Bellafricana, Author at Bellafricana

Bellafricana published in Fashion, Gift Items, People & Culture December 3, 2019

The Ethnik by Tunde Owolabi UTU Bag Collection

Introducing the Ethnik by Tunde Owolabi UTU Bag Collection😍. UTU is a Swahili concept of humanity, goodness, sharing, caring and togetherness.

As human beings, we cannot live in isolation (“I am who I am because of who we are”- Ubuntu).

As Africans, we are all connected, by continent, race, skin, even our diversity.. UTU includes the entire humanity, if we are all good to each other, the world will be a better place. No one’s an island, we need each other to survive.

Over the years, Ethnik by Tunde Owolabi has been known to create its pieces from inspiration with different cultures. After 2 years of research and intrigue by the MAASAI Culture, they have created one of a kind pieces which has brought together an intricate part of the MAASAI culture and the YORUBA culture.

The women worked with their designs and made them extra special with their expertise. Together, they created beautiful timeless pieces, THE UTU COLLECTION.

To GRAB YOURS now before it’s SOLD out, click here

See some of the beautiful collections below;

To GRAB YOURS now before it’s SOLD out, click here

Bellafricana published in Fashion November 25, 2019

Meet The Founder Of Detail Africa (Exclusive Interview)

Detail Africa is the newest addition to the Bellafricana Verified Family, and I am very excited to be introducing this amazing brand to you. Keep reading to meet the Founder, Seromume Ikogho, as he speaks with Jessica of Bellafricana.

Please introduce yourself and your background.

My mane is Seromume Ikogho. I studied accounting at Covenant University. I am a chartered accountant and business consultant, with over three years’ business consulting experience serving small and medium businesses as well as multinationals.

Tell us about your work. How did Detail Africa start?

I observed the unpopularity of men carrying proper leather work bags when I got a personal work bag from Dubai about three years ago. It made me think that there was a gap in the market for the product, so I went around to the market and noticed that quality men’s leather bags were either great quality but too expensive or low quality and affordable.

I wanted to bridge this gap and put Africa on the global scale in terms of fashion, especially regarding men’s leather bags and other leather accessories. Since commencement of production in 2017, we have increased our product lines from work and travel bags to include wallets, pouches, portfolios and other leather accessories.

How did you come about the name and what does it mean?

I have always been very particular about attention to detail. It’s a guiding principle I follow in all my work. I wanted to build a brand that would be an extension of my personality, hence I came up with the name ‘Detail’.

Furthermore, I have always seen Africa as my primary market and not Nigeria. So, I decided to include that in the brand name to remind us of our ideals, embrace diversity and inclusion, and drive us to conquer the continent.

What is your niche and how did you know it was a market to get into?

Our niche is men’s leather bags. As mentioned earlier, I observed the unpopularity of men carrying proper leather work bags when I got a personal work bag from Dubai about three years ago. It made me think that there was a gap in the market for the product, so I went around to the market and noticed that quality men’s leather bags were either great quality but too expensive or low quality and affordable. I wanted to bridge this gap and put Africa on the global scale in terms of fashion, especially regarding men’s leather bags and other leather accessories.

Where do you get the inspiration for your products?

I constantly try to understand the lifestyle of our target market. I take time to talk to people in order to know what they need in a bag and what inspires them. I’m also a big fan of western brands such as Carl Friedrik and Frank Clegg.

Can you remember one of the first products you made? What makes it memorable?

Yes, I remember the first product we made. It was the Naju briefcase. It is memorable because it was named after my dad. He constantly encourages and inspires me to do better and be better.

What are some of the challenges you face in your business?

The journey has been exciting and depressing at the same time. Everyday has been a new opportunity to learn and improve. Entrepreneurship is difficult but entrepreneurship in Nigeria is even more difficult because of the infrastructural deficit. It is a herculean task trying to maintain great brand reputation when the surrounding environment is not an enabling one and many artisans are on survival mode. However, we have been able to learn on the job and come out on top.

Do you have any regrets venturing into this line of business?

Not at all.

What is your most popular product?

Our Detail Signature Bag.

To what extent do you draw upon your Nigerian (African) heritage for your work?

We promote Africa through our ideals and branding and also have plans to release a new collection before summer 2020 where we will infuse a lot of African designs, prints and accessories.

What are some of your short term and long term goals, both in your business and life in general?

Our medium term vision is to establish presence in at least four countries in Africa, as well as three countries outside Africa, and also, invest in backward integration/leather tanning by 2025. Our long term vision is to significantly change the narrative surrounding the Nigeria leather industry and its value chain on a continental and global level.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I used to rap in university lol

What profession would you be in if you weren’t in this Industry?

Management consulting

If you could give one piece of advice to anyone who wants to start their own business in your industry, what would it be?

Don’t start ‘small’, start ‘lean’

And finally, please share images of some of your work and tell us a little about each product.

The Tourman Travel bag: Simple yet stylish, the tourman is designed for a casual getaway or a business trip. Featuring a detachable strap, single main compartment and extra frontal compartment for smaller items.

The backpack: Designed for the contemporary professional, the backpack perfectly fits a laptop up to 14inches, especially for the individuals that don’t like to carry a typical business bag.

The Fome Briefcase: As people of diversity and inclusion, the female briefcase is our pioneer product that seeks to support the contemporary woman in her journey towards greater success.

And that is it from here, for more details about the brand, check out their listing page here.

Picture sourced from: Bags and Briefcases Archives | Detail Africa

Bellafricana published in Articles November 22, 2019

Aliko Dangote Shares His Top 10 Secret To Success

Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian billionaire, who owns the Dangote Group, his company operates in Nigeria and other African countries. As of January 2015, he had an estimated net worth of US$18.6 billion.

On this blog post, you get to learn some of his top 10 secrets as compiled by Evans Carmicheal. Keep reading to learn;

1. Listen to people; Aliko Dangote said, “to be a good leader, you have to be a good listener. I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets [sugar boxes] and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time and people saw it too.”

2. Be consistent; The Dangote Group was established as a small trading firm in 1977. Today, it is a multi-trillion naira conglomerate. Every business has a hiccups but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t succeed.

3. Possess the right informations; You need to have adequate information at your finger tips to make the right decisions. The Dangote Group has moved from being a trading company to being the largest industrial group in Nigeria and includes: Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Cement, and Dangote Flour because of information.

4. Be focused; Dangote Group with its dominance in the sugar market and refinery business is the main supplier (70% of the market) to the country’s soft drinks companies, breweries and confectioners has remained consistency and focused.

5. Think ahead; Never stay comfortable, stay ahead. Dangote Sugar Refinery is the largest refinery in Africa and the third largest in the world, producing 800,000 tonnes of sugar annually.

6. Have a vision; You need to have a vision and a mission to be able to actualize what’s in your mind.

7. Do only things you understand; He has diversified into telecommunications, and has started building 14,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables to supply the whole of Nigeria. As a result, he was honoured in January 2009 as the leading provider of employment in the Nigerian construction industry.

8. Think Big; Dangote was awarded Nigeria’s second highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger. It’s never too late to reach for the top.

9. Form strategic plans; In May 2015 Dangote expressed interest in purchasing the English football team Arsenal. He stated that if he was able to make the purchase he would fire the club’s long-standing manager Arsene Wenger.

10. Your name is your most valuable asset; He’s ranked by Forbes magazine as the 67th richest person in the world, and the richest in Africa.

And that’s it for this blog post, I hope you enjoyed reading this.

Bellafricana published in Articles November 21, 2019

The Rise Of Adire For Fashion Lovers

Fashion lovers in Nigeria are definitely not new to Adire but if you have never heard of the fabric from Nigeria, you have been missing out on all the colorful items you could have in your wardrobe. To help you a better understanding of this, here is some history;

Adire, is a Yoruba (a tribe in Southwestern Nigeria) word for tie and dye. It was first made by Yoruba women of old by using a variety of resist-dyeing techniques.As the translation of the name suggests, the earliest pieces of Adire were probably simple tied designs on cotton cloth handspun and woven locally.

I remember seeing a movie called “Odùduwà“, where the first wife of Oduduwa thought women how to tie and dye clothes. The ideology according to that movie’s story line was that before tie and dye textile came, clothes were only available in white colours. Continue reading here

Now we all are on the same page, let’s talk about the rise in the growth of adire. Gone are the days when there were limited styles for adire, now, you can you can use it for any style in mind. Check out some below;

With these latest styles, tell me who wouldn’t want to rock a piece?

Also, it’s easier to get now. With vendors such as Asologe, Sisi Aladire and more, you can easily place a call to get any of these. Click on pictures to shop any.

With fabric styles like this, do you still wonder why adire fabric is growing in the fashion sphere? Join the train today and shop some adire fabrics from bellafricana marketplace.

Bellafricana published in Articles November 20, 2019

Taraji P. Henson Shares Top Rules For Success In 2019

Taraji P. Henson is not new to most as she is a well known Hollywood actress and has featured in some of our best movies, which Includes Empire, where she plays the role of Cookie Lyon.

This Hollywood favorite, who has gone on to become a big name in the industry winning numerous awards. In 2016, Time named Taraji P. Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. She has also executive produced some of her projects such as her 2014 film No Good Deed.

The beautiful thing about Taraji P. Henson is her journey to success isn’t a smooth one but rather an inspiring one. On this post, we get to learn some of her secrets to success as complied by Evans Carmichael.

Take Risks; Taraji P.Henson says, don’t be afraid to take risks. You only have one life to live and the best way to live a fulfilled life is to go outside of your comfort zone, try things, find those that work and leave behind, this way, you don’t regret anything.
Go For It; You have something on you mind? You don’t know where it will lead but you can’t stop thinking about it? Go for it! What’s the worst that would happen? Life really does go on after all?
Overcome Your Ego; The greatest enemy to your success is your ego. Taraji advises to never let ego get in the way of taking corrections and getting help when you need it.
Ignore Your Fear; First, remember that everyone deals with fear, even with the greatest person you know. So look beyond your fears because they will always be there and just do what you need to do.
Focus On Your Passion; Search within you for what makes you happy, what drives you, discover these things, and focus on it.
Be A Fighter; No one said the road to success would be easy, but it would be worth it. In other to achieve success, you should be ready to fight your way through.
Take Control Of Your Life; Remember, it’s your life, your decisions to make. So, take control on your life decision.
Embrace Your Challenges; Again, challenges are part of the journey, so embrace it. Don’t try to neglect them, accept them, work on them and get better.
Surround Yourself With Good Energy; No one achieves anything without the help of others. Ensure to have yourself surrounded with people who care and support you.
Chase Your Dreams; Your dreams are valid! Regardless of what they are, if you can conceive it in your mind, you can achieve it, so go for it.

So many amazing things to learn from Taraji P. Henson, but this is where we draw the curtain. I do hope that you learnt and enjoyed reading this.

Bellafricana published in Articles, Uncategorized November 20, 2019

Personalized Gifts For Christmas In 2019

It is no longer news that with Christmas comes more food, drinks, and loads of gifts. Gifts from mum, dad, sister, brother, and lots of other loved ones will be flying in the air but the gifts that will definitely stand out are those personalized gifts.

There is something about personalized gifts that makes it so special and close to the heart. I mean, imagine getting a plain shirt versus getting a shirt with your name or picture inscribed on it, which would you never want to lose? Yeah, yeah, you love the two but one calls you more because it is personalized.

Hence, on this post, I will be sharing with you some really cool personalized gift ideas for friends and family this season. You don’t want to miss it, so keep reading to see;

Personalized Throw Pillows;

Did you know you can get a throw pillow with the name or picture of your loved one on it? If you didn’t know, lucky you, now you know. If you knew already, have given this out as a Christmas gift? If you haven’t, this is me telling you that you should consider it and wow friends and family in this season of love.

Throw Pillow From Pillow Talk Naija

Call: +2348181890113

Personalized Christmas Card;

Gone are the are the days when you needed to walk up to a store searching for a card with special words or picture for your loved one. Now, you can simply have your card designed and personalized for you. Isn’t that amazing?

Customized Card From Not Just Pulp

WhatApp: +2348177322184

Personalized Shirt; If you watch football, you must have noticed that behind every jersey of a player, they have their names written behind. For this Christmas, you can have the names of your loved one behind and present to them as a gift. You can bet they would be so excited. Keep reading to see a picture below;

Customized Tshirt From Mmabon

Call: 0803 724 7378

Personalized Tote Bags; Tote bags are slowly becoming a fashion statement and you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to rock this with loved ones. So, get a personalized bag for yourself and a friend this Christmas.

Hand Printed Tote Bag From Mimiremi Textiles

Call: 08034898474

I do hope that with this, you have a better understanding of what to get family members for Christmas.

Bellafricana published in Articles November 16, 2019

Jeff Bezos’ Top 10 Rules To Success in 2019

If you don’t know Jeff Bezos, then you have been living under the rock especially if you are an entrepreneur. Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, a human spaceflight startup company. He was named the “richest man in modern history” after his net worth increased to US$150 billion.

If you didn’t get any other thing, you must have gotten the part that he is the founder of Amazon, a business he has run for years and on this post I bring his top 10 rules for success as complied by Evan Carmichael;

Be Willing To Be Misunderstood; Not everyone is going to understand the choices you make or take as you strive for success and that’s OK because the vision and ideas are yours to nurture and grow.
Don’t Be Afraid To Fail; As you strive for success, have it at the back of your mind that failure will come at a point. But never let that stop you, rather see it as a learning curve and take the lessons and move.
Be Resourceful; You must have the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties in life. Quite waiting for a savior as you are your own hero, find a way to make your dreams a reality.
Earn Trust; Let people know you for your word, let your no be no and your yes be yes, those words will stand for you in place of adversities and obstacles.
Persevere; Continue in whatever dream you have decided on even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success.
Get In Touch With Your Passion; The journey to success is not the smoothest, it would be rough and sometimes frustrating but the moment you align with your passion, it will be easier.
Build Work Life Harmony; You can’t work all your life, you need to learn to take a break and relax and enjoy your hard work too. Create a balance
Find Supportive People; Find a tribe of people who would support and encourage you and do the same for them.
Do What Works For You; Never try to copy the ways of another man, you could fall while trying. Do you!
Have A Bigger Vision; Don’t be scared be dream, dream big as big as the ocean.

Jeff Bezos is full of such wisdom to help everyone navigate success easier, sincerely, we can’t take it all in a day, so for this post we stop here. I hope you learnt something new.

Bellafricana published in Fashion November 14, 2019

Complement Your Outfit With These Adorable Bags From Morin O

Every woman I know loves to look good and I am sure you do too and even as a man, you want the women in your life to look good. Which is why today, I bring you some bags from Morin O that are sure to complement your outfit. Regardless of the event, there is a bag for you. Still don’t believe? Keep reading to see what I am talking about.

Are you going for;

An official event/meeting?

Imagine stepping into your next board room meeting with a bag from Morin O, everyone would be staring in admiration.

Outing With Friends;

When having a drink or catching up with friends, there is always a need to be comfortable, simple yet classy. You can achieve this effortlessly with a bag from Morin O.

Dinner Date;

There are those days when it a dinner date with friend, family or with the special one, you definitely want to look your best. On those days, Morin O bag is a must have.

Vacation/Stay-cation;

Are you looking to have some fun in a quiet island? You probably don’t want any thing big or disturbing, just an easy breezy bag. I understand that need and I only know what would serve that purpose. See the picture below and tell me if you don’t allow agree.

After all these mentioned above, I already feel like you should have the bag you are searching for. But so I am not making a mistake and you still haven’t found what you are looking for, below are more bags from Morin O;

At this point, I feel like you don’t have any other reason not to have seen a bag to buy today.

To get your Morin O bags;

Visit store Address: Shop F23, First Floor, Centro Mall, Block 69 Plot 15 Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos

Call: +234(0)8033043822

Email: [email protected]

Bellafricana published in Articles November 13, 2019

Bellafricana partners with Nest Cooperative to launch a Fund to Scale for Creative MSMEs in Nigeria

What was once a DREAM at Bellafricana to have a financial partner has now become a REALITY. Signed, sealed and partnered.

As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria and Business Day Nigeria; Bellafricana partners with Nest Cooperative to launch a Fund to Scale for Creative MSMEs in Nigeria.

Creative indigenous businesses lack the required skills and support to grow a sustainable business that can compete globally and this is what the Bellafricana platform for creative businesses is providing.

Bellafricana is an organised community which provides the much needed support and creates an enabling environment for the world to connect and trade online with reliable and credible creative Indigenous Businesses, anytime, anywhere.

To further this goal, they have identified the similar interest in MSMEs with the Nest Cooperative and are partnering with them to drive it home via their Investment fund bouquet.

Nest Cooperative through Finn Labs Ltd is a registered Cooperative focused on developing and enabling mostly SMEs to be better business corporations in Nigeria through the facilitation of smarter and improved financial systems to include savings, investments and loans.

During the signing of the agreement, Bukky Asehinde, CEO of Bellafricana said that “This initiative is a necessity at this point and especially with the African Trade Agreement; as a lot of Micro, Small and Medium Businesses need this support to enable them scale effectively to be able to participate in this global trade opportunity.”

“As we believe that businesses producing quality products Made-in-Nigeria play a key role towards increasing our export income as well as taxable income for the economy. Seeing how the Nest Cooperative have a proven track record of providing financial expertise with a focus towards SMEs in Nigeria; we couldn’t think of any reasons why not to partner with them.”

Through the Bellafricana platform, various business categories have been vetted, trained and guided through the different business management facets and many of them are currently registered and listed with Bellafricana as verified Nigerian businesses. These categories include Food and Beverage, Fashion, Arts & Crafts, Home and living, Health & Beauty to name a few.

Other partners already signed up with the community are the Lagos Chamber of commerce and industry, the Nigeria-American Chamber of commerce, National Export Promotion Council, DHL, Digital Marketing Skill Institute and so many others.

Mr Seyi Olusanya, COO of Nest Bank, said;

“It is quite impressive to see the amount of quality products with attention to details that are being made by members of the Bellafricana community and this becomes a great encouragement to ensure that the support they need to succeed is being provided and that is why NEST has extended their unwavering commitment to supporting SMEs and ensuring their growth through funding and advisory services.

The Made in Nigeria Creative business is set to gain easier access to financial support via new Bellafricana-Nest partnership which should also drive socio-economic factors like unemployment a bit lower than currently is in the Nigerian sphere.

The Alliance of the two business entities provides the opportunity for more creative businesses to leverage the partnership for mutual benefits.

Some of the Nest Cooperative services the Bellafricana community members will benefit from include a financial model analysis where they advise the SME owners on the smarter ways to position their business to generate more revenue through trade and equipment financing as has identified as the crux of their needs.

The management teams of both companies have specialized skills ranging across understanding the best practices to raising funding for production, material sourcing, branding and packaging. All of which are what these SMEs need to be well on their way to being better positioned amongst the first batch of Made in Nigeria goods to be eligible for the AfCTA and trade globalization.

Mrs Bukky Asehinde also reiterated the fact that whilst her focus has been on ensuring that the creative businesses she openly promotes via the Bellafricana platform are verified, a number of the unverified businesses are yet to get to this stage because of imminent gaps in their business operations that prevent them from scaling that milestone achievement. She is hopeful that with the new partnership that more of this category can also get verified and scale their businesses via avenues to include partnerships, collaborations and service rendering offers from even within the NEST SME community.

Who knows if the next global brand will emerge from amongst any of these small businesses? Time will tell.

Bellafricana published in Life Style November 7, 2019

Nollywood Movies That Made It To Netflix This Year 2019

Bellafricana is focused on promoting creative indigenous businesses in Nigeria, so it is no news that today we are celebrating Nollywood movies that made it to Netflix. Why is that a big deal you would ask, well prior to this time, African movies were rarely featured on Netflix.

So when Netflix announced this year to start including more of African content, it was a big win for African countries like Nigeria and so far over 10 Nigerian movies have been included. Isn’t that amazing? Well, I think it is and worth celebrate.

Allow me to tell you about some of these movies;

1. Up North;

This movie directed by Tope Oshin in 2018 features Rahama Sadau, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Adesuwa Etomi Wellington, Banky Wellington, Hilda Dokubo, Michelle Dede, Akin Lewis and Ibrahim Onimisi Suleiman. This story shot in the Northern and Western part of Nigeria, Bauchi and Lagos states respectively follows the story of a rebellious heir from a wealthy family is sent to Northern Nigeria for his national service.

2. New Money;

In this movie, we watch on as a young girl suddenly go from being a shop girl to a billionaire after her father leaves her with his empire. New Money is a 2018 Nigerian film directed by Tope Oshin with production by Inkblot Productions and FilmOne. The movie released in March 2018, stars Jemima Osunde, Kate Henshaw, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Dakore Akande, Wale Ojo and Falz d Bahd Guy.

3. Moms At War;

Moms at War is a 2018 Nigerian comedy drama movie directed by Omoni Oboli. It tells a story of two mothers who compete against themselves in other to ensure success in the lives of their children. They want their kids to come out top in a particular a scholarship competition. Omoni Oboli says she was inspired to star and direct in the movie because of her own childhood experiences. It stars Funke Akindele and Michelle Dede.

4. 93 Days;

This is the story of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria that infected millions of people and its successful containment by health workers from a Lagos hospital. 93 Days is a 2016 Nigerian drama thriller film directed and co-produced by Steve Gukas. It stars Bimbo Akintola, Danny Glover and Bimbo Manuel with joint-production through Native FilmWorks, Michel Angelo Production and Bolanle Austen-Peters Production.

5. Tatu;

In this, a mother gives birth to a child destined to give her life up for her people on her 21st birthday. Things get interesting when the mother tries to avert this. The cast includes Segun Arinze, Desmond Elliot, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Rahama Sadau, Sambasa Nzeribe, Gabriel Afolayan, Hafiz Oyetoro and Frank Donga.

6. Chief Daddy;

Chief Daddy is a Nigerian feature film directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, written by Bode Asiyanbi and produced by Mosunmola Abudu and Temidayo Abudu, was released in December 2018. It starred popular Nollywood actors and actresses Funke Akindele Bello, Kate Henshaw, Nkem Owoh, Joke Silva, Patience Ozokwor, Richard Mofe Damijo and Racheal Oniga. Chief Daddy is about a billionaire industrialist, Chief Beecroft who dies and lifes the family stranded.

And so, these are some Nollywood movies that made it to Netflix and we are so proud. Tell me which of these movies I left out and which you have watched in the comment session. I hope you check them out soon.

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