By Agatha Emeadi
Mariam Elisha is the creative director of ‘Rikaoto My Me,’ a luxury fashion brand. She carefully created the outfit for women, especially celebrities, to make them standout.
The African Magic Viewer’s Choice Award (AMVCA), which by the corner, is one of her busy moments.
Young, beautiful, intelligent and dashing, Maryam Elisha who is also the founder of Save Tomorrow Today, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that caters for street children, is not the core shy northern girl, but bold and smart in her fashion expression.
She is one of those who know their onions in bridal and red-carpet appealing outfits that can turn heads around.
She is a Christian Hausa lady from Kebbi State.
Maryam is also into Oil and Gas business.
You do not have that normal Hausa catchy look both in language and dressing?
Yes, most people think that I am an Igbo lady, some even mistake me for the Yoruba as well and people get surprised when I say I am from far North, Kebbi State. Sometimes, when I go to the market, people just speak Igbo to me and a few of the language I picked from friends, clients and school mates, I respond immediately. I am a Christian Hausa lady who worships with a Pentecostal church, but our parent-church back home is Evangelical Church for West Africa (ECWA).
How does your tradition affect your style and fashion sense?
I am a very liberal person. When you check my social media pages, it does not reflect where I come from. In spite of that, I am a lover and respecter of culture and tradition. In my works pages, I do what clients want me to do. But when I am home in the North, I dress like us, wear my hijab and long-sleeved dresses, cover my hair and all of that. But when I am here for business, I do the business woman dressing.
Take me through the journey of life even as you have become a big fashion designer?
I graduated from the University of Lagos where I studied English and Literary studies. Before I graduated, I had already become a low-key fashion designer, a model and beauty pageant queen. Within time, I took off to New Jersey Fashion school for two years and graduated to start off my fashion business.
How did fashion start for you. Was it an in-borne thing or just came from the blues?
I love fashion. But in my younger years, my mother used to own a sewing machine in the house. She also had a store where she sells fabrics and Aso-oke. With that sewing machine, when we had challenges with our outfit, she would say go and fix it yourself. So, gradually, I would fix my dolly’s outfit and my own. Growing up, I loved fashion and loved to look good. At some point when I went into pageantry and modelling; I wore a lot of beautiful designer dresses from other fashion designers. Once, I said to myself, this is actually something I can do and put my own touches to it. That was how I started.
What was the first outfit you made?
There was a certain wedding where the groom was a family friend. He specifically asked me to handle all the bridals. And I told him I am not a fashion designer yet. But then, I took up the challenge and went to my own fashion designer at that time and gave him the sketches of what I wanted, went to market, got fabrics, then monitored him back-to-back to give me exactly what I wanted. I was able and proud to have delivered that job. It was on record that I made the bride’s outfit, the bridal train and all of that. Then I told myself that I can actually do it professionally and make a living out of it because the compliment was good. Though, I did not take it so seriously then, until at some point in my life when my foundation ‘Save Tomorrow Today’, lacked funds for the programme that year; the saving grace was funds from fashion business. So, the combination of my foundation and love of fashion led me to take my job fashion business’ Rikaoto by me’ as a fulltime job.
How did you form your brand name ‘Rikaoto by me?’
My native name is Rikoto, then, Rikaoto by me, my brand name was coined from it.
Your stronghold is more on Red Carpet, why?
We do all kinds of outfit, but specialize in luxury bridals and red-carpet dresses. We also make luxury dresses for the children on their special day.
Most parents then wanted their children to be professionals like doctors, engineers, lawyers etc, how did they react to your being a fashion designer?
My dad actually wanted me to be a lawyer. I also wanted to be a lawyer myself, but did not get through with it; instead, University of Lagos offered me English, which I also love. My father was not in support of my being a fashion designer initially. He was very reluctant. He felt it was a low-class job which will not say well for my family and my reputation. Coming from my kind of family and going into fashion designing will not make sense. So, at some point, when he saw the magic, he came to terms with me being a fashion designer and we made up. Now, I do not think he is regretting my going into fashion designing mostly because my fashion brand has to do with my native name which also has to do with tribe, so somehow, it is connected to him. My dad is happy to hear that name. My mother is comfortable with it, she supports and advises on anything I do.
What was growing up like?
I am the last born in a family of seven, though two are no longer living. I was born in Kano. Growing up was fun and my dad, who was a retired police officer was always busy. Then he was working and busy travelling to different places. But when he is around, he would take us to Leventis, which is one of the luxury shopping places around then. He would buy us clothes and they would customize our names on the clothes and that was one of my high points, it was really special for me as a child. Again, I played a lot as a child and that was really fun.
Where would Rikaoto By Me be in the next 10 years?
In the next 10 years, Rikaoto would be a high-level fashion house known globally and internationally. At the moment, there are a lot of stores we supply in foreign countries. We have a lot of international clienteles which we will make public in time to come. So, we are working on that, and I believe very soon, we will be far better than where we are today.
Where do you source your fabrics from, locally or internationally?
We work with virtually all fabrics. Yes, we also source fabrics from local vendors that produce fabrics in different countries like Turkey, India, China etc.
Most business owners were thrown off balance because of the exchange rate, how have you managed yours since you are also into importation?
It has been a 50-50 thing. We have a lot of clients that shop abroad and when such currencies are converted, they are usually big in our local currency.
But then, looking at the fact that one needs to order expensive fabrics and go through distressing times in getting them out with the situation of the country which is really tough. So, we are happy that things are getting stable especially with the dollar that seems to be stabilizing. It really affected the coming-in orders. Customers really complained and one must explain importantly as well to keep the business going.
How did you manage COVID-19 period with your business?
During COVID-19, I was home. Sadly, I had COVID-19, but came out of it, though it was challenging. We were also locked until the period people were allowed to start operations.
Dealing with celebrities, how has they and society generally been treating you?
So far, it has been good. It is nice getting to meet different people every time, most importantly build relationship with them. It is just amazing. I love my job, love what I do and happy always to work on projects with celebrities and well-meaning people and end up becoming friends. I remember when I was in Houston for a programme, I met two people who approached me and said I made their outfits for a particular event. It was fun, loving and sisterhood and friendship.
What advice would you give to the younger fashion designers who want to own a brand like ‘Rikaoto By Me?’
It is good to be resilient and passionate about what one does. Any line of business one has chosen, the person must be determined, stand firm, keep pushing, don’t give up because there would be so many discouraging moments and times. When one looks at the situation in the country, there are so many things that look gloomy, but one day, somehow, that breakthrough would surely come. When I started my business, I never knew it will take me to a point where I could afford the luxury part of life that I have always wanted to have. If a common regular girl like me from Kebbi State could push and make it, how much more any other young girl out there. But for upcoming fashion designers, know what you are doing. You have to understand the concept of fashion designing, go through the basic training, every season brings out an idea. You have to be determined, push and make it work. Thank God for the era of the social media; do the work, post on social media and people would find you out unlike when we started without the social media.
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