I Love The Power That Clothes Give- Shamseeyah Abdulrahman Buhari

TMG spoke with Shamseeyah Abdulrahman Buhari, a fashion designer and CEO Ceeyahadore.

TMG> Tell us about yourself:

Shamseeyah> I come from Kontagora, Niger state, and graduated from Leadcity University Ibadan with a Bsc in Computer Science.

TMG> For how long did you nurse the idea of becoming a designer before it became a reality?

Shamseeyah> I love the power of clothing and the way it transforms when one dresses up. When I was about 7 years old, I remember dressing up for different events at school and I took pride in having the best outfit, or at least making the biggest effort. Later, as a student in university I would make my own clothes, (which fit me very badly) because I had no idea what I was doing. The experience made me realize the power that clothing has. Clothing is a language of its own.

TMG> What is your area of interest: designing or tailoring or both?

Shamseeyah> I am interested in both designing and clothing

TMG> Did you go to a fashion school to acquire the skills?

Shamseeyah> Yes, I studied fashion at a small institution called Vientriel. I learned how to design and make clothes, and became a fully capable hand by the time I finished there.

TMG> Who are your clients; men/women; old/young? Nigerians or Western?

Shamseeyah> I cater for women and young Nigerian ladies and very soon men and children

TMG> Which type of clothes do you find easier to market: ready to wear or bespoke/custom designed wears?

Shamseeyah> I find it very easy to market ready to wear

TMG> Tell us about the very first outfit you designed and sewed: was it for you? What were people’s comments and how did you feel?

Shamseeyah> The very first outfit I made wasn’t perfect at all, it was all stitched up but I loved it anyway because I made it myself. My friends thought I was cool and that really made me happy.

TMG>What inspires your designs?

Shamseeyah> I’m inspired by beautiful fabrics. When I see a fabric, from the texture and look, I could draw up ideas in my head, sketch them out on paper, make amendments if necessary, and a new design arrives! I have passion for fashion.

 

TMG> What do you do to stay educated about new trends?

Shamseeyah> I stay current by reading magazines, browsing the internet and I study the history of fashion to better understand its development and current tendencies.

TMG> What challenges do you encounter and how do you handle them?

Shamseeyah> There are many challenges that upcoming designers face like availability of fabrics, not enough funds, lack of business skills, distribution challenges, getting a good manufacturer and so on but we always find our way out of the challenges.

TMG> Tell us about your management style and how you handle your Customers?

Shamseeyah> It's not easy handling customers but we always try to make them as happy as possible.

TMG> Tell us about an accomplishment that you are most proud of in your career? 

Shamseeyah> I'm very proud of the very first collection that I launched.

TMG> Tell us what you consider to be your strengths?

Shamseeyah> I guess it is the ability to understand and visualize clients thoughts/ requirements. Including the ablility to analyze client's feedback.

TMG> Tell us something you would like to learn or improve upon?

Shamseeyah> I would like to learn to be more business minded in my career.

TMG> Who are your role models?

Shamseeyah> Well, my role model is Dina Tokio; I get inspired by her elegant mode of dressing

TMG> What do you say to other youths to encourage them?

Shamseeyah> Ive learned that as a fashion designer you depend on many, many people to make things happening so you need to assemble a great team of people to do things well. Everyday is a challenge- so you need a great design team, great seamstresses, good administrators. To be successful, you also have to know about money, public relations and management.

TMG> Do you have time to socialise and how?

Shamseeyah> I always try to create time for myself to socialize at the same time do my job