One of the fundamental functions of a business is to attract and retain customers. If executed and done well, the reward of repeat customers that ultimately bring profit is what a business receives, beyond the strong brand equity and goodwill it builds in its community.
In Nigeria’s saturated bridal/wedding market where a wedding holds every week and there are so many choices for a happy bride to choose from, a fashion business/designer must necessarily stand out to attract and retain customers. From the design to presentation and the marketing and promotions, everything has to say, “you really should make me your preferred choice and curtail the cumbersomeness and uncertainty of purchasing designer wedding dresses abroad, because you can easily get the same quality and style from me without all that fuss.”
For Spring/Summer 2013, we believe Mai Atafo successfully showed he is that go to designer for the modern bride in Nigeria. Atafo showcased a bridal collection that was well tailored, sweet, playful, and embodied the kind of joyful emotions we think a bride would want to feel on her special day. We liked the sheer panel and strapless wedding dresses. We liked that he lined some of his wedding dresses with pink and floral fabrics, allowing for a glimpse of such lining at on the hemlines of his wedding gowns. We also loved that he referenced, with his hats, the glamorous 1950s era, a time where the world was recuperating from the second World War and American women and their corresponding Western counterparts, some who resided in Nigeria during the British reign, wanted to be pretty. It was a time when women reasserted their femininity and sexuality.
We think Mai Atafo accomplished the basic fundamental function of a business, attract and retain customers, no small feat in Nigeria’s bridal market with sophisticated brides who are exposed to a wide variety of choices.
Check out some images from the collection courtesy Kola Oshalusi/Insignaonline.com.
-Uduak Oduok
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
