Two Nigerian sisters leveraged their backgrounds in Human Resource Management and Psychology to enter a new industry, scale up their business, and help brands just getting started to find their way. Fioye Olaniyan breaks down the label’s journey.
There are many moving parts in the business of fashion, and this is immediately apparent when Fioye Olaniyan and I first speak. She is on her way to the warehouse to sort out a delivery snafu involving a customs clearance delay. It’s the beginning of a hectic week, but in Olaniyan’s world this pace of life is expected. The 35-year-old entrepreneur is the co-founder and Head of Operations for Virgos Lounge and its sister company, VL The Label. Based in London, Virgos Lounge has been around for over ten years with VL The Label following soon after to deliver more embellished special occasion wear styles at affordable prices.
The journey began in 2008 when Olaniyan and her sister, Oye, found themselves without summer jobs. Looking for something to fill their days, they began making trips to Hull to source vintage clothing that they would put their own spin on and sell in markets around London, such as Spitalfields and Liverpool Street.
“We would have them modified to make them a bit more modern: [add] buttons, reduce the length or change something else up about it,” says Olaniyan of their early days experimenting with design. “What we found was that people wanted more of the same style and with vintage dresses you can only get one or maybe two of each style. So we then started producing and that was how the brand came about, she tells AMAKA. “We started off doing that and different pop-ups before pop-ups became a thing and we had a stint at Topshop—that was our first major big retailer which was like a massive deal because we were stocked in Topshop,” she adds. Virgos Lounge has gone on to be stocked on Zalando, Amazon, ASOS and about fifty independent boutiques in and around the UK.
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Transitioning to Fashion
Prior to making a name in the fashion world, Olaniyan studied Human Resource Management at Keele University before earning a master’s degree from London School of Economics. Her sister, Oye, studied Psychology while building a styling portfolio on the side through freelancing and interning for other fashion brands. Her experience, combined with Olaniyan’s business acumen, would later help them build and scale their label.
“I think you never stop learning, really. You always have to adapt and grow and learn from your mistakes and move on from them really quickly,” Olaniyan shares. “I think that’s the most important thing in an industry that is ever-changing and moves really fast—it gets really hard and sometimes really overwhelming.”
Though the fashion landscape is ever-changing and competitive, she encourages people to remain committed to their vision. “Stay true to your brand and what it is that you do and what you believe in,” she says. “It's very easy to go with trends and what's popping right now but I find that you need to stay true to yourself [because] trends fade. People will have different opinions of what works and what doesn't work but you have to stay true to yourself.”
As their brand’s name suggests, both Olaniyan and her sister are Virgos, the zodiac placement that spans from around August 23rd to September 22nd, stereotypically characterised by an intense attention to detail, fastidiousness, and care (it is also famously the sun sign of Beyoncé). It’s fitting, given the sisters’ tenacity in scaling up—from remixing second-hand clothing in their living room to the labels that exist today.
Olaniyan credits the siblings’ harmonious working and familial relationship for Virgos Lounge and its subsidiaries success. “We have our strengths and we stick to that. I don't really try to get involved much with what she does, although she thinks I do. And she doesn't try to come into my area, so that has been the reason why I think it's been successful for such a long time,” she says. “We respect each other's strengths and I find that she knows my weaknesses and I know hers. We're able to develop ourselves that way.”
Developing a Brand Identity
Distinct brand identity is often associated with a signature product. Take Kai Collective’s Gaia colourways for example. In the case of Virgos Lounge it’s The Raina Dress: an embellished bridesmaid dress with beaded and sequin encrusted shoulder details. Available in different colours, it's a highly sought-after style that is currently sold out on their website.
“You know it was our cash cow and we just basically stuck with it,” says Olaniyan of the design’s popularity. “It helps that we had retailers that were interested in the product as well and helped us develop the product...I think having a signature product does make a difference. Something that stands out, something that people know you for and if you look at brands that are really successful, even now, it's that signature product that they have and that's what you use to identify the brand,” she adds. At a time when trends are constantly being churned out and replaced, she credits having a signature product and developing it for elevating the label’s brand identity.
Developing a Brand Identity
Distinct brand identity is often associated with a signature product. Take Kai Collective’s Gaia colourways for example. In the case of Virgos Lounge it’s The Raina Dress: an embellished bridesmaid dress with beaded and sequin encrusted shoulder details. Available in different colours, it's a highly sought-after style that is currently sold out on their website.
“You know it was our cash cow and we just basically stuck with it,” says Olaniyan of the design’s popularity. “It helps that we had retailers that were interested in the product as well and helped us develop the product...I think having a signature product does make a difference. Something that stands out, something that people know you for and if you look at brands that are really successful, even now, it's that signature product that they have and that's what you use to identify the brand,” she adds. At a time when trends are constantly being churned out and replaced, she credits having a signature product and developing it for elevating the label’s brand identity.
"I think you never stop learning, really. You always have to adapt and grow and learn from your mistakes and move on from them really quickly,"
Sharing the Knowledge
With over ten years of experience under her belt, she’s keen to let brands learn from her mistakes, especially those on the continent where there is less industry infrastructure and clear pathways to success. To do this, she co-founded ERA in 2018, a niche fashion and lifestyle agency dedicated to establishing and supporting emerging brands.
“A lot of the brands I find do not really cater for more of an international audience. They're catering for their home audience, which is fantastic because as you know, African women dress well,” says Olaniyan. “We take them aside and say, ‘Okay, you know what, you can still cater for your home audience [and] develop this line for the international market’.” ERA is dedicated to offering practical guidance to help grow emerging brands. “The aim is to keep growing it and keep building brands and to keep building relationships,” she says. “In that way, it's more of a passion project for me, because I really want the brands to do well. It's kind of an easier route to success. If it's taken me five years, I want it to take you two years. So that's sort of where we are with the agency.”
In the last year, they've been able to help smaller brands expand their distribution through launching on ASOS, Zalando, TK Maxx as well as two of the biggest retail outlets in the United Arab Emirates, OUNASS, and Namshi. Olaniyan describes her relationship with the brands she supports as symbiotic. She discovers them primarily through Instagram, relationships built over the years, and recommendations from other people. She tries to work with as many as she can manage alongside her businesses, however, it’s not all smooth sailing once a brand gains exposure. Stories of bigger brands ripping off smaller designers teach us that visibility can come with a cost.
How does Olaniyan suggest brands navigate this industry flaw? “For a lot of smaller brands, they don't have a team of designers and artists to do things for them,” she says. “A lot of them do everything themselves from designing, to fulfilling orders, to packing orders to doing social media. So when you see another brand that has all of the resources in hundreds and millions, I mean, it's very, very disheartening and I don't think it's going to stop. The most important thing is to elevate quickly. You're always going to have people who want your products and just your products. I wouldn't want to wear a fake Gaia dress—I would want the real thing and yes there are customers who don't mind having the counterfeit products but I feel there will be more customers who want more of your stuff,” she adds.
On the future of fashion
Last year, COVID-19 changed the world as we know it. In all the uncertainty, Olaniyan took time to think, connect with customers and envision the future trajectory for Virgos Lounge and its subsidiaries. For a few months, the sisters rested to regain clarity. “We did take a hit in the first few months of the pandemic. But, you know, we pulled through that and I feel like we're doing even better now than we were then,” she says. “[We’re] just really grateful for the opportunity to still be in business. It was a struggle but it gave us time to really think and go back to the drawing board.” Virgos Lounge relaunched on International Women’s Day with an initiative offering two female owned businesses a grant towards business development.
Looking ahead, Olaniyan reflects on the growing calls for conscious consumption that the fashion industry is being confronted with and its history of exploitation, waste, and exclusion. “With this pandemic, it really made a lot of people think about where they were spending their money and who they were spending their money with,” she says. “With the evolution of Black Lives Matter on the back of what happened in the last year...people think, am I buying from a Black-owned brand? Am I buying from a brand that is owned by women? Am I buying from a brand that produces sustainable products? [People] are asking more questions,” she adds.
Olaniyan hopes the fashion industry's embrace of virtual formats will also improve accessibility and reach for smaller brands. “Access to these things is no longer difficult. You just place your order, and it gets to you in a couple of days. That's amazing,” she says. “I think it's only going to get better, but obviously with everything that happens there will always be a downside to it. It puts pressure on the system. It puts pressure on workers and employees on the smaller brands as well but I think with more regulation in the industry, we should start seeing resolved windows.
This past September, Virgos Lounge debuted their Spring/Summer 2022 line, their biggest range yet with specialist fabrics and a wider range of products. They also had a runway fashion show in partnership with Tefal UK. Although the future remains uncertain, she’s excited to get back into the groove and deliver the bright and bold statement pieces that Virgos Lounge has come to be known for.