HARNESSING EQUITY AND TECHNOLOGY - ROBO OMAVUOHRERHE

The International Women's Day campaign aims to share the stories of hidden female figures in the digital fashion world.

A CONVERSATION WITH ROBO OMAVUOHRERHE OF THRIFTIT

Robo Omavuohrehe is an entrepreneur with a knack for exceptional execution, and she approaches innovative problem-solving with a user experience in mind. Thriftit, a digital secondhand marketplace she developed and managed, is catalyzing sustainable consumerism in Nigeria one house at a time. The brand has been a driving force in transforming the way Nigerian women shop. The most significant aspect of Thrifit is fashion exchange, which helps to lengthen the life cycle of fashion products. To attract more fashion exchangers, the business develops material showcasing the financial benefits of decluttering using their automated consignment system.

Can you tell us about your journey in the digital fashion space?

In 2019, while on a 2-month turned year-long holiday in Nigeria, the lack of convenient and affordable online fashion shopping platforms asides from the famous Instagram prompted me to consider the possibilities of a digital fashion exchange solution.

At the time, I had three options. Buy a whole closet of new clothing from Instagram vendors (that was the only platform with so many fashion brands, albeit inconvenient, insecure and pricey. Now, there's THRIFTit), search my older sister's wardrobe for clothes she no longer needed, or go to the local secondhand market and thrift some clothes. The first option was expensive. Although free, the second option was not pleasing because my sister and I have very different fashion styles, and I could not imagine myself in her “millennial outfits.” (I now adore them, by the way). This option made me wonder, "are there more people like my sister with clothes in their closets they no longer need? What if I wasn't restricted to my sister's closet? What if I could shop from the closet of anyone in Nigeria". Wouldn't that be amazing? I have some friends I wish I could raid their closets occasionally. Since I was unsure how to make the idea from the second option work, I eventually went with the third option but always pondered the idea in my heart.

After researching second-hand markets in Lagos and realising the potential for retailing these pieces, I was sure I wanted to build a digital fashion solution like the one I enjoy in the UK, especially after the digital advancements the pandemic pushed the world into. So, after a few courses on Coursera and a semester studying Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge, I began building THRIFTit in 2021, utilising low-code/no-code solutions to create a fully digital secondhand fashion solution. The platform initially retailed curated secondhand pieces from foreign high-street brands that would have otherwise made it to landfills in Nigeria and provided up to 80% savings on every purchase.

After receiving numerous messages about decluttering and noticing a decluttering trend on Instagram from personal and brand accounts, taking advantage of the importance of timing in business, and trying to test my hypothesis as soon as possible, I opened a consignment channel. I created a fully digital fashion consignment channel allowing sellers (anyone could be a seller) to control every step of the declutter process, from pricing to availability and shipping. As a result, the platform gained popularity, with an influx of new customers and brands (new and secondhand) wanting to resell or declutter.

After a few weeks of testing, I noticed a consignment platform did not provide the best solution because, although it solved the problem of fashion discovery, visibility, affordability, and convenience, it was limiting to sellers in terms of creativity and limiting to the THRIFTit team in terms of operational scalability. I am big on scalability. This is where I am on my digital fashion journey. The goal is a social marketplace that allows anyone to shop or rent from anyone else’s closet. The African market is ready for a digital fashion exchange channel that provides a sustainable way for young Africans to express their creativity with fashion. My ultimate goal is to create an enjoyable digital fashion experience for young Africans that is financially accessible.

What inspires you every day?

My inspiration comes from my purpose; to serve and help people, building solutions that alleviate pain and create convenience. I am inspired every day by the power of technology to empower people and my desire to build technological solutions that solve problems for Africans. I am inspired by people who use technology to push the boundaries of what is possible in fashion in Africa.

Have you ever faced discrimination because of your gender, and how did you overcome it?

I have faced gender-based discrimination while fundraising regarding a disparity in the advice provided. For example, while my male startup friends received advice to seek equity-based investment from foreign venture capitalists, I was advised to take grants and small loans from banks and communities for women in business, regardless of the similarities in the nature and financial requirements of our startups. I understand this gender-based discrimination is primarily cultural, and to overcome this, I expose myself to what is already possible in developed economies; women raising money at the same rate as men.

How do you empower women in your line of work?

Empowering women in digital fashion involves creating opportunities for women to excel and lead in the industry by creating a more inclusive and equitable industry that supports women at all levels and by providing opportunities for skill development and advancement. The THRIFTit team is currently an all-female team. I provide every team member with the education and training for skills needed to succeed in digital fashion, including website development, email marketing and social media management.

Collaboration and partnerships are other ways I empower women in digital fashion. THRIFTit collaborates with women in every vertical of digital fashion, including consumer sustainability. We provide fashion pieces to beginner fashion up cyclers and sustainable fashion influencers to express their creativity on digital channels and ultimately influence sustainability). The THRIFTit resale channel also financially empowers women, providing a platform to retail fashion pieces online without technological skills.

Creating content that celebrates women who have achieved success in digital fashion as role models is another way I currently empower women. This inspires other women to pursue careers in digital fashion.

What is your advice to young women who want to be successful in your field?

Digital fashion is an ever-expanding field with many roles, from design to digital marketing and analytics. My advice is to first research available opportunities (or opportunities that can be created) and choose an area of focus without being too limiting. Then, continually gather updated knowledge on that role from people who have succeeded in that role in other economies. Knowledge and technical exposure are competitive advantages in digital fashion, so continually seek those. Finally, use that knowledge and exposure on side projects because experience helps you test and refine your knowledge for target markets. The International Women's Day campaign aims to share the stories of hidden female figures in the digital fashion world.

What inspires you every day?

My inspiration comes from my purpose; to serve and help people, building solutions that alleviate pain and create convenience. I am inspired every day by the power of technology to empower people and my desire to build technological solutions that solve problems for Africans. I am inspired by people who use technology to push the boundaries of what is possible in fashion in Africa.