After much deliberations on the applications received from various candidates, Adeike Ogunsade a graduate of Industrial Chemistry from Bowen University Osun state, Nigeria, emerges the winner of the Uphold Africa Fund. This sets Ogunsade as the first recipient of the fund, a sum of N100,000. The fund is set up as a way to assist young African entrepreneurs in their business and social entrepreneurship start-up. Ogunsade is the founder of Crowncare Couture, a fashion company located in Abeokuta, Ogun state Nigeria.
Ogunsade’s passion for fashion design goes way back from her childhood days. She says, “My primary school teacher identified my exceptional flare and gift for sewing and design at the early age of seven, while she taught me Needlework as one of the school subjects.” After some years, she spends her holidays at a local tailor’s workshop in order to gain more skills. She continues to self-train herself with books on fashion design and a sewing machine.
By 2010, Ogunsade decides to enroll in a fashion school and completed a 3-month intensive course on Womenswear Fashion Design. She got an award from the school as the best student of the year. She produces bespoke dresses, wedding dresses, casuals and ready-made female dresses (including corporate and native attires) with carefully selected fabrics and quality finishing.
After graduating from the university, Ogunsade decides to launch her own business. Currently, Ogunsade also runs a fashion school which she started in March 2016. Presently, the school boasts of an enrollment of 12 students. On being selected as the winner, Ogunsade says “Thank you so much, I’m so happy.” She intends to use the fund to, “Expand the capacity of the business arm to sewing and selling of quality Nigerian ready-made wears.This will be done by stocking/purchasing fabrics and sewing materials of both local and foreign standards to produce quality dresses.”
She also intends to use the fund in creating a website that will showcase quality dresses made from her workshop. This will in turn expand her contacts. Ogunsade also says, “I intend to train more youth that can take up fashion designing as a career. This will reduce unemployment.”
Finally, she plans to “re-invest the profit that will be made through the sales of dresses, sewing materials and sewing equipment in procuring new industrial machines and expansion for more quality dresses.”
Below are some of her designs.
