Written By Gina Hanna
Nigerian entrepreneur Honey Ogundeyi has revolutionized the African fashion market by creating Fashpa.com (short for Fashion Parade), an online fashion brand that is responsible for its own design, manufacturing, and distribution operations. Although Ogundeyi was initially drawn to the structure provided by a 9 to 5 job, she preferred to build from scratch a business that would make fashion accessible to African women, asserting that African women possess the same refined fashion taste as women all over the world. Fashpa first began as a marketplace retailer that sold products by foreign brands like H&M and Zara along with its own Fashpa line. Now the company boasts its own Fit Project, a means by which consumer measurement data is collected in order to design products that are well fitting and personalized to the consumer. Fashpa aims to merge local and international trends and its logo reflects its triple emphasis on modernity, technology, and African craftsmanship. A focus on the material aspect of texture and fabric is primary and Ogudeyi maintains that her inspiration is derived from “the everyday woman with a global outlook.” Fashpa’s top priority is catering to the customer needs.
Of the challenges cited by Ogundeyi in establishing her business is the lack of access to capital and the risky nature of tech investment in Nigeria. At the infrastructural level, lack of power, low quality internet, and lack of road access hinder the trajectory of any ecommerce brand. And because Fashpa is the first fashion tech company of its kind in Nigeria, there is an absence of venture capitalists in that line of work.
Several factors establish Fashpa’s uniqueness in the fashion world. At Fashpa, a sketch idea is materialized into a product in the span of two weeks, a much shorter duration than the typical 6-12 months duration in other brands. Designs are pitched by the design team and are inspired by the kind of fashion that they are obsessed with or aspire to wear. But Fashpa’s most remarkable feature is its ability to aggregate data to create well-fitting garments and anticipate consumer needs in the local market. One of Faspha’s most auspicious business practices is its insistence to create employment opportunities for local craftsmen who possess valuable traditional knowledge and afford them opportunities for more training and advancement. Ogundeyi’s goal is to have a majority market share in Africa in the next five years.
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