The global fashion industry is a highly evolving market with distinct needs and innumerable wants. While the tastes of consumers may differ, the aim of the luxury fashion industry is to associate brands with feelings of prestige, importance, status, and grandeur in customers’ minds. Tiffany Amber is a Nigerian brand that has no doubt been on top of its game.
The brand, Tiffany Amber, incorporated in the fall of 1998 by Folake Folarin-Coker, was the first ready-to-wear brand in Nigeria. It was the first of the so-called “rock star” fashion designers. For ten years, it literally had no competition in the country. Twenty-one years after her entry into the game, Folake Folarin-Coker is still at the top of her game. How did she do it?
Folake has repeatedly ascribed the ‘secret’ of her success to branding. The brand’s success has also been attributed to several factors, including the brand’s specific emphasis on detail and femininity and the strategy of presenting itself as a foreign brand rather than a local Nigerian one. Unlike other Nigerian luxury brands, Tiffany Amber is specifically designed to suit the modern African woman and offers a unique blend of traditional African design with an international aesthetic, forming the brand’s unique selling proposition.[1]
‘I continue to reinvent myself without changing the DNA of the brand. Continuously reinvent yourself but don’t change the DNA of the brand – that’s what I believe. Everyone knowing what the Tiffany Amber look is, is what has kept us,’ Folake said during an interview with Belinda Otas.[2]
Staying proactive should be a mantra for every brand, given the volatility of the global industry. Despite the uncertainties brought by the pandemic, Folake redirected her brand’s expertise and production capacity to produce PPEs needed to combat the virus. This change had an unlikely silver lining: since March 2020, the company grew from 100 employees to 300. By doing so, the staff were able to earn income to support their families, as well as show support for the medical sector.
In the fashion industry, quality is key. Designs are immediately compared to those of other designers, both nationally and internationally. However, one of the major obstacles the industry faces is quality. A lot of clothes produced lack internationally accepted standards. Measuring up to global standards, Folake’s tasteful, colorful, and high-quality creations have earned her global recognition. She has worked with the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani, and has staged several fashion shows in Europe, Africa, and the United States. She was also the first African fashion designer to showcase her collections at the New York Mercedes Fashion Week two years in a row.[3]
Tiffany Amber’s magnetic and delicate pieces have graced over 40 runways across Africa, Europe, and the U.S., capturing the imagination of fashion lovers and critics. Regardless of the prime importance of finance, timing and great marketing have proven to be pillars of growth for the brand. The world is a global village now, especially with the advent of social media. But if you have a well-made product, you can sell it anywhere in the world. In Nigeria, we don’t have a marketing or magazine industry. However, in the case of Tiffany Amber, the use of Instagram has been a blessing. Her famous Lily Twist has sold over 700 pieces. Furthermore, leveraging the global interest in the African fashion industry, Folake adopted the “Made in Africa, Made for Now” concept.
Beyond fashion, Folarin-Coker is an astute businesswoman who understands the importance of marrying the art of fashion to the art of business. Her constant drive has been to make a success of the business side. The key, evidently, is the ability to strike a balance between the art of fashion and the art of business. It is about having a proper business structure in place, covering everything from management and supply to distribution. For instance, Folake asserted that she would rather people buy at wholesale prices than on commission. Commission sales can be problematic: if 50 pieces are ordered and only 10 are sold, the business is left burdened with 40 unsold items. In contrast, if customers buy 50 pieces wholesale, they can set their own profit margin and sell them.
Undoubtedly, the ‘secret’ lies in promoting the brand, staying true to it, and delivering on its promise. Tiffany Amber Nigeria Limited remains a luxurious lifestyle brand that transcends Africa, enjoys outstanding global recognition, and continues to revolutionize the fashion industry we love.
