The Nigerian apparel industry is beginning to gain more traction as more domestic companies develop the capacity to not only design clothes but also own brands that can compete with international brands.
This comes to relieve the pressure on foreign exchange as till now most Nigerians used imported clothing. The Nigerian entrepreneurs hope that with the availability of similar local apparel, the local consumers would shift to Nigerian apparel products.
The encouragement and donations for women’s empowerment also contributed to the cause. For example, Esther Wehere, a beneficiary of Women Empowerment Project Scheme Synergy (WEPSS), a women empowerment project of INTELS Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria’s oil and gas logistics giant, recently created a cloth line known as Red Closet through a fashion design firm named Esty’s Fashion.
The coming on board of Red Closet and other clothing lines set up by people who completed WEPSS’ training in the last 10 years, is helping Nigeria to reduce dependence on imports.
Wehere expressed appreciation to INTELS for training her and for donating the fully equipped facility to her. She was speaking at the donation of a fully equipped fashion shop to Esther Wehere, an indigene of Rivers State and the Best Graduating Student of 2022 Batch ‘B’ of WEPSS.
She revealed that since completing her training, she has set up a fashion design firm and created a cloth line. She promised to make judicious use of the facility located in Rumuokwurusi, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Nigerian clothing industry hopes to cut reliance on import with INTELS’ investment
