“African Things aims to change the negative image associated with African manufacture and be a symbol for high quality products whilst at the same time empowering Africans”
African Things, founded by Oluwatosin Lawal, makes contemporary African inspired lifestyle products that are functional with innovative designs in a manner that empowers Africans. African Things aims to change the negative image associated with African manufacture and be a symbol for high quality products whilst at the same time empowering Africans. So far in its product range, it has produced backpacks, bow ties, earrings and bangles and several other fashion related items.
“The reason I started African Things was to promote African designs and culture in everyday lifestyle. After schooling abroad and seeing how foreigners saw Africans, often as poor and backward, I was very inspired when I returned home and saw that Nigerian fashion design especially in the area of accessories was beginning to boom. But I felt I could push the business further to international standards and include lifestyle items such as plates, household furniture and home accessories.” said Oluwatosin Lawal in a conversation with Lionesses of Africa.
She started out with door to door sales and later on went to selling on a larger scale to stores, which expanded African Things faster than she taught possible
Her advise to others out there is “Make sure you turn your passion into a profitable business. This way you don’t get discouraged when things get hard, which they will at some point.”
You can view more of African Things on http://www.africanthings.org
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- Originally posted on April 2nd 2018 on www.thefinancialliterate.wordpress.com (A previous version of The Financial Literate)
Entrepreneurship Stories That Inspire: Oluwatosin Lawal (Founder, African Things
