How would you describe yourself?
Adewale: I am Adewale Badmus, CEO of Sketch by Wale
Tell us about what you do exactly and how your business started.
Adewale: I own a clothing brand sketch by wale, which is a street wear brand just like Louis Vuitton, I’m not at that LV level yet but you get the idea. The company has been in existence for almost 6 years now. I started late 2017. Back then in school, I started university 2014, people loved what I wear and as a business minded person that I am, I thought to myself and said why not make profit from this. Then, ill buy the clothes and just resell them.
Where did your love for creating clothing come from?
Adewale: When you surround yourself with creative people, the motivation comes from within. I’ll say just being around people who dress well and look good inspired me.
Is Entrepreneurship a game to you? Is it just about the money or there’s something more?
Adewale: I wasn’t always the 9-5 type of person although I studied Banking and Finance in the university. I left home right after Uni in 2018 because my father was applying pressure on me join the stock exchange market. But my dream is different. Entrepreneurship is not just about the money to me. Owning a clothing brand represents you yourself. Its beyond just clothes and money. It’s a form of expressing both yourself and the designer. Everyone has their own preference. You can wear an Off-white sweater and one would know that yes, that’s Virgil right there. Everyone has their own preference.
Who is your target market?
Adewale: I’ll say the youth, but my target market is really anyone who is interested in my product and can afford to purchase it.
What marketing tactics do you use?
Adewale: I use influencers a lot, I’ll send my products to them so they would try them out before its launched. This is my way of building the hype before the product drops. I don’t believe in paid promotion, I have very nice things to offer, so why do I have to pay people to purchase them? I have worked with many Nigerian Influencers including Davido, Peruzzi, etc. You can head my Instagram page {Insert handle here} to check out more influencers I’ve worked with. In the case of Davido, I am in close contact with his cousin, he got some of my products at one point, loved them and linked me up with Davido. In summary, create good products and people will come to you.
How important is keeping contact with your customers?
Adewale: It is very important. I have a link whereby when a new customer logs in with their details, we save it and this way, we are able to reach out to them, keep them engaged, tell them about our new products, etc.
What difference did owning a website make to your business?
Adewale: People see your brand as high-end. It gives your business a more professional look.
Take us through the process of creating and selling your products.
Adewale: I design myself but I also have an assistant product designer Kotun. I have about 8 people on my team spread internationally. Teamwork is important in this business, doing it alone will drain you. I was doing it all alone up until 2021 when I realized I needed more hands if I’m going to take this company to the next level. At the moment, I have 2 people in Packaging and Logistics, 2 people in designing, sewing staff in Nigeria. I have my vendors in Turkey and Tokyo who supply the fabrics. I had to dig deep just to get the best quality of materials for my clients.
What tips/advice would you give to anyone who is trying to start up a brand?
Adewale: Start with whatever you have. You don’t have to wait until there is one huge amount of money or millions in your account before you proceed. In my case, I got a loan of 80,000 Naira from my mum when I started. I purchased some materials flipped them and sold the finished products. This continued overtime and here is where I am right now. I remember when I made my first 10 Million, I was overwhelmed, but ii believed there would be more millions to come.
What a remarkable man! We can’t wait to see what’s next for Adewale and SBW. We’re expecting great things. If you’d like to learn more about him, and his incredible work, ofollow him on Instagram , check out Sketch by Wale, and click the link below to explore the amazing work he and his team are doing with SBW
You can see more of Adewale Badmus and his work here
Personal IG : @theadewale
Business Page : @skecthbywale
