Custodian Interview: Teni Sagoe of Clan Fashion Label

Teni Sagoe of CLAN  is a young creative designer. Currently based in Lagos she has a law degree from the University of Exeter. Assisted by her two sisters, she is currently the creative director of CLAN. Over the weekend, I was lucky to have a quick chat with her as I have always been in awe of the lovely pieces CLAN had to offer. In the casual interview we discussed how the label started off, their inspirations, challenges with the fashion industry in Lagos and how it was to manage a family business.

Below is a text extract of the chat I had with her:

Gbemiga Ayeni: Hi Teni, firstly thanks again for having this chat with me.  I really appreciate it.

Of course Gbemiga, always a pleasure.

So to get started, can you tell us how the CLAN fashion label started off, and some of the people who may have influenced your decision to pursue a career in the fashion industry?

Our biggest influence would have to be my mum seeing as we’ve always been in the shadows while she’s worked on each of her collections and also at all her shows. We also have a great deal of respect for brands like Valentino, Dolce and Gabbana, The Row and Dion Lee. CLAN started almost by mistake; It was a holiday venture to while away the summer and before we knew it we had put together a show, launched it and given it life as a brand.

Your mum being the label’s inspiration is simply amazing. Must be nice to occasionally get feedback from her not only because mother’s knows best but also because she’s been in the industry for a while, and has a solid reputation. So once you started off the label with your sisters what initial challenges did you all face? And what are the pros and cons of managing a family business?

One of the first challenges we faced was mass production. The infrastructure here cannot support the production of garments in big quantities, mostly because there is no such thing as uninterrupted power supply. Therefore, there are no economies of scale realized and so the clothes end up being quite pricey in comparison to Western counterparts and you then face an affordability problem.

Another challenge we had was making a name for ourselves seeing as our mum is in the Haute Couture business. We therefore had to make sure that we weren’t diminishing the quality of her brand by introducing this new label. At the same time, it  had to be a different aesthetic so that we could appeal to a different target market. This being a bit of a paradox, it was quite tasking to achieve.

Pros of managing a family business would have to be that we are willing to pour in a lot more than a mere stakeholder in the business because of the passion we have for the brand. Cons would include minor disagreements over direction, focus and strategy which is easily managed in most cases, and also possibly a limitation on the ability to appreciate different perspectives.

You mentioned the problem of lack of infrastructure. How is CLAN dealing with this problem in Lagos and how are you able to make it relatively affordable but maintaining sufficient revenue?

We’ve tried a few strategies. At one point, we were merely breaking even just to be able to gain some market share. Now that the brand has some aspirational value, we are able to sell items for what they are really worth and we find that this works well when complemented by  a good rewards system.

I am glad everything is working out! Based on things at the moment, do you see CLAN fashion label being solely your long term job?

That’s a great question. I’ve always wanted to be an image consultant and I studied law at university so I’m really just going to bide my time and see how everything goes. But really, I love my role at CLAN and I will definitely be around to nurture it and make sure it gets to where it needs to be.

CLAN was one of the numerous designers at the New York Fashion Show. Can you recap your time at New York for Fashion week? And what you loved and learned during the incredible experience.

New York Fashion week was a great experience! It was CLAN’s first international show and we got to work with and meet a lot of great people on the NY fashion scene. It was a little unnerving because it was different to anything we’ve ever done before but at the same time it was really fulfilling as well, to get such a positive response from that audience. I loved how organized everything was and how expressive and supportive people were about attending the shows. We almost started to feel like we had been there for much longer than we really had. I’ve learned from that experience than running a successful fashion brand is much more than putting up a good show. It’s a huge process, from inception to showcase to distribution and each of these stages are as important as the other. As I have learned, fashion is just a series of ongoing projects, which sometimes run alongside each other.”

That’s fantastic Teni! Well done. Without giving away too much, are there any major plans for CLAN this year?

Thank you so much, Gbemiga! I pray so! Amen!

CLAN is working on outsourcing production this year and expanding along more channels so that we can become a brand with global appeal.

You are aware that the youth are very interested in the fashion industry. But what advice do you have to the people who don’t have connections or sufficient capital and yet persist on making it in the crazy fashion world?

I’d advice young start-ups to identify what their niche is, this is important for building brand identity and awareness. Also shows must be seen as part of a process rather than as the destination if a designer is to be able to make a living out what he or she does.

 Thanks again for this chat, it was lovely!

Of course, Gbemiga!

Thank you for the interview. We will catch up again soon.