I AM NIGERIA: FROM MAMA'S TO MANUFACTURING, MEET DEDE ILELEJI, THE YOUNG MAN WHO EARNS DOLLARS FROM BAGS

Ileleji Dede Joshua is one of Nigeria's brave and industrious young men doing exploits in the global consumer market, and proudly flying the Green White Green flag. He is an employer of labour whose establishment is called "Reverse", which is a short form of Reverse Designs LTD. Reverse is a fashion company that sources for all its production material locally, thus contributing its own little quota to the Nigerian economy.

DEDE ILELEJI JOSHUA
 

REBIRTHRAIN: HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ADDRESSED?

DEDE: CALL ME DEDE ANYTIME, YOU MUST PRONOUNCE IT AS "DAYDAY" SO WE CAN GET ALONG VERY WELL LOL.

I WILL TRY DAYDAY (LAUGHING). SO WHAT DO YOU DO? 

We are a Nigerian fashion company that specialises in manufacturing made in Nigeria fashion items that are innovative, We use African prints to produce bags, shoes and accessories for everyone. Our primary production fabrics includes Ankara ,Lace ,Guinea ,Kente ,tye and dye(kampala) and other African handmade materials like our locally made leather that our love for Kpomo is almost driving into extinction.

WHY AFRICAN MATERIALS?

Firstly, we do what we do to showcase the African fashion through our clients whose aesthetic demands/style influence what we design. And apart from the nice perq of being part of the few industry takers that specialise in made in Nigeria fashion brand that proffer innovative solutions to the fashion industry within and outside the country, seeing the smile of satisfaction on the faces of our clients gives us that push we need to open our shops every other day.

TAKE US TO THE VERY BEGINNING

Hmmm. As the popular saying goes ‘’A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step’’ so I will say, I took a step at a time, and the turning point for me was when I noticed my insatiable love for shoes. As a child I did a lot of creative things, like building cages for my pets ,fixing electrical problems in the house etc. This gave my parents the idea of the kind of school I should attend, since I was really not paying so much attention to the conventional schooling environment of my age group. In 1998, I left Army Day Secondary School in Senior Secondary 1, for Sapele Technical College, Sapele Delta state, where I studied Electrical Installation from 1998 to 2001 and was certified with NTC/NBC NATIONAL TECHNICAL CERTIFICATE. That same year, I gained admission into the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity Trade Test of Nigeria, where I obtained the certificate of competence in Electrical Installation Works (D&I) grade I, II & III.
After my graduation from college, I travelled to Lagos to spend the holiday with my mother, by this time, I had two and half months left from the long holiday. I waited for the entrance examination result that will enable me study Electrical Electronics Engineering in Petroleum Training Institute(P.T.I), Delta State Effurun. While spending this quality time with my mom, she told me stories about my childhood, she emphasised on how she bought Christmas shoes every year and how I refused to wear them, but would rather clean and polish them, before taking them to bed and she always asked if I did not find my act a bit strange. I did not have a direct response to her question. However, she concluded that shoes were my calling. She even chipped in that, she sees and admire this set of footwear a young man close to her shop makes, and she wanted me to learn from him.
Wow! What? Me! Shoe maker? God forbid! I flared up lol. No way, I cried out loud that I am an Engineer. She calmed me down and said that, it would not stop me from continuing my education, but she feels that it could make a good hobby, if I could take her advice. I did not agree with her immediately, but from that minute I could not just stop thinking about the idea. I imagined what the process and possibilities of making a footwear will be, I slept and woke up with the thoughts, until the morning I went to her out of curiosity, and asked her when I would be meeting the young shoe maker, and that my friend, was how it all started.

IT IS MY TURN TO SAY WOW! I AM INDEED INSPIRED. SO WHERE DO YOU OPERATE FROM?

Thank you. We are currently operating from Lagos, Nigeria

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

We target the working class even though our products appeal to almost everyone, and as such we supply shops in the malls who retail our brand, so that our target market has easier access. Some of the shops we do business with includes, Daviva and O’Eclat by Gbemmy Johnson. Furthermore, companies like Lydia heart Innitiative, Macforte and RUN FOR A CURE AFRICA have given us the platform to showcase our work to foreigners and tourists, people from all over the world place orders via our website, phonecalls, email, and our various social media platform.

IMPRESSIVE! SO IF YOU WERE NOT DOING THIS, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

Well, it hurts me to see how we (Nigerians) buy the most expensive phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets, with zero interest in how they are being manufactured. So if I was not doing this, I would have been a manufacturer of these electronic gadgets.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING THE BOSS OF REVERSE?

The hardest part of my job is ensuring that the minutest detail of every piece of work we do is well taken care of. Daunting but satisfying.

NICEST THING DONE BY A CLIENT 

A client gave me a work space for two years in exchange of 40 pieces of handbags, a kind of batter agreement.

WORST THING DONE BY A CLIENT

When a client poached some of my workers thinking they could do it all and after a while they could not keep up.
Call it karma!

PAST PROJECTS 

We have been involved with several empowerment projects that help youths who are interested in the art of being creative in the past.
We have also been one of the major bag producers for Daviva fashion for the past three years, and as such, we are one of the highest Ankara bag producers in the country, since Daviva has at least one shop in all the major shopping malls   in Nigeria.
We have partnered with designers such as O’Eclat, Ankara Freak, Jete Accessories, Muma & Ices, Ehiz-Mode, Beauty Johnson Emporium, Bata Esho, Riyaz Fashion, 5 Fingers, Alifa Concept, Rouge Valleri, ROOSE, Oge by Dara and many more in executing fashion projects.
We do yearly projects with companies like Nigerian Textiles, Lydia Heart Initiative, RUN FOR A CURE AFRICA and Macforte
We have been involved with Runwayfadan2015 and West African Fashion Awards, to mention but a few.

FUTURE

REVERSE would launch its Clothing Line of cutting edge fashion  that embodies our passion for people, art and fashion next year.


WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Only time would tell, but by the grace of God we would be at the top of the fashion industry across the globe.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

The word of God. Especially Job 8:7 that says 'knowing so well that my latter end shall increase greatly than my beginning'. It just keeps me going and I do not worry about anything. But I always aspire to be better.

YOUR HIGHEST POINT SO FAR

I would say, this point at which I am standing. Because I am currently running a company with eight loyal and permanent staff, three contract staff, and five apprentice. Moreover, it is not just about how much Naira or Dollars I make or have made, but rather, the number of people I influence or reach out to through my work is what counts. Someone once told me that 'Any fool can make money', and I agree with him. So bearing this in mind, I feel honoured to be an employer of labour. Secondly,  we produce at least 100 hand bags and 100 footwears every week and this has been going on for three good years, to cap it all, I am glad that we meet the demands of 100 people weekly. We have come a long way, and we have a longer way to go.

YOUR LOWEST POINT SO FAR

Lowest point was that point at which I had to batter with my personal belongings, I offered my phones and jewelries in exchange for raw Materials, in order to keep my dream alive.

HOW DO YOU RELAX?

By swimming and going to the movies.

ANY ADVISE FOR YOUNGER ONES INTERESTED IN YOUR LINE OF BUSINESS?

My advice is that you must be passionate about it, if not don’t bother yourself.

THANK YOU DAYDAY FOR YOUR TIME, AND I AM HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE TO YOU THAT, THIS INTERVIEW IS THE FIRST ONE WE HAVE CONDUCTED IN RebirthRAIN'S 'I AM NIGERIA' SERIES OF INTERVIEWS.

I feel honoured, and I wish RebirthRAIN the very best.
***

Hope you enjoyed Dede's interview, feel free to drop a comment, and do not forget to send an email
to rrainnigeria@gmail.com if you know of ordinary Nigerians doing extraordinary things that should be featured in our 'I am Nigeria' series.

We know you cannot wait to get your hands on these lovelies. Hurry now to order via Reverse website www.reversedesigns.com
info@reversedesigns.com
Or contact them via;
Instagram: @reversebydede
whatsapp: +234 8094301678
Mobile No: +234 8069655518