Gunning For Fashion Gold

Abuja...the big city of dreams, where the real money in Lagos lies.

Its not a city I've spent much time in, but from the little I have seen I can safely say things in general work better, look a bit better and feel a bit better.

And that was my opinion before I came across what must surely be the most stylish looking boutique I've seen in Nigeria.

You know how some businesses make a cacophony of noise when they burst on the scene, only to die a very quiet and quick death.

And then some businesses, make a quiet entry. The people in the know are the first to know about it. They all simultaneously fall in love with it, the way you can fall in love with something when its new, unchartered territory, and quite frankly you got there first.

D BOUTIQUE definitely falls into the latter category.

Slowly but surely D BOUTIQUE has been creating a quiet revolution in the way the moneyed women in Abuja shop.

The grand entrance, more in line with the style of an important political arena, lets you know you're about to enter something new, something special and something...expensive.






D BOUTIQUE is slick, stylish, sexy and expensive, just like its owner and just like its shoppers. With a look and feel that can best be compared to the 'fabulous lifestyles of the rich and shameless' calibre of boutiques on Melrose in LA. The decor has been kept simple but stylish, with a striking palette of black white and bright pink. Throw in a little bit of gilt on the mirrors, some glamorously gothic black crystal chandeliers, and a smattering of sparkly cushions and you have one decadent looking boutique. All this and we're not even onto the clothes yet.

In keeping with the laidback sexy aesthetic of LA, the style ethos of D BOUTIQUE is 'casual chic'. Each item in the store is presented with a specific purpose in and function in mind. Yummy mummy going to lunch, moneyed it girl out on a hot date, maverick fashionista hitting the clubs, high rollers looking good enough to eat...D BOUTIQUE has got you covered. No detail is overlooked in their bid to deliver the perfect garments to the most discerning fashion enthusiasts. D BOUTIQUE deliberately seeks out clothes and accessories that are individually designed, aiming for the high levels of quality attained best when things are made by hand.

Jaded By Knight's one of a kind, reworked vintage creations are one of LA's most reputable and cutting edge designers. Their choice of fabrics and avant-garde styles are intrinsically unique and ahead of the pack. Rawyalty tees bring out the bling with their Swarovski embellished patterns (for men and for women). Pair your bling tee with the celeb loved jeans that create the most bodacious butt, True Religion, or Citizens of Humanity if you prefer your glamour with a rock edge, and you're on your way to mastering the art of the casual chic daytime look as loved by the Hollywood elite. Make like the Real Housewives of Orange County (via Abuja) in a sexy low cut and heavily embellished top or dress by Sky. Or if you prefer your daytime attire a little more PG-13, take a look at the collection from Voom and Sweetees.

There's nothing like a shroud of mystery to keep tongues wagging and minds running into overdrive so for now, I'm not telling you who the owner is. I will run his Tiger Bites Q&A next week though. Yes I said HIS. But to keep your minds ticking away, the name D BOUTIQUE was created by the first letter of his surname and boutique sums up the concept of the store "A nice and peaceful area where one comes to relax, take their time and enjoy the day. I believe it's all about the shopping experience".

Uzi’s definitely gunning for style gold with this fabulous spot as he clearly has a firm grip on the stylish weapons in his arsenal. Love it.


Monday........10am to 8pm
Tuesday.......10am to 8pm
Wednesday...10am to 8pm
Thursday......10am to 8pm
Friday...........10am to 8pm
Saturday.......10am to 8pm
Sundays........12pm to 6pm

Website: http://www.dboutiqueng.com

Office: 0805 768 8888

41 Jimmy Carter Street, Asokoro, off Yakubu Gowon Crescent (Villa Side)
Abuja, Nigeria

Lagos...Land of the luxury lifestyle?

Just read this article that was published in the New York Times and had to share. Let me know your thoughts.
www.www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/africa/13lagos.html?_r=3&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin.

Opulence and Chaos Meet in an African Boomtown
By WILL CONNORS
Published: August 12, 2008

LAGOS, Nigeria — The governor’s son sits hunched at the bar, contemplating his nearly empty bottle of Hennessy. On the dance floor, the airline director’s daughter sways back and forth to a hip-hop beat. Nearby, the star soccer player, just in from London, tries to squeeze past his growing circle of fans and hangers-on. In the center of the club, the oil magnate’s son gets on top of a table and takes a swig from a bottle of Dom Pérignon.



Benedicte Kurzen for The New York Times
Inside one of the nightclubs in Lagos, Nigeria.


Benedicte Kurzen for The New York Times
A line of yachts.



Benedicte Kurzen for The New York Times
A soccer player's Ferrari outside a club.


Just another Saturday night in Lagos, one of Africa’s money- and contrast-rich boomtowns. Already a city of superlatives on the continent (it has variously been deemed Africa’s most traffic-plagued, most populous and fastest-growing megacity), Lagos has a new title to add to its mantel: most expensive.

Lagos has always been one of the most powerful commercial hubs in West Africa, ever since slaves were first shipped from here to Europe and the Americas. But because of the rising price of oil, the declining United States dollar, the relocation of foreign workers from the oil-rich but kidnapping-prone Niger Delta, large privatization efforts and a mad dash for the city’s remaining plots of land, Lagos is more flush with cash and full of glitter than ever.

A recent study of the most expensive cities for expatriates by the consulting firm Mercer found that Lagos ranked 30th, making it only slightly less costly than New York but considerably more expensive than Los Angeles, Miami and Washington.

Even European cities like Stockholm and Barcelona, Spain, were found to be more affordable — and in Lagos the high prices are that much more eye-popping because the average Nigerian survives on less than $2 a day.

Evidence of vast amounts of money floating around the “islands” — two small pieces of land poking into the Atlantic that anchor the city’s economic activity and are home to banks, consulates and oil and telecommunications companies — is everywhere. Dinner for two at an average restaurant costs more than $200. A cocktail costs more than $15. A box of cereal costs $12 at a supermarket. Hotel rooms under $400 are difficult to find.

In the aisles of glistening new malls, expatriates and wealthy Nigerians often buy $10,000 watches and $5,000 cellphones. New BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes and Bentleys plod through grinding traffic, bumping over rocks and weaving around potholes.

Multimillion-dollar yachts speed up and down the creek separating the two islands. (The creek was recently determined to be too shallow for the biggest yachts, so a dredging project has been started to deepen the waterway.)

Apartment rents on the islands start at $3,000 a month, but rents of $6,000 to $7,000 a month are common here, and renters are required to pay two or three years of rent in advance.

But high prices do not always mean high quality. The city was built to accommodate fewer than 100,000 residents, but it is now home to an estimated 14 million or more, according to the state government. So no matter what your station in life is, it is impossible to avoid the city’s traffic or its lack of reliable water and electricity. Most homes and businesses on the islands run on diesel-powered generators nearly 24 hours a day, resulting in thousands of dollars in energy bills.

Tayo Emden, 33, a British-educated Ghanaian who has lived in Lagos for five years as a director for a telecommunications company, said the costs were just too high to stay.

“After living in London with colleagues, we thought Lagos would be nice and cushy, but we’re having second thoughts,” Ms. Emden said. “You used to get a lot of bang for your buck, but that’s not the case anymore.”

Several efforts have been made to create economic hubs away from the islands to reduce traffic and lessen the burden, but none have been successful. So at least three million commuters fight their way through hours of traffic to the islands every day. Many leave before 5 a.m. to beat the traffic, and many do not return home until after 10 p.m.

Moreover, most Lagosians do not enjoy the privileges of the city’s new wealth, and perhaps no economic division cuts deeper than housing. On the islands, plots of 645 square feet sell for millions of dollars, and houses built on the plots are subdivided and rented out to wealthy Nigerians or expatriates whose companies do not bargain down.

“Living in Lagos is tough, that’s the bottom line,” said Bola Sobande, the general manager of the popular Palms shopping mall. “But Nigerians are survivors. We survive against all odds. Until something else comes up, we’ll just hang in there.”

More than 70 percent of the city’s residents live in informal housing, crammed into slums with no electricity or water, according to Felix Morka, the executive director of the Social and Economic Rights Action Center, a local economic rights group.

“Only the superrich can compete in this market,” Mr. Morka said. “Most people are looking for a small plot of land where they can build a shack, or to rent space in what are known as ‘I See You, You See Me’ buildings with no facilities at all. That’s what people can afford.

“The oil companies can afford to rent out huge complexes for all their staff,” Mr. Morka said, “so why would a landlord want to rent out to the Nigerian teacher who barely is even assured of a salary at the end of the month?”

Because of widespread corruption, the vast amounts of money coming in rarely trickle down in Nigeria. Still, more and more people stream into the city every day, drawn by the prospect of wealth absent from most of the rest of Nigeria.

“People are moving to Lagos because you can find work, you don’t need to know anybody or have anything,” said Francisco Abosede, the state minister for public planning.

Early on a Sunday morning, as the rich and famous begin to stumble out of clubs and into the hazy light, they are quickly surrounded by dozens of young boys acting as informal parking attendants or hawking chewing gum, mints and phone cards. The boys are paid little mind, but if they are lucky, a small bill may be handed to them from behind the narrow slit of a tinted window of a departing BMW.


www.www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/world/africa/13lagos.html?_r=3&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin.

Lagos...Big City of Dreams

Time for a good old gripe.

I'll start with Swift Communications. My internet service provider. When we first started using them about 6 months ago, they were fantastic. Same speed as broadband abroad. To be fair their customers services are great, they call back when they say they will and they send out their engineers when needed.

BUT...a few months down the line and for the most part the internet service is a bit shite. I spend HOURS (no joke) trying to uplaod my pictures now which is why I might seem to not update so frequently. Trust me, its not from lack of trying. I've been tring to upload my last post "Full Length & Fabulous" since SUNDAY!

So what I want to know is how come all good things in Nigeria always seem to come to an early end? Why is it that so many businesses and entrepreneurs start out so full of promise with high expectations and even higher standards yet a few months/years down the line its usually a very different story.

Why is it so damn hard to maintain any sort of standards in Nigeria and why does it seem to be ten times as much work to keep things afloat.

Where to shop?
Our crap infrastructure that really doesn't help. Bearing in mind my knowledge and exposure is limited to the retail sector..The running costs of a business here are astronomical and yes, I think they're higher than the UK/USA. Think about it, you pay two years rent up front, a service charge, you'll need a generator, probably ahev to put in your own water system and that's before you start any refurb.

And I believe the set up costs are very similar too. The commercial rent is comparable to what would be paid abroad, and you're guaranteed to have a much lower footfall in Lagos than you would on a high street in London.

Too Many Chiefs, Not Enough Indians
One significantly lower cost is staff. But that's a false economy as you have to spend so much time micro-managing, checking, cross checking, correcting, training re-tarining, explaining re-explaining that you really don't get enough time to do much else. Why do staff in Nigeria seem so lazy? They start out great and before you know it they're not so good. I've heard too many stories of staff setting up side line businesses, shafting their boss, leaving to set up the same type of business.

I often wonder where the future of retail lies in Nigeria. For a country with so much money, we don't have any international retailers here. Even Swaziland do! We don't really have anywhere that offers a true shopping experience. before anybody says Mega or The Palms...what exactly is it apart from food or electronics are we supposed to be buying in there?

I'm always being told stories of oh so-and-so are planning on moving into Nigeria...Before people go getting overexcited, just check where else in Africa they have set up shop. If tehy're not in South Africa, they ain't comin g here. South Africa is a much easier market to analyse and predict with a more atble economy and better established retail sector so just why exactly would they bypass that for Nigeria first? I've heard Zara are moving here so many times. No. They're. Not. They have a couple of spots in Morocco yes, but I definitely believe they'll be moving into South Africa next and somehow not Nigeria.

I touched on ths topic of retail in Nigeria a few weeks ago, take a look.

The last comment which was posted this week got me thinking about the retail sector in Nigeria again.

But I want to know what you all think...where does the future of retail in Nigeria lie? And who do you all think will be the first proper (retail) international chain to set in Nigeria?

Cheap AND Cheerful? In Nigeria?

So a response from 'anon' to my last post got me thinking.

Her comment was…
”I'm interested in why you think retail a la Primark and F21 won't work in Lagos. Pray tell! Thanks :)”

I started my answer which turned into a bit of an essay so I decided to share. I’m certainly no expert on retail but I’ve been in the field for coming up to three years so I’ve learnt a few lessons about Nigerian shoppers along the way. The main one being they're a tough crowd but when they like something they love it so big up to the Tiger Tem massive!

I remain unconvinced you’d get the footfall needed of ready to spend shoppers. Primark and Forever 21 transcend many barriers such as age, class, status as they offer cheap, disposable versions of high end products a lot of people can’t afford. Yes they do basics but I suspect their main trade comes in from the more ‘fashion’ items…otherwise perhaps they wouldn’t be changing stock on an almost daily basis.

Prejudice is alive and kicking in Nigerian society. Go cheap, you exclude the people with money, almost instantly..the snob factor I call it. Go expensive, you exclude the people without money. In Nigeria, I don’t think we have that pride in ‘Oh my god you won’t believe how cheap this was!’ In the US and Europe, it’s a full on competitive sport.

Nigerians don’t have the obsession with celebrity, fashion, catwalks, fashion seasons the same way as Europe and America, where the demand is feed/created by numerous magazines, TV shows etc. So I don’t believe we’re as likely to gravitate towards cheaper versions of high fashion products. Our Local Celebritries usually wear some approximation of traditional....in which case cut out and keep the pic, and take it to your tailor.


Location would be another key factor. Do we have the equivalent of Oxford Street? Times Square? The cheap shops pick prime locations to maximise exposure and footfall abroad. So where would Primark go here? The Palms? The location already excludes a significant portion of its market. People with less cash would be intimidated by the location and would continue to shop at Tej market or Balogun market. Unless of course you’d want to put it in Tej…in which case, Primark you’re not, market trader you are. BIG difference.

I don’t have detailed knowledge of the true cost of living for the average Joe in Nigeria so I’ll tread a little carefully here. The difference in disposable cash in Nigeria and abroad is huge. The day to day costs of life in Nigeria are high and salaries are extremely low. So this limits the amount of disposable cash for people at the lower end of the salary scale. In Europe and America, the differences aren’t necessarily as huge.

Minimum wage in the UK just hit £5 I think, so if you work a 40 hour week that’s about £800 which is a pittance. Or 200 000N which is a damn good salary and definitely not anywhere near the bottom of the salary scale. I know in the UK at least, living can be heavily subsidised by the government and in the US as well, and that’s before we even get onto rent controlled apartments.

I’m aware that’s a big generalisation so any more informed readers feel free to correct me.

And lets look at South Africa. It’s the ‘easy’ Africa for most retail giants and they’re yet to get the really big European or American retailers in there (unless things have changed dramatically in the past year). I heard LV and someone else like Gucci just moved into Cape Town….but the cheap as chips shops….I suspect they’re dubious as to whether they’d get the footfall. And South Africa has a proper thriving retail culture. (by proper I mean a proper shopping experience).

When Topshop released the Baxter skinny jean, within weeks they were selling 18 000 a week. Let that marinate for a second. 18 000 women, who could find their size, liked the fit and had the £40 odd to drop on them. Or 10 000N.

I think its most unlikely such figures could be achieved here. And then add the hassle and undue expense of running a business in Nigeria and I go back to my starting point that a slightly more mid range store would probably do better. They sell less at a higher price and simple economics mean provided you can strike the right balance, you’ll probably make more money. And isn’t that what retail is all about? Just look at Sir Philip Green...the billionaire.