Olalekan Balogun is the dashing CEO of McCoy Clothings. He started fashion designing in the year 2000 and has been in the business for 19 years. McCoy is one of the leading male fashion brands in Nigeria.
Last week, City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE and reporter, ADEOLA FAGBIYE interviewed him at his Surulere office in Lagos. He spoke about how he started fashion designing, how it has been running the business, how he left GTB to pursue his passion, and also how McCoy Clothings caters for the needs of the male folk in Nigeria. He also spoke about the challenges he has faced in the business. Below are excerpts of the interview.
How has it been running McCoy Clothings?
It has not been by my Power, it’s by God’s Grace, and we thank God for life. It’s something I have passion for since I was a child. Though my father was the one who noticed that I had it in me. When I was in secondary school, SS1, my father decided that as a male child, I should learn a skill, and he said I should learn tailoring because as a child I was very conscious of my dressing. I loved to pick out my clothes. Initially I declined but my father was a disciplinarian and insisted that I should learn tailoring and coming from a polygamous family, I felt it wasn’t good enough, I also felt it would distract me from my studies, but my mum insisted that I obeyed my dad and initially when I started I didn’t like it but as time passed, I developed an interest in it and after a month or two I started sewing clothes together using needles and thread and my dad bought me my first sewing machine in 1996 for 3,000. Initially, it was my grandfather that saw it and informed my dad to buy it for me. When he got me the machine, I started doing a lot more than sewing with needle and thread.
Thereafter, I graduated from secondary school, I got admitted into Lagos State Polytechnic and I had learnt a couple of things, I started using the things I learnt to earn some money, so much that I didn’t ask my dad for upkeep and he knew that I was serious about the job so he encouraged me a lot. I used to work till late in the night then.
At some point, when I finished from Lagos State Polytechnic, I got admitted into Lagos State University and I got an appointment with Guarantee Trust Bank, and when I was getting the pay, I took a step back in tailoring but I was still doing it. Fast forward to 2006, I registered my company as “McCoy Exquisite Designs” but I discovered that people found it difficult to pronounce it, then I decided to change it to “McCoy Clothings”. It has been 13 years since I registered my company but I have been doing it since 2000 when I got the name. When I wanted to celebrate my birthday in August 2000, I decided that I needed a name for my brand because I was bearing Lekside Stitches before, which was coined from my name. I opened my dictionary because I wanted a name that would denote uniqueness, authenticity, so I choose a name that connotes what I do. I chose “McCoy” which means, Something Real, Original. In August 2000, I named my brand, “McCoy Exquisite Designs” which I later changed to “McCoy Clothings.
Fast forward to 2013, I was moved from Operations to Marketing at Guarantee Trust Bank. It was while in Marketing, my eyes opened. I was able to meet clients, interact with them which helped me build my confidence and it was hard for me working there and also running my shop in Mushin then. So, I thought about the fact that I had passion for this business and I had the resources at my disposal and a few clients as well, so I decided to channel the energy I was putting into someone else’s business into mine. So, I quit my bank job and I told my dad about it and he supported me. But at that time, my fear was the stereotype about tailors that they cannot be as successful but my dad encouraged me to be consistent, do my job well, that I would be successful. He gave me the courage, and he has always been my support system; both of my parents though but especially my dad. I lost him in 2014, he was sick and all through he was my support system, so I moved here and its been 5 years and to the glory of God, we’re grateful because the job has taken us places, even outside Nigeria.
How do you cater to the male clients that you have?
Well, thank God for the Internet. Before the internet, I was doing this though but social media has really helped me because, if I have a new design and I put it up online, people send me DM’s, e-mails. They call my number, even as far as Serbia, China people call me because most times I boost my posts, so people in other countries can see it and even people who aren’t following me can see the posts. Asides that, I have customers that I make clothes for that give me referrals, and people walk up to me, asking who my tailor is and I tell them I am the one, they will be surprised but in the end, they patronize us. So, referrals, internet, etc have really been working for me.
What did you study in school?
I studied Business Administration.
What were the challenges you faced during the course of growing your business?
Well, there will always be challenges because when you set a goal for yourself, you have to achieve it. The major challenges we face are, firstly, Funding. Nobody is ready to give you money. No family, no bank is ready to do that, so it has been challenging. Also, there is the issue of Electricity. We have 3 generators, I Mikano, and 2 other petrol generators. There is no stable power supply, the money spent on fuel would be channeled into savings or other things because the little profit we make is channeled into expanding and running the business. Delivery is also part of it but we have a partnership with DHL, they give us a discount when we need to deliver goods within and outside the country. So, those are the major challenges, no grants from the government but we thank God because the business is a very lucrative one, so we thank God.
How do you come up with new designs?
Uhm… I get inspired when I sleep, ……….(laughs)………..it is the truth though, when I read as well, I also pray to God to reveal future designs. When I see people as well, putting on other designs I look at how I can improve on such designs, I also get inspiration from other designers in the diaspora.
How do you see the changes in the evolution of male fashion?
As I said, everybody now wears Nigerian made and now, we have good designers who make nice things. 95 percent of what I wear is “McCoy” and other young fashion designers are doing well also. People are now interested in made in Nigeria goods.
