Nigeria's Online Blog

Growing up, a pair of jeans trouser was that easy piece of clothing that you could just grab and put on. That is because among us then, we used to say with jeans, you could never go wrong, which was because you would look decent while looking beautiful at the same time. Our parents also felt comfortable with it to the point that anytime I was going for lessons then, my mum would insist on a jeans because according to her, it covered all the parts that ought to be covered and in case of an emergency I would be able to flee the scene easily.

This view was also shared by most of the mothers in the neighbourhood where I grew up. However that can no longer be said of jeans with the advent of the Low Waist Jeans. For readers, who are not of the women folk, I may have to explain what Low waist jeans stands for. Well, like the name implies, it is that jeans that hangs loosely at the waist and can hardly move up beyond the waist line. As a matter of fact, it drops lower when the wearer is in motion. Since this particular jeans found its way into the market, it has pushed the usual jeans we grew up with off the scene, this is because most traders would rather have the Low Waist in their shops because that is what most ladies demand for. So what is the problem, you may be asking and rightfully so, what is the problem? Well I will tell you, these days, it is very easy to see women under wears unlike in those days when a lady would be moved to tears if a member of the opposite sex as much as catches a glimpse of her under garment. At times it is not only the under garment that is exposed, something much more is. So you would ask why ladies are rushing for this design of jeans as against the others. One of the reasons a lady gave me was, "It is not our fault, these Low Waist jeans are like that. You can't pull them up beyond a certain level".

So I decided to investigate further and discovered that it is very true that with the Low Waist jeans, the tendency for the under wears and at times parts of the body to be exposed is very high. But the jeans alone cannot be held responsible for the rate of exposure being witnessed. You can no longer stand behind a lady wearing a jeans comfortably because you are scared that at any moment her under wears would be exposed, especially if she attempts to raise her hands. Don't even talk about when she bends down to pick up a pen or a piece of paper.

If you are very observant, you would notice that ladies, when alighting from cabs these days are either pulling down their tops or pulling up their jeans. Should looking good be so much trouble? But as I sympathized with the few ladies who claimed that they didn't have a choice because, according to them that was what was available, I took a trip to the market to see for myself. And in the market, I discovered that there were other designs of jeans apart from the Low Waist, like the Boot cut and the Straight jeans. And so I enquired from most of the sellers why it seemed like ladies preferred the Low Waist and they all said the ladies claimed it gave better fitting. And when I said to a trader in Wuse Market, Jude, that I wanted a pair of jeans, all the samples he brought out were the Low Waist jeans, that is because he just assumed naturally that, that is what I would want.

But is the problem really with the jeans or its users. Or are ladies under the illusion that exposure of under garments/ parts of the body adds to their beauty or what point exactly are they trying to score? This is because as loose as this brand of jeans is on the waist, it can be held up firmly with a belt. Belt, oh yes! The normal belt that you can find around easily. However, lots of ladies decry the use of belt. Tonia, a neighbour of mine, who I spoke to said she hates wearing belts. "I can't stand belts", she says. Another lady, Dianna, also said she does not like using belt whenever she is wearing a Low waist jeans, the reason, according to her is that, the fitting will not be there. She said she feels better without one. So what is she feeling better about? The fact that her under garment/ bare butt is most of the time exposed? It would not have been so bad however if the dislike for belt as expressed equalled the dislike for jumper tops on Low Waist Jeans. This is because as much as this kind of jeans hardly moves beyond the waist and tends to move lower when the wearer is in motion, not much harm would be done if the top is long, to at least the laps level. But this is not the case as most ladies you see on the low waist jeans usually combine it with a jumper top, which is why most of the time you see them pulling down the top. I visited the saloon recently and there were about six girls inside before I came in, they were all backing me, I didn't see their faces immediately, but I could tell the colours of their under garments. Believe me, for some, it was not their under garments I saw, I saw more than that. When I struck up a conversation with the hair dresser, she said: Ah, aunty na this type of jeans dey give fitting.

So ladies, what exactly is 'fitting' nudity? Now, if fitting does not mean nudity, then we may have to take a second look at the way we wear the Low Waist Jeans. This is because you can actually look good without compromising decency. Exposing under garments or parts of the body that should be concealed is not pleasing in anyway.

Today‘s business world demands creativity to succeed, no matter what kind of business one is into. This is because each business needs to be unique.

Generally, handcraft business is good business, especially when it can be distinct and distinguishable from others.

Linda Ikem, who graduated more than two years ago from one of Nigerian universities, was finding it difficult securing a job for herself. After trying hard to get a job without success, she decided to go in for a skills acquisition training in handcraft.

For her, what people will want regularly caught her appeal. She decided to go into tie and dye business.

She says, “It was difficult at first, because I needed the expertise. Of course, I made mistakes but that later made me better.”

But according to the Managing Director, Fareedah Textile, Mrs. Raliyat Sanusi, it is always difficult starting to learn about the business. She, however, says it gets better once you keep practising to get the best result. She adds that once you are perfect, it becomes an easy thing and the only issue will be to show your creativity in the material.

Sanusi notes that for starters, a minimum capital need, as low as N30,000, may be required to begin with. From this, a profit of about N10,000 can be gotten, noting that the profit may be lower or higher, depending on who one is selling to.”

She adds that one needs to have the passion for art and crafts to be able to turn tie and dye into one’s own business.

It is true that people often enjoy crafts, such as paper crafts or quilting, as they are one-of-a-kind items, but turning tie and dye into a sustainable business requires dedication and training.

She says having an interest in a creative endeavour is not enough to start a craft business; one will need to learn more and acquire much information about the business.

The Managing Director, Bafunke Textile, Mrs. Oluwafunke Babalola, says, ”There is the need to research into the business to know which area to focus on and also have an idea of who you want to sell to.”

She adds that you will need to create a business bank account, as this will let you know how much you make on each set of tie and dye material you produce.

Sanusi stresses, “You will need space to work because this handcraft has more to do with space.

Both Sanusi and Babalola agree that learning how to make tie and dye material is fun. It is also good to practise with lots of old T-shirts because it is important to know how different types of fabric react and produce different patterned hues when different concentrations of dye are applied on them.

They agree that with creativity and experimentation, one can make money selling bright, beautiful tie and dye material. Sanusi stresses that when starting the business, it is better to keep the production low as one concentrates on learning the techniques.

She adds that since it is a new business, one is not sure of the number of customers to expect. So, it is better to do it in small quantity.

”Your work will speak for you; so you must try to make the tie and dye fabric very beautiful and original as much as possible. Also, do a good job so that you will get calls for more order,” Babalola says.

She also notes that creativity is key in this business, as this will help differentiate your fabric from the rest.

Sanusi notes further, “As a starter, one needs to be competitive, by reducing the price tag on the fabric so as to get more customers. When they find out the quality is good, they will ask for more.

”Because you will be contending with those already in the market, you need to be competitive in your prices and quality. This will help to give you better publicity as well.”

Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Segun Gele, or to use his full name Hakeem Oluwasegun Olaleye, is a man making a name for himself in a woman's world.

The Houston-based businessman has made an artform out of tying a gele -- the gravity-defying headwraps worn by Nigerian women.

To meet him is to understand how he became a celebrity in a field only a few years in the making. He's not only a vivacious self-promoter; he's also clearly thrilled to find himself making money doing something that comes so naturally to him.

Watching Segun Gele whip the material into graceful folds and arcs in less than five minutes, you know he is the master.

Geles come in different fabrics such as damask, brocade and "aso-oke" (hand-woven fabrics popular for Yoruba special occasions in Nigeria). The most popular fabric among Nigerian women is a metallic fabric made from jacquard.

They have been worn by Nigerian women for generations, but in recent years has become the ultimate fashion accessory for important parties and events in the U.S., something that Segun Gele partially credits himself for.

He says when he moved to Houston, Texas in 2003 from Nigeria, many Nigerian women had stopped wearing their gele because it was just too difficult to tie by themselves. To Segun Gele, this was a great tragedy.

"I mean, you would not find a woman wearing a good headwrap," Segun Gele said. "They would rather wear pantsuits to a Nigerian party. They would rather wear their jeans to a Nigerian party. And when they had the headwrap made, it was just okay."

He first noticed he could turn his skills into a promising business when he offered to tie a woman's head wrap at a friend's wedding.

Within minutes, he had whipped the two-yard fabric into a headturning, vertiginous shape that left other women at the party impressed. Before long a queue had formed and he started charging $7 a piece to tie gele at the wedding, Segun said.

Over time his rates grew to $10, then $15, and now he rarely ties wraps at parties but reserves his services for weddings or other special occasions.

"In the past, I used to have so many people. I think I had about 20, 30 people standing in the line to have their hair tie tied. But it got to the stage where it was overwhelming," he said.

Segun Gele now charges $650 to tie wraps for brides and their party for Houston weddings, and $1,000 plus hotel, rental car and airfare for out-of-town weddings.

This wedding season he's already flown to Georgia, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Maryland. Knowing brides reserve him a year in advance, well aware of his popularity.

It's the only business he's done since he moved to the U.S., and one that's showing no signs of slowing down. He has students that pay to train with the master, flying in from around the U.S. and London.

So long as gele remains a fashion statement for Nigerian women, Segun Gele is sure to remain king of his domain.