Over a long session of interview, Vanessa Obioha spoke to Rita Ufot, the confident face of Rajuu, an emerging fashion brand, who paints a picture of determination, discipline and professionalism
“As a kid, I loved to play dress up. My mother will always make our dresses, and then I would give her styles and how I want my own dress to be. I really don’t like wearing the same outfit as my siblings. I needed to create something different every time. I think that was just the spark, and then over time, I assisted my mother much more than my siblings.”
Rita Ufot, the emerging fashion designer with a scintillating difference, who is breaking barriers with her edgy designs, advanced — with her voice carrying a tinge of warmth — towards the reporter seated a respectable distance from her. The weather outside was good, and the curtains in her living room were parted to allow enough sunshine. A little while later, her husband walked in. He looked different from the gentleman in the wedding photos on the coffee table. Today, his facial hair have a tinge of grey. However, he still retains a sprightly bounce in his steps like an athlete.
The bond between the Ufots is unmistakable. One clear example is her trade name, Rajuu, which combines all of their names. The name may not sound ‘Ritzy’ like that of her mother’s fashion house, “but it’s unique and very distinct,” she explained. Having grown up in a fashion environment, she feels any name can tick if the right factors drive it.
“I want to be a solution to the problems of a woman who is not secure about her body. I work with different body types when it comes to fashion,” she said, emphasising that as the major accomplishment she hopes to achieve. “We do mostly contemporary outfits, which also helps a woman to stand out and be very distinct. I think I’d love to achieve that.”
Ufot, who lives and works in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, has a rich background in fashion from a mother who has put in 30 years in the business. In 2016, her mother, having been convinced she could set up shop, gave her blessings, and Ufot moved on to establish Rajuu, starting small, as many do, from her home. Things have happened fast. And last year, when the whole world was reeling from the negative impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Rajuu admitted that she made her biggest sales. This improvement in her financial fortune was a big approval of her strategy to concentrate sales on online shops, which has helped grow her clientele in Lagos, Abuja and outside the shores of Nigeria, increasingly raising her confidence in the fashion business.
But she did not make a quick dash to relative success in 2020. First was the crawl. A period of “more low points than high points; a roller coaster.”
She recounted a familiar story with her peculiar imprint. “I started in a room in my house, with one machine, with just myself having to do all the cuttings, sewing, and all that before I decided to go for help. Gradually, I got people to work with me. There’s been ups and downs over four years. In four years, I’ve been able to get myself into a runway show in Lagos. I also think 2020 was the best year, so far, when it comes to my brand opening up into society and the world at large. My lowest point will be financial impairment and power supply. But I’ve been able to go through those times. I’m grateful.”
It was good to hear someone say 2020 was a good year for her because, for many, it was very challenging. For Ufot, the trend, people in fashion and fashion news are important to note, but she does not follow trends. When it comes to fashion, spontaneity is her game.
Her inspiration comes from many things, including the fabric, to create her distinct designs. This does not mean that she does not pick one or two ideas from other brands. However, she distances herself from copy-and-paste designs.
“I really can’t say I follow trends because it comes very natural to me. I could get inspired anytime to bring up something that is out of the ordinary, what people would want to know, would want to wear. So I’m not following a particular trend. I have few brands that I look out for and get inspired.”
Humility is another virtue that comes naturally to Ufot, as she readily mentions some persons who inspire her designs. She also talked about what she is passionate about in fashion.
“SMR is in Lagos. She’s doing an amazing job.”
Vicki James, an upcoming fashion designer from Akwa Ibom, also catches her fancy. “I have a number of them, but these two are very close to my heart.”
Fashion, for Ufot, can be a tool for reformation. She is passionate about being a solution to the fashion problems we have here in Nigeria and Africa at large. One of her goals is to end the dependence on the UK and the US for standard sizing.
She explained, “We are different in our making, in our body shape and type. Most women have the problem of getting their sizes correct. We are very improper in our sizes. A normal UK size 12 will tell you the bust is this. With that, they give you a rundown. They work with their own body size. The Western people aren’t like us. We have curves. We’ve got a lot of backsides. I’m trying to adjust the charts to fit the African woman; adjust our kind of dressing to fit the African curve. That’s what I want to achieve and globally produce ready outfits that will suit the woman, different aspects of their lives. I will come from the corporate side, the semi-casual and the very casual.”
The no-airs simplicity around Ufot blends easily into her natural beauty. Interacting with her is an experience. Everything appears so well planned. As we walked into her expansive home at Shelter Afrique, an upscale residential estate in Uyo, the reception from her domestic staff raised my curiosity — where they pre-warned or was it for the familiar face of the one that brought me? As if on queue, Ufot was descending the staircase to welcome us. The brilliance of her yellow apparel and the deliberate swing of her long legs revealed proclivity towards modelling. She smiled sweetly and raised her right hand in a gesture of friendship in keeping COVID-19 protocols.
Her monotone dress accentuated her beauty and urbane disposition. Ufot is the first face of her products.
She said, “I wear my designs. I patronise a few other Nigerian designers. Sometimes, just to put up that thumbs up for them. It’s supporting each other in the business. And it also helps.”
It is standard practice for her to model her outfit. From experience, “people appreciate when you are the wearer of your brand. People tend to see exactly what they’re looking for. So I model my outfit, all of them,” she confided.
As the conversation progressed, her brilliance unfolded, the experiences that shaped her personality came to the fore. For instance, her late father was a professor of Visual Arts at the University of Uyo. Her husband is a builder. She is a fighter who follows her dream and originally wanted to be in the airline industry. She is friendly and chatty.
“I wanted to be a pilot,” she said, looking the way of her husband coyly. “I won’t forget crying that I needed to go to school outside the country to study Aeronautics.”
In love with Uyo, Ufot can’t trade her beloved city for anywhere else in the world, although she finds it limiting for her work. But, out of her humble Akwa Ibom background came the mother’s ingenuity for over 30 years. Ufot has proudly taken the baton from her mother. She is running with the vision, determined to go farther than her mother. “Certain things stopped her from achieving that. I am taking it from where she stopped or where she may not be able to take it to, which is outside Akwa Ibom State. Being inspired in Akwa Ibom State is really hard. Mostly, my inspiration comes from social media. I see other things that are not really around my reach here in Akwa Ibom.”
If she is pressured to move to Lagos, Nigeria’s undisputed fashion capital. Her definite answer will be “no.” Getting an outlet in Lagos and elsewhere is a “yes”. Akwa Ibom State has won her heart for its serenity. “It’s quite affordable and peaceful,” she said with a giggle. “So I will still maintain a home here, but I’ll get outlets for easy consumption of my outfits.”
This very peace that she has found is what many are asking her to sacrifice. Constantly, her attention is being drawn to the suggestion that she shouldn’t be in Akwa Ibom. She has developed a standard response. She tells them it’s not really about where she is but about what she is putting out there. Living and working out of Akwa Ibom feels like a plus or minus for some people.
For Ufot, it gives her the conviction that her mother’s generation obviously wouldn’t really come to terms with the fashion or the style that she is bringing to the table. It also gave her the ability to illustrate an outfit since her father was a Fine Artist.
“So we all grew up drawing. My mother didn’t. I have clients that come to me. And they’re like, if I take it to your mom, she wouldn’t understand how to achieve this, but some come to me. I’m like it’s my mom that will best understand you. She’s making clothes for her age bracket. I’ve improved a lot on what she taught me by developing things.”
From working with her mother to striking out on her own, it took a long time to master the fashion business. She keeps trying to make clothes that this generation can appreciate. But she finds it a tough call. “It’s the environment and also the class of people,” she said. “In Akwa Ibom, contemporary wear is not so popular. I think five per cent of those who can afford it appreciate very contemporary outfits. The rest are in my mom’s generation and will have the laces, the skirts and blouses-l — very traditional outfits. It’s a few of us that are here doing this. And then trying to help the people adjust their fashion style.”
With more maturity in the fashion business, Ufot continues to grow in confidence.
“I think the contemporary outfits have become edgier. Also, the fabrics that are coming in are making the style more appreciated and more outstanding. That’s what I feel. You could say they’re the same thing but individual styles matter. Having to know what fabric to use for a particular style also creates that distinction.”
Ufot looks fondly at known names who wear her Rajuu brand.
“I have a few people who patronise Rajuu. I feel proud to have them wear my brand. A few of them are in Lagos and then a few boutiques in the UK and US. You can use the post to get my supplies. I feel very proud that they wear my brand,” she confessed.
She added, “Social media has been a great help. On a scale of one to 10, social media has taken me to a high level. I’m always happy when I get requests on Instagram. My brands go viral. The sales come in, and demands come in. There have been more sales from social media than the shops.”
Though fashion is a promising business for Ufot, there are a couple of improvements she will love to see. The first is to ensure a steady supply of electricity. The dearth of skilled personnel in the fashion industry is of great concern to her.
Lastly, she mentioned that “the production of quality fabrics for fashion designers will put more energy into industrialising the country. We’ll be able to have fabrics in quantities that we don’t need to depend on the West.”
For all the hoopla about Ankara and the Adire, the Rajuu boss is comfortable following a different path. She believes that there are quality issues with Ankara.
“They bleed a lot, and since we do a lot of washing, I can’t use a fabric that will be gone once the owner washes it,” she asserted. She advanced more reasons, “That’s why most people import fabrics. I work with fabrics that stand the test of time for my clients.”
In four years, Ufot has overcome some of the initial challenges that beset her. By her own admission, she is still grappling with getting the kind of finance to reach more clients around Africa and the world. The unsteady supply of electricity is still a hindrance. But she triumphed over the problem of human resources.
“A lot of fashion designers have the problem of keeping their workers intact and also having good hands.
They have this habit of moving here and there. I have been able to keep a great number of my tailors counting five years now. I’ve been able to overcome the pressure of having to lose them back and forth. When you treat them well and pay them for the work done on time, they stick with you. When they also know that you know the business and do a few things, they respect you. It keeps them in check,” she said proudly.
