Mrs. Jumoke Oyeneyin is one of the Lagos celebrity babes who love to look glamorous and stunning at events. She knows how to stand out at any event and her styles are distinct.
This was why many society women of style and panache were so happy when she declared her luxury fabric store Jummhy Exclusive Laces, opened a few days ago.
The luxury shop, which is situated in Victoria Island, Lagos was not only a beehive of activity, but a call point for many rich celebrity women of style who have always admired her style. And they came to honour her.
City People’s Assistant Society Editor, ABIOLA ORISILE, had an exclusive interview with her where she spoke about her fabric business, how she became a fabric collector 20 years ago, her fashion and style, why celebrities love to wear HOH, plus what has sustained her marriage in the past 20 years. Below are excerpts of the interview.
How did you get the name Jummhy Exclusive?
It is a name that has been in existence for over 18 to 20 years. Anyone, who emails me, knows that it is my emails “Jummhy by Exclusive Laces and it has been like that for over 20 years.
Does that mean you have been running your Lace shop for over 20 years?
Yes, I have been selling fabrics for over 20 years, but it is unknown to a lot of people. So, this is just an official opening.
You have rare collections of fabrics, how do you source the luxury fabrics?
Maybe, it is because I source all the fabrics myself. So sourcing to sell is nothing to me. In fact, that is how I started selling fabrics. This is because when I source myself, I know it looks beautiful, I could sell and because most exclusive fabrics are limited in the collection, so sometimes, the lace fabrics are just in 1, 2 pieces or maximum of 4. Sometimes because I know this rule and know the terrain, I am at advantage.
So, when I see fabrics that are just for 2 persons, I am like why not buy the second one. I ended up having an extra one or 2 here and there. If people then tell me this is nice, I tell them I have it to sell. So, it has always been a passion, I am passion-driven.
You sell Strictly Luxury fabrics. How affordable is Jummhy Exclusive lace?
Well, that is a million naira question and I don’t really know how to answer it. Every woman wants to stand out and be stylish and you know how we women behave sometimes. You want to go to parties and you don’t want the next woman to know what you want to wear and before you can achieve that, it means it has to be something that is not common or everywhere, so that brings about the luxury part of it. Luxury is all about exclusiveness. It has to be exclusive to be luxury.
They both go hand in hand and before it could be exclusive, it must be a little bit pricey. So, it all works together.
What stands Jummhy Exclusive out from other fabric merchants?
What stands us out is that what it is available in our store may not be found in other fabric stores, expecially our fabrics. Some of our lace fabrics that are on sale in other store, we still strive to make sure that they don’t have the same designs as ours.
For our fabrics that are luxury, they are carefully selected so you won’t see them elsewhere. Of course, you don’t have to break a bank to rock Jummhy Exclusive Lace. It is the exclusiveness that we have that is going for us.
Let’s talk about HOH which has been in existence for decades. Why the craving for HOH now?
Well, HOH has been in existence for years. It is not new. It is a Swiss collection of lace and that is where the best lace comes from. So, when you talk about women fabric brand in Switzerland, the best brand is HOH. It is also luxury. It also has a kind of tradition. Of course, there are other brands in Switzerland for women like “Piar”, HKG and all but, at the end of the day, there is that luxury brand called HOH, which is a luxury.
So because everybody wants to stand out, there is this crave for HOH. I have always known HOH when I was a kid and after the advert of Korea and China, HOH sales went down, but social media has helped the brand again, so every celeb who wants to look different would buy HOH. It is best Swiss lace.
Do you sell men lace too?
Yes, we have Swiss lace for men. We have filtex, which is one of the best luxury fabrics for men. We have piar, getzner too.
Do you stock bridal line too?
Yes we do. We have special occasion too.
What is that fabric that only Jummhy Exclusive sells that I won’t get elsewhere?
It is our Bridal collection that you won’t get at any other store. Even our french laces too. They are all exclusive fabrics, which don’t come in 2 pairs. They are Timeless. Even we can’t re-order them. They are all exclusive. So, they are 1-piece, 2-piece and when it is gone, it is gone.
Does that mean any of your exclusive range can’t be got even with a million dollars?
Yes, you can’t get it even if we place Special order, it may not come out the exact way it was earlier produced. Most of these exclusive fabrics are handmade.
You are so stylish. What does Style mean to Mrs. Jumoke Oyeneyin?
I will say Style is inbuilt. It doesn’t have to do with what you wear. It is about everything you do. If you have to do it, it must be distinct. Fashion and style or a style in fashion is one part of just being stylish. Some people are so stylish that whatever they do, they put an element of style in it. So, style is about yourself. It doesn’t end or start with fashion.
Style doesn’t start or end with fashion that brings me to the fact that you sell gold, do you intend to bring that to Jummyhy exclusive lace?
I am a very consistent person and I am so consistently consistent. Whatever I am doing now may just be in the know, but I have been doing this for years. So, fabric is something I have been doing for 20 years and jewellery will not change either.
How do you juggle the role of a mother, a wife and now a fabric shop owner?
I have always prioritised my life. It was one thing at a time. Initially, it was taking care of the child, but they are all grown up now. Then, I was doing business from home. Our kids can take care of themselves now, so there is no problem with handling the home front.
What is your advice to young celeb babes who crave for luxury life?
Well, you have to understand the fact that sometimes 2+2 is not equal to 4. There are exceptional cases. So, it might give you less than 4. They should know that in life, you may have plan A, please have plan B. Be focused and work hard. Life is not rosy. Be prayerful and learn to be humble.
Humility goes a long way. And to crown it all, the craving for having everything may not work all the time. I had friends back then who would look at me and said, they couldn’t stay at home like me. They couldn’t stay with the kids in London. But now, it is a phase, I have gone through that and this is another phase.
There is no rush in life. When people ask me why it took me this long to open a shop, I told them, that is how God wants it. I have taken my step one at a time. My home front is very stable. Nothing would suffer for another. I enjoyed understanding in my marriage and it makes life sweeter.
What is the secret of a successful marriage?
Prayer is the first thing. You must be prayerful. You must also make sure you are a friend with your husband.
What if he is not friendly?
If he is not friendly, you wouldn’t have married him in the first instance. You must be able to talk and gist with your husband. You courted, it is of no use marrying someone who is not your friend. You must be able to gist everyday like 2 love birds. Of course, men will be men, give them their respect and a little space. When it is necessary. Don’t be too noisy. Accept everybody and be tolerant.
What has brought you this far?
The grace of God. I am not the best or the prettiest, but the most important thing is to know what you want and work towards it. If your husband is not on the same page with you, play your path and respect him, you will see you will reach a compromise.
You changed your giant Gele signature to Turban, why the change?
It is a fashion trend. I wanted something new. I remember when I was tieing the giant gele, people will be like, I saw you there and when I ask, they will say they recognised me with the gele, so I said, it is time a change. So, it started with my Ankara and then with time, I change all my gele. Sometimes when I see my gele, I laugh.
You are not looking your age, how have been able to take care of yourself?
Well, I walk every day for 2 hours. I used to be a gym freak.
3 years ago, I changed to walking. I also love to look good, so I eat right, take care of my skin because I love to wear lots of sleeveless.
How do you rest?
I do rest a lot. Unfortunately, the party side of me is what people know, but I do rest a lot. I am a very private person. I love family settings. I love a quiet life. I travel a lot and I use that as my vacation time.
Are you like every other fabric merchant?
No, I am not. I am a fabric collector. I collect fabrics a lot. So, I have an extra one. I am also a fabric stylist. Being a fabric collector and a fabric stylist work together. You are already thinking of what to do with a fabric immediately after collecting it. As soon as I sight a fabric, I know what to do with it and when I can’t think of any, I put it where I can see it on a daily basis. It was the fact that I was a fabric collector that made me open a shop.
