http://whatsupibadan.com/2013/09/14/my-clients-are-in-us-congress-pentagon-fagbohun-ibadan-suit-maker/

Popular Ibadan-based suit merchant, Kolawole Fagbohun, is the Chief Executive Officer and the Creative Director of Fagbohun Tailors, a corporate suit outfit that has been in existence since 1942. In this interview with KATE ANI, he speaks about his life as a tailor and how his father  made him to embrace the profession, among other issues. Excerpts:

Have you always wanted to be a tailor?

No. My father chose me out of all my siblings to succeed him in the business. I never really liked it. I wanted to study Law for my second degree, because I had always wanted to be a lawyer. All my friends then were lawyers working for Chief Afe Babalola, but when my father passed away, I took over his position so as to honour him, because that was his last wish. And I became more successful than my friends because back then, they earned N150 in a month, which I could make in a minute. I am also into other very successful businesses; one of them is real estate, but I still intend to keep running Fagbohun Tailors, in memory of my dad.

Read more…


Tell us about your dad, Wole Fagbohun

My father started the suit tailoring business in Ondo State in 1942. He trained as a suit tailor at the prestigious Tailor and Cutter Institute, London. He was the first African to graduate with a First Class degree in that institute, which was celebrated in the pages of newspapers back then in the 50s. He sewed suits for statesmen, dignitaries and industrialists (whose names I wouldn’t want to mention).

Nonetheless, I would want to mention the likes of Deacon Gamaliel Onosade, during his days in the University of Ibadan.  My father made every single suit he wore back then.

So, you didn’t have any formal training in suit tailoring?

No; but after my father passed away, the two employees left behind that worked for him taught me how to cut. Now I cut every suit we make here. I sew suits for bankers, commissioners, governors. The immediate past governor (of Oyo State), Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, is a very good client. Senator Iyiola Omisore is also a very good friend and a client. I have known him for years and all his traditional attires are my creations. I also make suits for him and of course, the publisher of Vanguard newspaper, Chief Sam Amuka,  a senior officer of Power Holding Company ( PHCN),Engineer Oyesiku is also a very good friend of mine and loyal client.

They (suits) must be very expensive then?

It depends on what you want; and we sew to perfection. I don’t sew and keep. (We make them) when you place your orders; that is why our brand is called ‘Bespoke’. And all my suits are handmade. Most of the friends I have are my clients. I always like to build a personal relationship with my clients. When I make a suit for you and you don’t like it or it is not the exact kind of style you want, I will go back to the drawing board and start all over again. I am at my happiest moment whenever my customers tell me that they are satisfied.

Do you sew women’s suits as well?

We focus only on men’s suits and natives. The thing is that women are more particular in terms of… you know, they may lose weight and say ‘oh, the suits you made for me is not how I wanted it’, so I don’t want their wahala.

Where do you source for your materials?

Baltimore, New York City. Every quarter in a year, I travel to buy new stocks and every quarter, we go back to deliver. I just came back  a few weeks ago, because my clients complain that most of the materials in Nigeria eventually fade. Fifty per cent of my clients are based in America and England. At any point in time, the export part of it is always ongoing. I make suits for people working in the Pentagon, in the United States, and those working with congressmen.

Can you mention their names?

Steve Morreto, Alvin Rice, Patrick Cooper, to mention a few. Patrick Cooper is an American musician.

Which texture of suit materials do you like to work with?

I like wool – Herribone wool, virgin wool, cashmere; but the ones that bring out best result is soft wool. It cooperates with what you want to do.

What are the essential suits every man should have in his wardrobe?

A grey suit, a navy blue suit, a plaid blazer and a classic blue blazer with gold or bronze button suits. Unless you are a lawyer, then you can wear black suits, but dark and grey suits will double for black-coloured suits and blue is also classic for any day. If a man has one grey, blue and classic blue blazer with gold or bronze button, two checks or plaids jacket and have maybe 10 pants and 100 shirts, they will think that you have many suits in your wardrobe.

How do you get your inspiration?

Honestly, a silhouette form alone can inspire me. The way your hair is (referring to the interviewer), I can design something around it. I can copy your hairstyle and sew it on a native (dress), and also the way your eye brow is carved can inspire me to cut a suit like that. And it will be different from what has been done before. Fashion is like art; you need to be very thoughtful and creative to create new trends.

What is the new trend in suits?

Right now, the new trend in suits is double-breasted and one-button fitted suits. Ten years ago, it used to be flare and freer cuts. London and Paris essentially dictate what happens in terms of trending suits.

Can you compare tailoring in those days with now?

These days, everything is mass-produced. The tailoring I do is like how it is done in Seville Row, London. They are hand-sewn, and that is how it was done in the earlier years. In those days, if you wanted to sew your suits, you would be spending between £2,000 and £5,000 , while in America, it starts from $500, because it will be canvassed from top to bottom, and what they do is pick-stitching. Machine can sew it, but if you do it by hand, the character will be much more real and the detailing will be carefully highlighted.

How would you define your personal style?

My style is laid back. I cherish my comfort; I am a jeans and T-Shirt person. But now that I am getting older, when I wear jeans and T-Shirt, people don’t take me serious. When my friends introduce me to people saying, “meet Wole Fagbohun, they will be surprised because they were expecting to see a man with round belly with starched agbada (laughs); but I dress as simple as possible. I like the way Georgio Armani dresses; very simple. Do you know that I don’t have a single pair of suit or agbada?

Really?

Yes, despite the fact that I make suits, I don’t wear them. I love dressing casual. I don’t wear suits to weddings. Why will I be competing with the groom? But I wear blazers during autumn and winter when I am out of the country and give them out once I am back in Nigeria.

Tell us something about how you started; your background.

I am from Ondo State. I grew up in Ibadan. I attended the University of Lagos for my first degree in Business Administration and graduated in 1987 and took over the mantle of leadership as the CEO of Fagbohun Tailors after my father, the founder, passed away in 1986. The first suit I sewed then, the man gave me a crossed cheque of N150. Then it was big money; so ever since then, I have never looked back. Now, we have expanded. We have a branch in Lagos, Ibadan here and Baltimore in the United States of America.

How did you meet your wife?

Aahh… she is my oga at the top. I was having lunch with my friends and they told me about this pretty lady they would like me to meet. I was initially not interested, but then I said to myself, ‘let me see her then and add her to my harem’ (laughs). When we eventually met, I liked her and we started a relationship.

How did you know she was the one?

Her patience. I can tell you that for the past 18 years that I have been married to my wife, she has never raised her voice at me. I can be very difficult at times, but she knows how to cool me down and bring me right back to my senses.

What advice do you have for young aspiring designers?

(Build) integrity and don’t compromise. Passion, spirit of excellence, humility will take you far.

If we have power, maybe loans to start up our outfits, most businesses will thrive even more. Most Nigerians are not lazy people. That is why our people do well in the abroad. Nigeria will get it right too soon.

Big ogbeni like this no website? What if Obama needsna suit naa?