Reni Abina’s fashion brand, Rendoll competes on the global stage, with designs that easily trend on Instagram and occupy a niche in the international market. However, it takes more than trendy designs on social media to compete on the global stage. AMAKA caught up with the entrepreneur to discuss what it’s like running her digital savvy women’s fashion brand from the continent.
Rendoll’s whimsically-titled collections, such as Riviera and Soireée, include a well-curated and limited range of items. The designs are showcased using a distinct group of models with various body sizes. Whether intentional or not, this evokes a sense of familiarity with the brand which their customers can relate to. Every drop has a message: that you, too, can be bold with your style. Rendoll, founded in 2019, is headed towards cult brand status through its creative product offerings, innovative designs and exciting, yet relatable marketing to a global audience of bold women who are hungry for new interpretations of chic. As with brands like KAI Collective, Andrea Iyamah and House of CB—which she cites as inspiration—Reni Abina is channeling the beauty and aesthetics of young African women in order to successfully build a global brand. Recently, Rendoll became the official swimwear sponsor for the 2021 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) beauty pageant competition.
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AMAKA: You have previously talked about starting a clothing line that did not work out. What were the magic ingredients that came together this time around to make your global e-commerce fashion brand possible?
Reni Abina: The first time I thought about starting a clothing line, it was with an older friend of mine. I’m glad it didn't work out because it wouldn't have lasted. I wasn't ready and I would have started it on the wrong foot. I’m someone who believes you only get one chance at a first impression, meaning if I'm starting anything in life, I have to put out the best impression the first time. With Rendoll I was more prepared mentally. Honestly there's no magic. It's a lot of intentionality and hard work. I know exactly where I want to be in life and every day, I wake up taking active steps and decisions to get to that place. Sometimes I feel stuck or like I'm not growing fast enough, but I also know Rome wasn’t built in a day. But to give a tip, I'll say this : if you want to be an international brand, you need to know how international brands behave. You need to study your competitors and let them inspire you. You can’t want to be a Ferrari but behave like a Toyota.
“Designed for comfort, loved for style” are some phrases that define Rendoll. In your own words, how would you describe the ethos of the brand?
I’ll describe the Rendoll style as BOLD. Most of our pieces are statement pieces. We very rarely make casual clothes. Our outfits are for the days when you want to be noticed and you want to stand out from the crowd. Luckily for me, my niche has found me and the brand through social media and word of mouth.
Building a brand is one step at a time
You’ve been honest about the experimentation and inner-circle feedback loop that goes into your design process. Can you tell us more about your process, and beyond the fabrics and the collections, what went into designing the Rendoll brand?
In terms of the thoughts that went into designing the brand, my vision for Rendoll has changed slightly since I started. At the core, I always knew I wanted a brand that made very good quality clothes, offered value for money and had exceptional customer service. However, at the beginning I wasn't thinking of a global brand. I just wanted to be an option for people like me who lived in Nigeria. I found that with time, our orders were coming from numerous countries and we were getting noticed internationally. I think that was the point [when] I took a step back to evaluate what the brand was becoming and really decided that, in fact, I wanted to be an international brand and I wanted to compete with established global brands. I expanded my dreams and now I’m just taking it one step at a time.
In the past year, with the pandemic especially, we’ve seen the rise of online fashion businesses. How do you set Rendoll apart and what drives you?
I believe I have the gifts and the power to design and manufacture pieces that make women feel bold, beautiful and confident. For me it's not just about selling clothes. I’m very interested in the feelings my brand evokes within women and the story we’re all trying to tell about ourselves.
You’ve said before that you don’t really see yourself as a fashion designer, what distinguishes Rendoll from a fashion design company?
The reason I say that is because I don't have a fashion background and I've never taken a fashion course in my life. The statement might be my imposter syndrome jumping out. Right now, I'm the only creative brain in Rendoll and I make clothes that I personally like. I guess when the brand expands and we have an in-house design team, then I will be more comfortable using the term “fashion designer.”
"Community is very important. It's almost impossible to succeed without it. "
We need to grow our local industries
You work with local artisans and source your fabrics abroad. Talk to us about the dynamics of building a brand that caters to an international market, using local labour and sourcing your raw material abroad? It must be a tricky one to balance?
Ninety percent of our fabrics are sourced abroad and this is only because I'm able to get a wider variety of options and the textile manufacturing industry in Nigeria isn't advanced enough. Labour is solely Nigerian and I’m very particular about keeping labour local as I believe we need to grow our industries. Also, I want to be very involved in the production process so proximity is necessary.
Speaking of growing local industries, sometimes people underestimate the hurdles entrepreneurs have to scale everyday, working in a country with a very low “ease of doing business'' ranking like Nigeria. Can you describe what a bad day looks like running your business in Nigeria?
A bad day would be spending hours in traffic to and from the shippers office, picking up the fabrics and getting to our production house, only to find out that we’ve been sent the wrong fabric. While trying to deal with this, I [might] discover numerous errors in pieces the tailors have made, meaning we need to start all over again—wasted time and wasted fabric. At the same time, I'm dealing with numerous dispatch riders who have chosen to put the burden of finding a customer’s address on me, the sender, as opposed to doing their actual jobs. In the middle of this, there can be power cuts and the generator chooses not to work. Sometimes it's really a lot to handle. But if there's one thing about me, I will always find a solution even if I cry from my frustration first.
And what does a perfect day look like?
A perfect day is a day where I don't have to go into the office. My tailors and assistant are able to understand the task for the day via the information I've given virtually. They’ve made the outfits, they are perfect and no one needed my micromanaging to get the job done. That’s a perfect day.
You need your community to succeed
In your experience, does running a women’s brand and running a brand as a woman pose similar joys and challenges?
I personally don't think I've experienced any disadvantage running a women’s brand as a woman. If anything, it's an advantage. As a woman, I know to an extent what other women want from their clothing, their needs and their requirements, so I have a decent insight. I believe this helps me satisfy customers better.
These days, we talk a lot about the power of community. Yet, we know that too many voices can sometimes impede action. In your case, when have you found it more productive to do it alone and when has it been better to work through community?
Community is very important. It's almost impossible to succeed without it. Firstly, as you're making pieces for your community, the job has been made easy for you because you can literally ask people what they want and how to satisfy them. You're getting first hand feedback on how to better satisfy your customers. Sometimes, however, I need to make decisions on my own. This is because I'm the only one who knows what's happening behind the scenes, what the brand's finances are, what we can afford to do and what we can’t do.
What has been the most important piece of advice you’ve received around running your business, and what’s something you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
I wish I had known at the beginning that it would not be a smooth road to success. The most important piece of advice I've gotten regarding Rendoll is to cut myself some slack and give myself some more credit. I don’t do this enough and I don't take time to celebrate my wins. This is a problem because whenever I hit a roadblock, it messes with my confidence and I start to feel like I'm failing, which is hardly ever the case.
Where do you see Rendoll in 20 years?
A worldwide household name, for all the right reasons.