EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MEET HEAD DESIGNER/CEO OF NIGGIE ClOTHIN INC

Head designer/ Ceo of Niggie Clothin Inc

 360koncepts team has been in search of different talent and innovations across Ogun and Lagos state and in our search, we currently came across a young talented and enterprising  entrepreneur and we had an Exclusive interview with him to discuss on his Business, challenges and how he has been able to maintain his stand in the line of business i:e Clothing line. He his a very energetic and funny person and we enjoyed every moment of our discussion

Head designer/Ceo of Niggie clothin inc.

Question:  Tell us your name and tell us about yourself?

Ans: My name is Idowu Oluwatobi Johnson, a.k.a da'guru, Niggie Da'great, PARA,  Student of Arts and Design Yabatech. Head designer/Ceo of Niggie clothin inc. Passionate and creative, loves music and i play handball and i love spending time at the Gym.. what else? I am a very straight-forward person, humble and hilarious but if you push me iPARA 

Question: Tell us what made you to go into the clothing line business

Ans:  Foremost, I happen to be an art student right from my secondary school days, I actually had passion for designing shirts right from Jss2; Subsequently, I happened to be theassistant head designer at Shezy wearz, I started as a Solo designer in 2010. It was basically the passion I had to see people, look and dress good for all occasions that caught my interest and it was what eventually made me go into the business.

Question:  Define fashion in your own words

Ans:  Fashion, is just not about wearing clothes or putting on diamond rings all over your body, No, I believe Fashion is a statement, a Lifestyle. As the saying goes “You are addressed the way you dress” so I believe when you dress, you should be making a statement with it, whether you want them to see you as a Hip-hop person, or someone that is in deep into Urban wears or traditional wears.

Question:  Do you consider yourself to be a fashionable person?

Ans:  Yes! I step out every day making a statement with the clothes I wear, mostly customized… shoye? ko ni sewu.... carry on

Question:  What are the challenges you face as a designer?

Ans:  Managing between School and business is a lot of hard work, I must say. Sometimes you have a contract that you have to deliver but then you also have assignments and presentations you have to attend to as well. Most times, I won’t sleep, I stay overnight, so I can meet up with assignments and at the same time trying not to disappoint my customers
 Question:  Challenges from customers

Ans: Most times, customers do not know or refuse to acknowledge the difference between customized wears and your everyday wears, Customers always want to pay less for more.

Question:  How do you cope?

Ans: Most times, you have to convince them, that this is the way the market is and then you have to explain to them. However, the problem arises when they demand quality from you at a rate that Is not worth the quantity, talk less quality. Shoye? Carry on.

Question: What kind of wears do you make? 

Ans: We make customized T-shirts, polos, corporate wears, V-jackets, hoodies, tank tops, sweat shirts, Jalamia wears, Just name it, we will do it... Even if na invisible customized shirt( Laughs)

Question: Can you tell us about the work you’ve done , designs that you have made at one time or the other

Ans: Niggie clothin inc as been developing over the years and we can proudly say we came out with some innovative designs we have done the following designs: Parafit design ,Superman puzzle  Street OT (an innovation from @olamide album), Ibile United,Para design: innovations from the parfait design, brought about the #Para concept and fortunately I have been tagged in most places I go, with the name #PARA.


Question: Tell us about projects that you have been involved in

Ans: My first project was Clothiers rage (2011) an exhibition among student designers, after that, I participated in  my first runway event tagged Runway to stardom 2014  . Runway to stardom is runway/ fashion show, after that was the urban fashion showcase December(2014), and I was the major designer for a musical video that is soon to drop  from @rooftopcrew, y’all should anticipate!

Question: What would you have been doing if not making customized wears?

Ans: As an art student, i am quite talented in so many things, i would probably be doing music, that is my first love!

Question: Tell us about the most challenging time of your life

Niggie Head designer

Ans: The most challenging time of my life, will definitely be the time I lost my dad at the point I needed him most in my life, he died when I was just barely out of secondary school and surviving then became an herculean task, but then, it made me buckle up to my responsibility as a man and it was this that eventually gave rise to the birth of NIGGIE CLOTHIN INC.

Question: What artiste have you worked with so far?

Ans: Luckily for me, I have been  able to work with some awesome artiste, some of which we know well and hopefully I plan to work with more artiste as time goes on; I have worked with the likes of Bidemi Kosoko, Cocoice,Deejay phuxxy, Rooftopcrew(RTC), deejay pappy @versatile_pappy and others.

Question: Where do you see Niggie clothin Inc in the next 5 years?

Ans: I see Niggie Clothin Inc topping charts in the next 5 years and also to be one of the prominenet, well known, respected and successful designer both locally and internationally.

Deejay phuxxy of D'place VI and CoCoice

Question: Any advice for upcoming designers?

Ans: Funny enough, I see myself as an upcoming designer because we keep learning every day, getting new innovations, but the advice I will give any upcoming designer is that they should be passionate. They should make sure they are driven by passion and not wealth, they should also be loyal, respectful and humble, because most times, you talk to customers that are not up to your standard or they don’t understand your business, these are the people that complain most and if you are not patient enough, well, we all know how that ends.

Question: What upcoming projects are on ground?

Ans: A lot of projects are on ground and many more still coming up, Anticipate concepts exclusive for the Big boys and Big girls and designs of all kinds for all ages.  add me up for more information and most importantly; The Unveiling of #PLPcollections  dropping soon, it’s going to be in stores nationwide, it simply means "peace, love and Para" it is a collection that will comprise of different kind of customized design. I have been working on the idea of #PLPcollections and i think the time is right for people to enjoy it as well you can get your exclusive #Plpcollections shirt delivered to you, Immediately it is unveiled, very soon, lagbara olohun... Just add me up or give me a call and let’s get talking.

Question: Your contact details?

Ans:  BBM pin: 2BAE0BD1 || Mobile Number: 08087435240 || Twitter:niggieklothin89 || Instagram:@itzniggie || Fb: Niggie ClothinzNiggie Clothinz