can do best by starting small. So women should recognise their creative abilities to change the world around themselves”.
She stressed on the need to stop the importation of second hand clothings into the country, saying such materials are most times treated with chemicals before they arrive into the country, noting that Nigeria is losing so much with that.
Eze said: “Second hand clothes are quite cheap, but most of them are treated with chemicals and are not healthy for your skin. Nigeria has no business losing $4billion in importing them. These are money that can change the economy of our nation and stimulate growth along the fashion value chains.
“My materials are all sourced locally from Aba and Lagos Island market because their tailoring and accessories materials are so nice and beautiful and most people do not know this.”
She urged the government to encourage local fashion entrepreneurs through making power supply stable and making grants available for small and medium scale fashion entrepreneurs.
According to her, when you run generator from morning till night to make one outfit, at the end of the month, when you calculate you will see you are making little or no profit.
She also lamented the high cost of procuring machines in the country as against what is obtained abroad, advising that women should be encouraged to be creative and consistent in whatever they are doing.
Eze added: “Another challenge is machines; some machines are readily available abroad than in Nigeria, and even when available in Nigeria they are expensive, it means cutting an arm and leg to buy them.”
