On Becoming Titi Macaulay

My Name is Titi Macaulay and I am a fashion designer Image source: Titi Macaulay
These past few weeks have been trying. This one of the reasons I have been off Steemit. It's been production month, my very first products will be released and sold.

In June 2017, I started my namesake women's wear brand Titi Macaulay. I was going to start as a ready to wear brand but I had nothing: no money to sponsor such feat, no workspace, no effective equipments, not even the right platform to reach the people I wanted to reach. So, that month, I started with my blackhead singer machine at the back Verandah of my aunt's house. It was a really tight space that was always covered in dust from the construction going on close by. I collected people's clothes and made their desired styles. Shortly, some of my clients began to trust me enough to create something for them from my head. All these time, I was the creative director, tailor, innovator, customer service, PRO, fabric shopper, accountant, etc of my brand. And at the same time, I was a nanny, everybody's back up plan in my aunt's house.

This went on till August when I introduced my first already made outfit. The Nissa jumpsuit. Image source: Titi Macaulay
I did it to test people's response. No serious publicity was done and not much sales but that action opened some doors. Image source: Titi Macaulay

Few weeks later, I was approached by a man, a fashion marketer, to make outfits with Ankara fabrics that he could sell for me at a foreign fashion show. Eagerly, I took the deal, emptied my brand account, even burrowed cash from friends so I could complete production, make my labels and my invoices. Two weeks later, the outfits were ready and packed for shipping but this man disappeared. I could not say anything to anyone, I cried. When I had cried enough, I sat up and said, Titi! These outfits have to go. They have to be sold no matter what! I had to pay back money to people and I had to recover the cash invested in production.

The inexperienced me shortly came up with an event. An Ankara sales event. Image source: Titi Macaulay
I put up ad for vendors that would like to collaborate and in two weeks, I got a venue and about five vendors who were ready to participate. This was huge because I had no contact, I soon began to wonder why I did this. I was so sure it was not going to work out but it was to late to go back.

On the 8th of September, 2017, the day of the event finally came. The woman who rented out the venue to me breached our agreement and was demanding for more money and many more things happened. I just felt like I was definitely cursed. It was a two-day sales event on a Friday and Saturday. On the first day, it rained heavily and no one came. I did not sell a thing, neither did the vendors. I got home and I cried. I had spent money trying to get a place and tents and every other rentals. The second day was better.
Image source: Titi Macaulay
I did not sell much but I sold enough to pay my debts. Holding that event drowned my fears of taking my business to the next phase. New and profitable relationships were birthed as a result of the event, the brand name was all in the air, plus feed back. The Ankara weekend sales served as an opportunity for me to test my ready-to-wear market. Right after the event, I made a decision to restructure my business and finally grow into what I actually want it to be. And now, we are finally making a transition from bespoke tailoring into producing print outfits that echoes the African heritage.

Stay tuned and I'll fill you up on how I developed my collection. From idea, sketches to finished products. Like, drop your comments or questions and you can trust me to reply them all. Thanks for stopping by. Love you all!

Do not ever let anyone tell you can not do anything. Do not even let yourself say that. You can be anything that you want to be