Tye and Dye is here to stay - Opeyemi Adewale, CEO Palaro Arts and Clothing

 

Opeyemi Adewale is the chief executive officer of Palaro Arts & Clothing. PAC or simply ‘PALARO’, a fashion brand with bases in Ibadan, Osogbo and Lagos state, Nigeria specializes in the production of Adire fabrics, tye & dye, batik, etc.

In this interview with Saga Gist, the Osogbo born entrepreneur who studied Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Management at The Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State expounds his interest in the classic tie & dye business and how his brand is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Excerpts.

In simple terms, how will you describe Palaro and how does it defines Opeyemi Adewale? 

I appreciate this wonderful opportunity to feature on this platform. ‘Palaro’ means to transform. At Palaro Arts & Clothings (PAC), we beautify clothes with different colours.

Opeyemi Adewale is a man that loves colour. I derive pleasure in designing and applying colours to fabrics & I find it very easy and simple to do.

I am a native of Ilobu in Osun state, born into the family of Mr and Mrs Adewale. I attended Victory Academy in Osogbo for my primary education and Osun North Anglican Diocesan High School at Abgeye, which is also in Osun State.

Later on, I studied at The Federal College of Wildlife Management, New Bussa, Niger state where I bagged my national diploma in leisure and tourism management, before proceeding to The Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun state to secure my higher national diploma in hospitality, leisure and tourism management.

After my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, I went to Ibadan to stay with a family member. It was then I decided to take adire designing which I learnt during my Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) to the next level and that was how it all started.

 Tie & Dye is a classic masterpiece. What new concept does PAC bring to the fore? 

 Tye and dye is here to stay. All we can do now is to build on the existing foundation. As a brand, we're coming up with different techniques to make it (tie and dye) stand out.

 People see Tie & dye ‘as a mixing colour adventure.’ Is that true about the job and at what point does mixing get engaging and challenging? 

Well. There is a bit of truth in that statement but tie and dye as a business has gone beyond mixing of colors. It is now about complementing different colors. Let me start by defining tie and dye. Tie and dye is the act of tying fabrics that can easily be penetrated by dye and at the same time deposit effect on the fabric. 

Although, mixing fabrics with dye gets engaging and challenging when you have a lot of fabrics at hand to dye, all you need to do is bring in helping hands. Sometimes, challenges also arise when a customer sends in a sample to imitate, and colors for the designs are not sold in the market, it takes research to find out how the color combination can be achieved and delivered without disappointments. It is stressful during those times

How is PAC as a brand responding to the coronavirus pandemic ravaging state's and their economies? 

We're responding greatly by following all the necessary COVID-19 protocols. Also, the pandemic has affected our business and customer relationship in a whole lot of ways. One way is the materials we use for designing, most of them are imported and due to the restrictions on importation by the Federal Government, we spend a lot of money in sourcing materials compared to before. Another way we felt the impact of the pandemic is the reduction in the rate of patronage in the country and also outside the country.

However, due to the cost of production, there has been an increment in the prices of clothes which most of our customers are unable to afford.

 What's your take on tie & dye-making its way back to the fashion runways? 

Producers of adire fabrics are elated to see models rocking our products on the runways. It is a dream come true. We're really happy about it. All we want now is for the government to come to our aid and ease the ban on the importation of raw materials used in the production of adire fabrics so that people can easily have access to one.

 As a fashionista, how well do you leverage on social and digital media for brand recognition?

Social media has helped us a lot. Our brand and many others leveraging the internet for business, have been able to secure a space in the heart of Nigerians and even international bodies. People have been able to place orders through the use of social and digital media, and also we are able to reach our raw materials manufacturers from the comfort of our homes. We upload pictures of different collections online and the results have been wonderful.

 Getting finance and capital is a major issue for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), entrepreneurs and startups. How did you scale that hurdle & how do you think the federal government or private sector can be of help? 

Getting finance to kick start the business wasn't an easy task. I had to solicit funds from my friends and family members. To God be the glory. Governments at all levels can provide access to fund reliefs to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), entrepreneurs and startups which will help the business to grow. Entrepreneurs and business owners can also be encouraged by ensuring government-owned schools, civil servants adorn adire fabrics to work and not just the regular suit and tie. We believe that when locally made products are promoted, It will help resurrect the economy of the country from total collapse.

 Many youths seem comfortable with white-collar jobs. What pushed you to start up a global brand? 

I have always wanted to be self-employed, that is, stand alone and do something with my hands. We know that the number of unemployed youths is high, even the federal government can not provide jobs for everyone. This, among other reasons drove entrepreneurs like myself to provide alternatives instead of complaining about the state of the country.