Naija Fashionistas: Meet Michele Obi the Pop-up Boutique Queen

Last year I wrote about the growing trend of the pop-up shop; which is basically a brand which sets up shop temporarily at a venue. This can take place anywhere from a nightclub, exhibition or on a high street. Over the last year I have been lucky to see fantastic pop-ups such as Wanderland Boutique in Manchester, Sketchbook magazine on Carnaby Street, The Satorialist at Libertys and Maybelline in Covent Garden. So when Michele Obi told me that she was launching pop-up shops in Nigeria, I was intrigued and quite excited. Us Nigerians love our fashion and we also love a bit of glitter and glamour and there is nothing more glittery and glamorous than going to a pop-up shop for some fun and shopping. Michele Obi is the founder of myfashionlife so she knows a hell of a lot about fashion so she took five minutes to tell me about her new baby, Verve!.

How did you get into the fashion industry?
I started a blog in 2003 called myfashionlife.com and the rest is history as they say. From 2005, myfashionlife started to get quite a bit of press attention and as a result it provided me with lots of opportunity to carve out a career in the industry. In the beginning I did all the writing and covered fashion week, however as the business has grown my role has evolved and now I�m always looking at ways that we can expand and grow. Now I�m currently in Abuja, Nigeria and working on introducing the concept of pop-up boutiques. I�ve set up a company called Verve! which is basically a luxury sample sale and we source unique fashion and lifestyle pieces from top designer brands including, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Hermes, Lanvin, Christian Louboutin, Valentino, and more. Our events are held at various venues in key central locations within Abuja.

What made you decide that creating fashion pop up stores was for you?
When I visited Abuja, I realised there was a lack of retail therapy. There are boutiques but they are overpriced because the rent and other expenses are so high. I�d always loved the concept of pop up stores...and I had a vision of providing women with a two day sale at which they could network and really enjoy the shopping experience. I held the first sale at a beautiful spa called B-Natural and we had a great response. We treated our customers to cocktails and cupcakes and paid attention to what they wanted. It�s been a success and has allowed me to gain a stronger understanding of the market. 

Tell me what your job consists of.
Networking! Through holding the sales I�ve gained many clients who are more friends than customers and I spend quite a bit of time, finding out what they like and ensuring we stock what they want. We hold the sales every two months. So a month prior to each sale I�m also doing the buying etc. It�s a varied role which I love.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
It�s totally different. A lot more flamboyant and colourful. Women in Nigeria love to standout whereas in London fashion is more about comfort. It�s a very exciting time for fashion in Nigeria.

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
I�d say that women here are becoming more aware of the more underground designers. They have a real healthy appetite for fashion and the internet has allowed them to feed their addiction.

Describe a day in the life of Michele Obi.
No two days are the same and I love that. I check my emails every morning and have a to-do list that I make sure I get through every day otherwise the work tends to pile up. Sometimes I could be out visiting clients while other days I could be chained to my desk.

You can check out Michele's website here and you can read myfashionlife here.

You can follow her on Twitter here.

Tomorrow I will be featuring PR guru, Arieta Mujay.

Marie Claire Presents the Maybelline Pop-Up Shop

You all know I love a pop-up store so I had to get down to the Maybelline Pop-Up Shop presented by Marie Claire which is in Covent Garden. The store which has been created specifically for London Fashion Week is the first of its kind in Europe. Maybelline Pop-Up flung its doors opened on 16th September in Covent Garden and they have been inundated with visitors since then. The store is a 600 square feet emporium with a smooth white alabaster exterior and a very light and airy interior. The wooden floors and white walls meshed with the brightly coloured make up and branding materials provide a sense of intimacy without feeling cramped. The treats on offer are complimentary manicures, makeovers and eyebrow threading. You can also purchase the latest limited edition of Marie Claire (you know the one that the subscribers get and we ordinarly folks don't) as well as the latest make up items. Pinned up on the wall are images of models donning the latest make up looks from the catwalk which the Maybelline make up girls are on hand to recreate. It is also a place to go to get lots of advice on the

The lovely Yrsa and I took a trip to the shop and had a very nice wander. The make up artists were very nice and friendly and keen to help. I had a manicure done which was pretty top notch and Yrsa had her eyebrows threaded and she did not feel any pain at all. Now I have been getting my eyebrows threaded for a good few years and always feel it so I was amazed when she told me this. This place is a must for all beauty junkie and for any respectable lady who wears make up.

The Maybelline Pop-Up Store is open till Sunday 26th September so make sure you get in there. The address is 18 Shorts Garden, Seven Dials, (just off Neal Street) Covent Garden, London WC2H 9LD.

Sketchbook Pop-Up Shop

The introduction of the iPad has had all the techie enthusiasts jumping up and down and the pending UK launch will see the biggest buzz since the magnificent iPod dropped a few years back. But why is the iPad so important? Well for instance it means that it will change the future of publishing as we see it. The medium of the iPad makes it easier to absorb digital magazines and flick from page to page seamlessly. So this is great news for aspiring publishers and editors who will be able to create wonderful magazines without worrying about printing and production costs as well as storage. If it wasn�t for this platform, publications such as Style Sample, Glossy and Ghubar would not exist. Also print magazines would lose an arm in which to promote their current issue such as Stylist magazine who put their latest issue online for all to read. Which leads me to Sketchbook Magazine which is a publication which celebrates creativity all over the world. The first issue launched last October and paid homage to fashion blogging by featuring Susie Bubble on the cover. Unlike most traditional print publications, Sketchbook is available on print on demand in the UK, USA and Canada and has 7,000 readers. Not to rest on their laurels, the Sketchbook posse decided to launch a pop-up shop off Carnaby Street to celebrate 50 years in fashion and music in the Newburgh Quarter of Carnaby Street. 

The shop launched on 2nd April in conjunction with the release of the second issue of Sketchbook Magazine � the idea was the brain wave of Rachel Menashy who is responsible for the marketing/events and PR aspect of Sketchbook. She is also a final year student at UCA Epsom where she is studying Fashion Promotions and Imaging and the pop-up store is part of her final year project. The team worked together day and night to assemble everything together, painting, plastering, banging and basically doing everything to get the Sketchbook shop up and running. The results were worth it because the space looks amazing. It covers two floors; upstairs is where the exhibition takes place and downstairs is where the screening rooms are and where the events take place. 

There is even a little area where you can buy stuff like Sketchbook t-shirts, prints, illustrations, postcards and magazines. The d�cor is all tranquil white with lots of artwork and photos and it really is a peaceful haven that you can just step into to escape the hustle and bustle of Carnaby Street. As well as looking pretty the pop-up shop also has a functioning purpose with workshops, lectures and discussions relating to blogging, fashion and journalism. My favourite aspect of the shop is the wall (check out the pic above) which holds illustrations of the Sketchbook family. I went down to check out the pop up store last Friday and had a brief chat with the lovely Wafa (who I featured in In the Editor's Chair in February) and Rachel who gave me a lowdown on the shop and we took some pictures. Lovely lasses they are too. The pop up store is open till 19th April so go down and check it out and have a chat with the team. 

Sketchbook Pop-Up Shop, 10 Newburgh Street, Carnaby Street, London W1F 7TN.

You can check out the Sketchbook Blog here where the team are covering the events at the shop.  

NB: Just heard that the Pop-Up Shop will be open until 13th May! 

The Satorialist Book Signing in Liberty

Yesterday I rocked up to the book signing of The Satorialist at Liberty. I thought to myself, get there in good time so you can get a decent space as well as your book signed. Good idea right? Wrong because the whole world and his cat had the same idea and turned up in good time too. The queue was literally going round the block as hundreds of Scott Schuman fans waited patiently for him to sign their copies of his iconic book. Luckily for me I managed to get into the press event and got my book signed in no time as well as a complimentary glass of champagne too. I bumped into the lovely Leigh from Style Canteen who took this wonderful picture. Oh yes and Garance Dore was there to lend Scott some support. She looked as gorgeous as her blog. The event was held in the menswear section where a pop up store which Scott created was held and the space also held images that he has taken.

The Satorialist is available to buy from amazon here.

Wanderland Boutique

Pop up stores are all the rage these days and have been a firm favourite with fashion brands since 2004. The concept is just like a moving exhibition; find a venue, set up shop, display items artfully and then set off to the next venue. Smaller niche companies have all been there and done that with pop ups placed in cosmopolitan cities in Europe. So it was no surprise when large lifestyle brands such as Comme des Gar�ons, MTV, Nike, Sony Ericsson, Adidas and Levis decided to give the idea a try. However, beating them to the punch was Wanderland Boutique, a wandering pop up boutique that has been created out of a love for fashion and all things that a little bit different. The brand has been trading since 2003 but have now launched a shop in Manchester at the ultra trendy Afflecks Palace and are set to tour other cities such as Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Derby, Doncaster, Birmingham and Dublin. I met up with founder, Barbara Ojeogwu to find out the ins and outs of brand new, vintage and handmade clothing.

What is the concept of Wanderland Boutique?
The concept of Wanderland Boutique is to provide fashionable & one off items at great prices. We're able to do this by handpicking all of the products that go into the boutiques. We're also able to do this by reducing our overheads. The pop up boutiques are a unique and inexpensive way for us to attract new customers and provide them with clothes that would otherwise cost that bit more. The fact that we are a pop up means that we are able to set up in unlikely places such as bars, park greens and even possibly even double Decker buses.


How did you come up with the title of the shop?
The title is based on two factors. The first being that we pop up all over the UK with the boutique. The second is that we also travel far and wide to find stock for the boutique. We wander the land.

Where do you source your clothes from?
The clothes are sourced from all over the world. An example would be handbags from wholesalers in Japan and New York. Dresses from Dublin and Morocco. Shoes are made up in Manchester. We also mix this up with hot vintage finds or great pieces that friends or family have found on their wanders.

Describe to me a typical Wanderland customer?
Our typical customer wouldn't be described as the most affluent of people yet when it comes to style and creativity they're rich. These girls and ladies don't buy their style, they put it together. They're not the clones that you often see as a result of high street marketing campaigns.

What is your work background?
I actually come from an IT Background, I worked as an IT trainer for a sofware company up until December 2008.


Who are your fashion influences?
My main fashion influences are mainly my mum and sisters; between them those ladies have style. I also take a lot from what I see on the streets, whether it's fabrics, items or just how certain items are worn. It's good to try out new things and and maybe mix them up a little. Today I went to work in one of my own tops that was missing a belt so I used the velvet lace from my ballet shoes. A belt would have been too bulky and the result was good.

Are there any celebs out there who you would like to dress in Wanderland style?
Kate Nash came into my shop in the first week of opening and loved it so much that she made a second trip up the three flights of stairs to make another purchase in the same day. So I suppose you could say I already have dressed a celeb. I'd happily do the same again for Kate or Lady Gaga.

You can find Wanderland Boutique at the following venues:

Afflecks Palace
Wanderland Boutique
Afflecks
3rd Floor
Short Street
Manchester

Mon-Friday 10.30am-6pm
Saturdays 10am-6pm

Dry Bar
28-30 Oldham Street
Manchester
M1 1JN

Saturdays 12pm-6pm

More dates will be added soon!