When Oluwadamilare Ashimolowo finished her secondary school certificate examination, SSCE in 2011, she had a dream of furthering her education. But she couldn’t because of financial challenges. She then opted to learn tailoring.
When Oluwadamilare Ashimolowo finished her secondary school certificate examination, SSCE in 2011, she had a dream of furthering her education. But she couldn’t because of financial challenges. She then opted to learn tailoring.
After her training in 2013, she gathered up her savings and the money she could get from her father to buy a sewing machine, other equipment and rented a shop at Ijokun, Akarigbo Road, Opposite FCMB bank, Sagamu, where she lived at the time to start up her business.
As she kept making progress with her skill, she felt the need for an upgrade. So, she enrolled in a professional course for three months in 2017. “When I graduated in 2013, I knew I needed to learn the business management side of fashion designing. So, I enrolled in a professional course to upskill myself,” she said.
Oluwadamilare later relocated to Ikorodu, Lagos after her professional course and started up her design.
“I started up my own design space along Eyita Road, Sabo, Ikorodu, Lagos. But at some point, business wasn’t moving well. That was in 2019 and the covid-19 lockdown made it worse. I didn’t want to incur more debt, so I had to relocate to my own house at Ori-Okuta bus stop, which is presently where I am working from,” she said.
In January 2025, she added Ready-to-Wear to her business, and by December 2025, she held her first exhibition, attracting a large crowd from her area.
Oluwadamilare is the CEO of Toniqclosure Wears where she makes fashionable clothes that are accessible, affordable and practicable for daily living.
According to her, she has the ability of solving the problem that most people have with getting everyday wear that fits in with their style and body while boosting confidence, comfort, and self-expression.
“I have always been interested in fashion and I love to dress fashionably. So, when I couldn’t further my education, I went to learn fashion designing,” she said.
Raising capital
Oluwadamilare had challenges raising capital when she started but got it solved with the money she saved while still on training and the little her father gave her.
Her determination to excel saw her engaging in selling both women and men’s underwear, singlets, creams, and even doing menial jobs inside so she could save up for her business and also sustain herself while learning fashion designing skill.
“I was not comfortable with the idea of getting a loan, and I do not have someone or family members that I could reach out to. So, it took a longer time for me to raise funds.
“I had to save up the money that I made from sewing clothes, sales of underwear, and the menial job I had done during my training, money from my dad. With that, I started buying clothing materials in small quantities, and I made them based on demand. So, capital was a huge challenge for me,” she said.
Making sales
The CEO of Toniqclosure Wears said she didn’t have much challenges penetrating the market because she already had existing customers and friends that were patronizing her while doing her training. She only had to inform them of her new ready-to-wear brand.
“The first month that I started, I sold over 30 pieces, and I have been maintaining that range monthly,” she said.
Dupped by vendors
Oluwadamilare said she was once dupped by vendors when she was planning to use their services for the men’s wear. She said that almost broke her, compounded by the fact that she had very limited funds.
“I was doing my best with what I had at the time. It was an experience I will not forget,” she said.
Breakthrough
The CEO of Toniqclosure Wears said her breakthrough was her decision to hold an end-of-year sales and trade exhibition she tagged ‘Fairflow Enterprises Ori-Okuta’ at Agric, Ikorodu on December 4-6, 2025. At the 3-day exhibition, she said she sold more than 236 of the 250 ready-to-wear clothes she took to the stand.
She said: “The money I earned enabled me to increase the collections I presently have, provide for my family and also help me pay important bills. People actually wanted me to extend the sales date to seven days, but I was unable to do so because I sold nearly everything. It was one of the boldest decisions I have made to challenge myself.
“I just made contact with other suppliers that sell different goods and surprisingly, a large number of people showed up. It was the first time such a thing was happening in that area. So, it was a remarkable one,” she added.
Business challenges
Oluwadamilare has three major concerns in doing business in Nigeria. The first is funding. “Securing sufficient funding continues to be the greatest obstacle for business owners. The type of growth, inventory expansion, marketing, and long-term stability that I want to achieve are all constrained by lack of capital, but I am still pressing forward,” she said.
“Government policies are another challenge that is unpredictable and inconsistent. This, for me, leads to uncertainty, escalates operating expenses, makes execution more difficult, and frequently interferes with pricing, planning, and business operations,” she said.
She said delivery and logistics are still difficult because sending clothing to clients entails expensive costs and delays. “I sometimes have to deal with unreliable couriers. Sometimes, goods are damaged, and I have to replace them,” she said.
The Japa syndrome
Oluwadamilare said even though things are tough, she is confident that she will succeed because there is a market in Nigeria. “I have always been a positive person and the reality is that we all cannot leave the country. I am here to stay,” she said.
“There are more than 100 million potential clients. This implies that there is plenty of space for everyone who wishes to build and expand their business,” she added.
About Oluwadamilare
Oluwadamilare is the Chief Executive Officer of Toniqclosure Wears, a ready-to-wear clothing brand. She is from a polygamous home in Sagamu, Ogun State and is the third child of her mother. She did her primary and secondary education in Sagamu where she grew up, and due to financial challenges, could not further her education. So, she went into learning how to sew clothes. Oluwadamilare has so far trained 11 apprentices.
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