A brief introduction about you?
My name is Gabby Ibeabuchi, a fashion designer, bespoke tailor, trainer and content creator. I am the founder and creative director of TWELVE06 clothing a dominant lifestyle brand poised to revolutionise and showcase the African fashion to the world in stylish contemporary designs.
Twelve06 specialise in bespoke menswear alongside exceptional ready to wear designs for men and women.
I started as a model doing both fashion and photography. I won the first ever ECOFEST award as the best male model in west Africa which came with a modeling contract in Paris. I have over 100 fashion shows to my credit and have also been a brand ambassador to lots of brands nationally and internationally.
Working with different fashion designers influenced my desire to make a difference in the fashion space. I saw a lot of lapses and I knew I could mend them. After obtaining my masters degree I took up my first Job in GLOBACOM a foremost telecom giant in Nigeria. Few years later I went into banking. Despite my successful growth in the corporate world I found fashion more appealing.
After several years, I knew it was time to take up that dream hence TWELVE06 was born.
I am very creative and I believe I was born to be a solution provider. Beyond fashion my skills are diverse. I love to teach interestingly. I love to see people grow and maximise their potentials.
As a trainer I have impacted lives and I’m working to take it to the next level. Life as a designer is quite interesting especially when you are doing it for the love of the job. It is very demanding as well because you have to creatively put yourself on the line all the time. You have to constantly innovate and relate with diverse peculiarities. The joy of it is being able to put smile on the faces of those who depend on your creativity.
It’s absolutely fulfilling when you constantly bring solution to people’s style needs. I am glad I took the decision.
Who do you look up to nationally and internationally?
There are actually a few people I look up not because I know them personally but because they
have used their wealth of creativity and resources to impact multiple individuals, companies and humanity at large. I respect people who use what they have to build others. A few years ago when I wanted to go into the corporate world, I chose Globacom because of the owner, Mike Adenuga who at a time had impacted lives, grown in wealth and was willing to go further in touching lives. I have said it a couple of time that the reason I went into banking was to under study Tony Elumelu. Reviewing his antecedents I was drawn and determined to learn from him hence i chose to work around him. I am attracted to excellence and resourcefulness because I am also designed for greatness reason we attract each other.
Tell us about designers and the Nigeria fashion industry
The African fashion has plunged into the world scene. Our designers and clothes are in high demand around the globe.
Nigerian designers are unafraid to create fashion statements embellished in colors as bold as the continent’s sunsets and in prints as culturally rich as its people.
Nigerians are the most creative people in the world, we are only constrained by the unavailability of material resources. The Nigerian fashion industry has a lot of prospects. We have a growing population and the middle class is expanding aside that our fashion is on the global map already.
This means that more people have disposable income to spend on luxury and high-quality products which presents great prospect for the fashion industry. There are more educated and deliberate people in the industry. The fashion industry in Nigeria plays an important cultural role and contributes significantly to the country’s economy. An average Nigerian appreciates our traditional outfits now more than ever. Nigerian designers are recognised globally as well. Competition has constantly increased excellence, creativity and growth in the industry.
I attended the biggest fashion week(show) in the world, the New York Fashion Week – 2022 (NYFW) last year and the buzz was amazing for our designs. This September I am Proudly taking the Nigerian craft/style to the world again.
What would you say have been the breakthrough moments for your brand?
I have had lots of breakthrough moments as a fashion brand. Firstly, one of my strongest attributes is my accumulated experience and exposure. It has opened a lot of doors for me both as an entrepreneur and a fashion designer. I got into the fashion space at a very young age as a fashion model. I have passed through several top fashion designers and all relative chains. Having established that, I have constantly been recognised locally and internationally.
Two years ago, I was selected among 20 Nigerians under the IVLP programme (International Visitors Leadership Program) sponsored by the United states.
The aim is to improve trade relations in the fashion industry between Nigeria and the US. I consider it one of the best things that has happened to the Nigeria fashion industry. Buyers from around the world are getting more comfortable to purchase and deal with Nigeria fashion designers.
We can export our designs to the US tax free under the IVLP programme. “TWELVE06 has been certified an Exportable Brand.”
I was also sponsored by the Africa Export Import Bank (AFREXIM BANK) to Durban, South Africa to attend the Intra-Africa trade fair in 2021 which is the biggest trade fair and gathering of human resource in Africa. I will also attend the 3rd edition coming up in Cairo, Egypt this November.
Attending the New York Fashion week 2022 last summer was a dream come through for me. Being the biggest fashion event in the world made it a memorable highlight in my career as a fashion entrepreneur. This year I have lots of fashion shows lined up in London, New York, Paris, Milan, Toronto etc.
Do you participate in Fashion shows? Tell us your experience..
Like I mentioned above, I have been part of fashion shows almost all my life. As a matter of fact there is hardly a successful brand that is not associated with fashion shows. There is a synergy between the two.
I started as a model participating in over a hundred fashion shows locally and internationally. I have various recognitions within the fashion space as well.
I have vast knowledge in organizing fashion shows and fashion events and have supported lots of successful shows including the Nigeria Fashion Week. I have attended lots of fashion shows around the world as a model and currently as a fashion designer. It was a long time dream to be in the biggest fashion stage which I accomplished last year in New York.
This year I will be attending the London fashion week, New York Fashion week and a couple of fashion events in Canada and Europe.
What makes your brand stand out from other brands?
Fashion designing requires high level of professionalism which includes discipline and patience. As a banker I already have all that and more in abundance. My corporate journey prepared me for the challenges ahead. My inter personal skills is second to none.
Fashion designing is very competitive in Nigeria and I love it. We have plenty of talents here and I belong to the school of thought that “competition enhances creativity”. Trust me, if you are not exceptionally creative, you may not survive in the Nigerian fashion space up to the big stage. We have been able to flourish over time because of our exceptional creative endowments. We are passionate and resilient. Those two ingredients are vital in surviving the harsh realities of a competitive fashion industry. Amidst competition, we always throw in something different and relevant per time, to attract patronage.
Apart from topnotch finishing and packaging, we always bring our “A” game in customer service to bear, at all times.
Above all, I constantly reinvent myself with one goal — “customer first”.
We are opening a training centre where fashion designers and other artisans can come for relevant trainings to improve their sales knowledge and grow their business as well.
Our core value include Passion, Integrity and service. We are guided by strong moral principles which guarantee transparency always. Our vision is to dominate the Africa and world fashion market with quality customer- centric service.
