Popular Designer, Charles Toye Reveals The People Killing The Fashion Industry!

It was a Wednesday- 8.30.a.m and Charles Toye was already at his work place, the Apapa Lagos factory of his fast rising fashion outfit, Charles Toye.

He was packaging customer’s products for delivery when www.societynowng.com arrived.

He quickly conversed with his apprentice and created room for our chat.

He looked smart and cool in a blue jeans and short sleeve Tee shirt. A chic looking papa’s cap decorated his clean shaven to complete the ensemble.

Very clean looking, with a twinkle to in his eyes he cut the picture of a young man happy with what he is doing and where he is headed.

We started off the interview on that note ‘ two years now or three- how has it been?’

He started to answer then pause and asked ‘Is it two years? No, let me think, it is three years oo, no, wait’ he paused did a couple of imaginary calculations and proclaimed ‘you know, it is actually four years. I can’t believe it!’ he exclaimed

‘Four years off and you don’t know that means business has been great?’

A warm smile, out stretched hands towards his equipment and he replied ‘I can’t complain. The Lord has being good to me. I have seen myself grow- though not to the perfect level that I looked forward to but I thank God’

‘What is the perfect level that you looked forward to’ we asked

‘That is hitting the mark. Making it bigger than this, becoming the number one, but we will get there’ he said with conviction.

‘What are the challenges that have slowed down the dream?’ we asked

‘a lot of things’ he started with a look of depth seriousness, then continued’ but the major thing is lack of creativity by the young designers. They don’t come up with their own unique designs, what they do is to pick an exclusive design, mass produce it and sell it at very cheap price. This affects a lot because it means the author of the designs only has a limited period to make money off his work. Let me tell you story, there is this guy that I service, he was ordered for some shirts and I went to deliver. On my way out i met a young designer, in trying to negotiate with me later my client made me realised that the young designer charge him much lesser than i do to replicate the designs that I make! And the lesson I learnt from that is not to give discount unnecessarily again. What I do now is come up with something unique and flat price- because if you want something different and outstanding, it is only naturally that you pay that extra kobo for it’

‘But why should pay that extra Kobo and not wait for the other designers to hit town with the replica and get the same design at a lower cost?’ we asked

‘Because if it is not the original it can never be the original, I take pains to do my things. And my finishing is unrivalled. You can ask around. I created my pattern, I didn’t buy it and I have refused to sell it no matter the offer. That is part of my own trade mark, my individuality. If you a Charles Toye design on an original Charles Toye prouct you will know, especially my shirt. The case is just like the china products and the stuffs that they clone- which do you prefer? And secondly my patronising the mass production, you are inadvertently doing a great injury to the industry. You are killing creativity and progress of the industry because if you don’t support original ideas- what will we all end up with. But i believe there will always be a market for a Charles Toye because our cloths are a class thing. It is about making a statement that counts- and that is what everybody desire to be a part of.

‘What are the things that inspire you to constantly come up with new designs in the face of threats of mass production of your creations?’ we enquire.

‘I expose myself to factors that will help me to think and create things. I read lot of fashion magazines, I love watching Fashion channels, you the idea is to know what is in vogue and come up with designs that will up the ante, match international standard and surpass it’

‘You started off as a celebrated Model, definitely this has tremendously helped you a lot’ I asked

‘Definitely it has. It gave me the launch pad to be where I am, to know what is good and fit. And the right connection to start off and leverage on the quality of my products now’ he said with a smile

‘You have worked with a couple of designers, Mon Ami and and Remi Lagos inclusive- what do you miss about being employed?

‘Well what do I miss, the thing about being employed is that you don’t really do much work. You have a time frame that you work. The stress you go through is limited. As a self employed I am at the beck and call of my customers twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You have the bills to constantly think of and the customers to satisfy. It is a very big risk that you are taking. But as an employed the risk is limited- the worst is you lose your job and no debt when the risk doesn’t pay off. But in this venture, I thank God that this is one risk that is paying off’

‘Are you looking forward to staging a Charles Toye Exhibition in the nearest future?’

‘Yes’ he said emphatically then continued ‘it is all in the pipeline. I am working on it. but that is not to say I have not done any at all. I have done a couple of fashion shows but in very private capacity and for a couple of corporate entities. What I am working on is a more public thing and with wider audience. Very soon, by His grace, it will come to be’

‘How expensive does is it, to look according to the cost of Charles Toye’s products’ we enquired.

‘Hmm..not expensive…just the ability to be able to pay that extra kobo for that extra fitting and outstanding product that is all. you know I love giving this analogy- there are different brands of cars. There and different editions but what separates ownership of a particular one from another is the willingness and ability to part with the extra cost. Same with clothes, you can get very fitting one that every other person has access to at a cheap price and look smart and clean in it- but if you want to create that unique and waow effect that is not an all comers affair- then my brother, nobody need to tell you something extra is required’

‘is the business as challenging as what you expected before you started out?

A slight pause and he responded ‘it is more challenging that I expected. I expected something less tasking, but with the copycats all abound the game becomes more intense but we thank God we are getting there’

‘what are the major marketing strategy you adopt to strive ahead of competitors?’

A brief shake of his head and he answered ‘strangely aside those private and corporate exhibitions that I told you about Charles Toye as a product market itself..Charles Toye is for the people that know style, appreciate it and love to identify with it. and there is no age barrier in this group and when they see my stuff , they want to identify with it. so for now I rely strongly on self advertisement and the skills of my field executives to move things forward. As we progress, we will definitely change with the time’

‘Charles Toye is an all male product fashion outfit?’

‘yes and no’ He stated and explained ‘Publicly we are all about male clothing now. But we are quietly delving into the female aspect as well too. As I talk to you we have some female clients that we cloth on special arrangement basis. we are not making much noise about this particular service because we are yet to put in place the kind of machinery that can take care of expected demand. once that is ready- we will announce to the world that officially Charles Toye is now into female clothing- but right now and officially we are all about men’s apparel’

‘Ultimately what are your dreams for Charles Toye, the man and the business- separately?’

A brief silence and he announced ‘ for Charles Toye the business, to rise to such a level that I will be a reference point for such international labels as Ralph Lauren and T.M Lewin and others and for Charles Toye, the man- to be very comfortable, have four kids, holiday in Bahamas at will and what have….

‘And how soon do you see yourself achieving this’ I queried

A burst of laughter and he responded ‘all I pray is that..sooner than I expected’

Click here to view some of Charles Toye’s Products