Friday, March 29, 2024
Meet the Founder

Meet Fajuke Babajide of Inklar, a Startup Allowing Nigerians Order Customized Wears Online

Customized clothes have become increasingly popular. A lot of organisations use it for branding, people use it to show their personality while others use it for events.

Printed t-shirts are not new and have been part of the global fashion industry for quite some time. What’s new is how technology is allowing designers and printers to push the boundaries with their products and introduce new, innovative ways of meeting the needs of customers.

We came across Inklar, an online platform that gives individuals the opportunity to design and customize their own clothings, and have it delivered to them within days.  In an interview with the founder, Fajuke Babajide, he revealed more about the services they offer and how the journey has been so far.

Can we Meet you?

My name is Fajuke Babajide, from Osun State, Nigeria. I recently graduated from University of Lagos where I studied Systems Engineering. I’m a very jovial person and I love everything about computers and what they are capable of.

Tell us about Inklar

Inklar is an online platform that lets you design t-shirts to taste and have it delivered to your doorstep in less than 5 working days. Although we are not limited to tees alone, we have a variety of items you can customize including sweatshirts, caps, mugs, and Throw Pillows. We also offer bulk customization and branding for SMEs.

What’s the Motivation behind Inklar?

The motivation behind Inklar was when I noticed that often, people get quotes or images from either songs or movies stuck in their head and they just want to have it on a shirt.

Hence a website where all you had to do was upload that particular picture or input that quote as a text, drag and drop and viola, you just designed a shirt. All you have to do when that is done is to make an order.

We introduced ease and convenience by allowing Nigerians to operate from the comfort of their homes or office and have it delivered to to them.

How does the Platform Work?

The platform is very easy to use. Users select the item they want to customize; add design, text or image, either by selecting from our predefined designs or uploading one. They then preview and order the item. Optionally, users can contact us if they don’t find what they are looking for.

What are Some of the Biggest Hurdles you Crossed while Trying to Launch Inklar

One of them was sourcing quality fabric and materials, which at the time was a huge hurdle but we crossed it.

How Difficult was Raising Capital to Start?

It wasn’t  so difficult because we the team built almost everything needed to start up. We didn’t have to pay to get most of it done. That saved a lot of cost.

What Differentiates you from other Startups Offering Similar Services in Nigeria?

Most startups offering online customization don’t have a platform where users can design and preview what they want to order, they only offer calls and WhatsApp reach. The ones that do have are either very slow, buggy, unresponsive or not flexible enough. Our online product designer has the best UX and UI in the local market. We specialize in wears and we are very good at that.

Another strong thing that differentiates us is the experience we have gained and the portfolio of clients we have worked with, including SimplePay, Jara.ng, TechinPink, Techpoint, AfricaMagic, and a host of others.

How do you Make Profit?

We make profit on the margins gained from the cost of one item.

How has the Response from the Public Been?

Response has been fantastic. With the little awareness we have done, we have seen lots of traffic. Our SEO is really strong and it’s driving a lot of people to our website most of which convert.

Finally, what Advice do you Have for Young Entrepreneurs Like Yourself?

Never stop dreaming.
Never stop chasing.
Never stop believing.

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