"No Money, Contacts": UK-Based Lady Quits Job, Moves Back to Nigeria to Start From Scratch
- A UK-based woman left her London job and moved to Nigeria with no money, contacts, or resources to build her streetwear brand
- She overcame challenges sourcing materials across Nigerian states and launched a 10-piece collection in weeks
- The woman returned to London to grow her brand while working exclusively with Nigerian artisans and vendors
Chimna, a UK-based woman, has shared her journey of quitting her London job and moving to Nigeria with no money, contacts, or resources to launch her own streetwear brand.
She shared a video detailing her experience, highlighting the lengths she went to source certain materials, traveling from state to state across Nigeria to find the perfect fabric.
Source: TikTok
Woman quits job, launches streetwear brand
She recounted her experience in detail, including the challenges she faced and the determination it took to succeed.
After the success of her business, Chimna returned to London to further boost her brand while she continued to work with Nigerian stylists, manufacturers, and creatives.
She shared her story on her TikTok page, @chimnalionn, capturing the moment her brand launched.
Chimna revealed that her parents were not supportive of her decision to quit her job in London. They were unhappy and viewed her choice negatively, but she remained confident in herself and pushed forward.
She stated:
"My parents would say I'm mad because I decided to quit my job and moved all the way back to Nigeria to start my street wear brand with no money, no resource, no contact. With only me and God."
Source: TikTok
She also shared that she had attempted to launch the brand years earlier, but issues with her manufacturers had prevented her from achieving her goal. This time, however, she recorded success.
She continued:
"My name is Chimna and I've always known what I wanted but I've never really considered so here I am. Two years ago I did try to build my street wear brand but it never launched and let's just say the manufacturers are to blame and not me so I decided to fly to Nigeria.
"That decision was the best decision I ever made. I left my comfort zone and challenged myself to work with new artists, tailors, and creators."
Chimna detailed her journey to source materials:
"I travelled to the market in Lagos and I couldn't find the fabrics so I left to Aba so thank God I'm an abandoned babe."
She also described her first collection:
"Then, I did something even crazier, I did a 10 piece collection in 3 weeks. I launched in Lagos and loved the reception I got from people and let me tell you, I'm already confident but that boosted my confidence to the sky."
She emphasised her commitment to promoting Nigerian-made products, saying:
"So we're going again, this time in London and this time, I'm working solely with my Nigerian artisans and vendors. I'm talking about the graphic design and manufacturers, fabric sources, the whole lot. It's not everyday 'made in Italy,' someday it's 'Made in Nigeria'."
Reactions as woman launches streetwear brand
@Bt2 noted:
"This is the Audacity I need in life!"
Empinoah wrote:
"A very bold step, I salute."
Michael Albert-Fowora stated:
"So this is what you’ve been cooking up!"
KAPRIO stressed:
"I had to hit follow on your page + clothing line page. This is a journey I need to watch."
Amara noted:
"Girl I remember watching you a few years ago, waiting for your launch day and the vendors kept disappointing. This is nice to see, Good luck girl!!!"
babyitsfiyin noted:
"Wait I wanna do thisss sm arghh love love this and praying for you it all goes amazing - you’ve got this!!"
Julia SENsupport4families explained:
"And you know what, I'd trust in your brand because your style is hottttt."
Chisssm stated:
"Don’t know you but I’m proud of you!!! Wishing you the absolute best."
Shannelle noted:
"You’re a boss babe and this is so inspiring. I’m going to naij in 3 weeks and want to create some samples of things I’ve created in my mind for years."
MactheknifeMacdaddy stated:
"Fantastic girl!!!! keep going babeso proud of you...I have been checking out Nack design ware while I'm in Naija."
Man resigns at US care job
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that a Nigerian man shared his first job experience after moving to the United States. He revealed that his initial assignment, a care job at a woman’s house, proved too challenging.
He ended up resigning on the first day and recounted the story in a TikTok video, reflecting on the difficulties he faced while starting out in a new country and the lessons he learned from the experience.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
