What's Hot?
iREP: Celebrating Nigeria’s Coolest Film Festival
US Cultural Affairs Office Commends Nigerian Film Corporation,...
Ooni of Ife Recognises Afro-Brazillian Settlement As Yoruba...
WTD 2023: Lagos Advocates Theatre And Culture of...
Davido Goes Timeless As Fourth Studio Album Drops
Idris Elba Partners Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife On Afro-centric...
Adekunle Gold Signs With Def Jam Records, To...
Hollywood star Edi Gathegi in Kenya, seeks partnerships...
Burna Boy To Co-headline UEFA Champions League Final
Nigeria Decides: Reflections On Lagos, Nollywood And Clean...
The Culture Newspaper
  • Home
  • Arts & Exhibitions
  • Culture & Festivals
    • Culture Africana
    • Culture People
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Music, Movies & More
  • News
    • Travel News
  • Opinion
    • Reviews (The Critics)
  • TCN Literati
  • Tourism & Hospitality
Fashion & Lifestyle

Get to know Wunmi Akinsola, the Nigerian fashion entrepreneur building the ‘ASOS of Africa’

by The Culture Newspaper November 16, 2021
by The Culture Newspaper November 16, 2021

Wunmi Akinsola is a Nigerian fashion entrepreneur who is building “Africa’s ASOS”. She first ventured into the fashion industry in 2008 when her siblings co-founded a fashion brand called Virgos Lounge, a London-based womenswear brand, where she worked as a brand coordinator.

In her position, she monitored transactions worth over £1,000,000 (now $1.3m), she told TechCabal.

After having a taste of the fashion industry, Akinsola took her interest further by pursuing a course in fashion and textile at the University of Kent, England. She continued to pursue a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation.

She subsequently interned at a number of British consulting firms but eventually decided to return to Nigeria to pursue a dream of being her own boss.

“I just knew I wanted to be in Nigeria. It was an odd decision to make at the time. My family, even though they supported me, frowned at it,” Akinsola told TechCabal.

In her decision to move back to Nigeria, Akinsola was clear she wanted to pursue a business in the fashion industry. She wanted to replicate what UK fashion retailer ASOS was doing in Europe in Nigeria. However, her return was not as rosy as she expected.

She got hired as a project manager for the 2018 Bridal Fashion Week in Lagos. Following the success of the event, she got headhunted by Jumia to lead its Women’s Fashion Category. She was then back in the UK. In 2020, she left Jumia to start Fashtracker to provide a pan-African marketplace for the continent’s fashion. She built Fashtracker to do what ASOS was doing in Europe.

Initially, the company wanted to contract its offerings within Africa but soon, Akinsola realized that half of the customers came from other parts of the world.

“I was only running ads for Nigeria and neighboring countries, and yet about half of my customers came from other parts of the world. So, it became obvious that there’s a massive market out there,” Akinsola said.

Fashtracker allows fashion designers and retailers to list their products for customers to find them and buy. The company makes money from a small commission on every completed transaction.

According to TechCabal, the company has also created a new vertical called Skinntracker following the increase in demand for beauty and cosmetic products. The Skinntracker category is where cosmetic brands list their products for sale.

Akinsola initially started Fashtracker as a ‘one man’ business, serving as its founder and CEO. Now she has a staff strength of six. Also, the company has over 30 brands that have been listed on the platform and have completed thousands of dollars worth of transactions.

Starting Fashtracker did not come easy for Akinsola. She said she struggled to get brands to be on board her project. Logistics was another challenge she had to deal with.

“As we grow and learn, we will continue to onboard more brands and drive more buyer traffic into the platform,” said Akinsola.

Source: face2faceafrica.com

AfricaakinsolaasosbuildingentrepreneurfashiongetknowNigerianofthetowunmi
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappEmail
The Culture Newspaper

previous post
Story of Rise and Fall of FAME, finally told!
next post
Best Of Nigeria’s Culture, Tourism On Display As NAFEST Kicks Off In Ekiti

You may also like

Soludo Advocates ‘Made In Nigeria’ Clothes As Daughter...

September 19, 2022

​Ikoyi Club Launches Bespoke Main House, Golf Section...

September 13, 2022

Burkina Faso designers show there’s more to nation...

May 19, 2022

Sofía Jirau, 24, Becomes Victoria’s Secret’s First Model...

February 18, 2022

Highpoint Event Centre Berths On February 3

January 31, 2022

The world bought more champagne than ever last...

January 21, 2022

‘This is one of the worst Vogue covers...

January 17, 2022

Shatu Garko Stirs Hornet’s Nest By Winning Miss...

December 24, 2021

La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort Debuts First Africa’s...

December 20, 2021

Mwanwa Inspired Ensemble Wins Best National Costume At...

December 20, 2021

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

  • iREP: Celebrating Nigeria’s Coolest Film Festival
  • US Cultural Affairs Office Commends Nigerian Film Corporation, Pledges Collaboration
  • Ooni of Ife Recognises Afro-Brazillian Settlement As Yoruba Territory
  • WTD 2023: Lagos Advocates Theatre And Culture of Peace
  • Davido Goes Timeless As Fourth Studio Album Drops

Sponsored

Recent Posts

  • iREP: Celebrating Nigeria’s Coolest Film Festival

    March 24, 2023
  • US Cultural Affairs Office Commends Nigerian Film Corporation, Pledges Collaboration

    March 23, 2023
  • Ooni of Ife Recognises Afro-Brazillian Settlement As Yoruba Territory

    March 23, 2023

Categories

  • Arts & Exhibitions
  • Culture & Festivals
  • Culture Africana
  • Culture People
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Music, Movies & More
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Photo News
  • Reviews (The Critics)
  • TCN Interview
  • TCN Literati
  • Tourism & Hospitality
  • Travel News
  • Travel Trends
  • Travelogue
  • What's Hot?
  • World Culture

Connect with us

Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

@2019 - The Culture Newspaper. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Zero-One

The Culture Newspaper
  • Home
  • Arts & Exhibitions
  • Culture & Festivals
    • Culture Africana
    • Culture People
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Music, Movies & More
  • News
    • Travel News
  • Opinion
    • Reviews (The Critics)
  • TCN Literati
  • Tourism & Hospitality