Princess Adebowale Odutola is a popular Lagos celebrity woman who is into the production & sale of luxury items, like bespoke handbags. She is the Creative Brand Director of TPS Luxury Ltd. She sells good designer bags that many celebrity ladies go for. She has come a long way and she is one celebrity woman who has stood the test of time.
She is a graduate of Political Science and Law. She has always been in private practice hence the incorporation of Goldie Inv Coy Ltd and specialised in Real Estate.
A proactive and calculative lady, she envisaged the eventual downturn in the Real Estate market and diversified into manufacturing of Bespoke Handcrafted Products which was how TPS LUXURY came into existence in 2014, with a vision to celebrate Made in Nigeria Products all over the globe.
April 17th, 2017, she won the BEST EMERGING FASHION BRAND AWARD organised by Bellafricana and endorsed by the NEPC (Nigeria Export Promotion Council), NACC (Nigeria American Chamber of Commerce) and the Nigeria-Britain Association. Shortly afterwards, that same year, on the 19th of November, she was awarded the President’s Recognition Award by the Fashion Designers Association (FADAN) in recognition of her exemplary service to the Association.
On the 22nd of October, 2018, she was awarded the Lead Grand Award for Excellence in the fashion industry within a short period of time. She has participated at various international Exhibitions, her products though locally made are internationally accepted. She is a woman with so much passion for Excellence, Elegance and Perfection. She loves travelling, sketching and enjoys cooking when she’s not working. A philanthropist per Excellence, she was awarded the Prestigious PAUL HARRIS FELLOW BY ROTARY INTERNATIONAL. She is the loving mother of her Children and an Entrepreneur.
In this interview she granted City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE she spoke about how she was born into luxury and how her luxurious upbringing shaped her lifestyle. Her products are bespoke, handmade and well-crafted with attention to details. They range from Handbags, Tote Bags, Shoulder Bags, Duffle bags, Cross body bags, clothes, Hobo Bags, Work Bags, Laptop Bags, Backs Packs, Wallets, Luggage on wheels, shoes mixed with leather & soft furnishing, with raw materials locally sourced from Mushin market and a production capacity of 400 luxury products annually. Below are excerpts of the interview.
You’ve always been very stylish in everything you do, especially in your taste for fashion. How did all of this evolve?
You see my taste for fashion and what I wear is reflected in my products, like th bags I make. Every product I make, I make sure is something I can carry, gracefully and elegantly. That alone, because of my fashion sense and my taste. That is why people say its luxurious. Yes, it is. I have a very high taste. That again has robbed off on my products.
As a celebrity woman, you have been consistent. What has been your staying power?
You have to know when to tone it down and went to make it high. When I was meant to be a society woman dancing infront of King Sunny Ade all the time, I was there. I partied and partied, even then I was working. But I found out that most of my money was going into an expensive lifestyle, of buying Aso Ebi all the time, and buying Jewelry. I had to slow down. Yes, I am still into the society scene, but not as visible as I used to be because my work takes a lot of my time. I design, I draw all my design, and I make sure that I also do the finishing.
Tell us about your growing up years? What in your growing up years prepare you for this?
You know my parents have always been in business. My father was a businessman, he was very wealthy he also taught us to multi-task. The entrepreneurial spirit in both my parents, rubbed off on me. Even when I was in school, I had my tailors who were making my clothes. It has always been there. We grew up to know that you make money, you spend money, live well, work hard.
Where was growing up for you?
Lagos. We grew up with a Mercedez Benz that took us to school, eating jollof rice on Sundays, Fan Ice, Ice cream, big dip. That was growing up. There was UTC, Kingsway, Leventis, all these departmental stores. I was born with a silver spoon. You are not one of those money miss road. We grew up into it. We grew up into luxury. We grew up into working hard. We grew up into being self-sufficient. So, blending at any point was never, at any point, a problem for me.
