By Clara Gaiya

My meeting with the CEO of TheeBig Nigeria was an experience that was both rewarding and exhilarating. That day, it was extremely hot. Despite the heat from the scorching sun, there was this warmness that assured me of a worthwhile exercise. I already scheduled a meeting with the brand lead of TheeBig Nigeria and I was quite enthusiastic to see the big man behind the big brand.

As I sauntered into the road along Akoka area of Lagos metropolis, ignoring the ray of the eye of heaven that almost depleted all the layers of my sunscreen, I began to wonder what the angle to the interview would look like. For the most part, my experience with the brand was at first online and this is because the social media, especially Instagram, enables very engaging consumer-brand experience. While on transit, I couldn’t help but rethink the weird nature of the CEO as he insisted on not attaching a face to his brand. But at this point, I was pumped and looking forward to popping the question, “why don’t we ever see your face?”

I got the most unexpected response from the CEO of TheeBig when he disclosed that his creativity and inspiration are mostly triggered by animals. This was new and little wonder he has a beautiful cat. This was weird but phenomenal, and I must confess that there’s this thing about this brand that is not Yoruba-like, but Lagos, that comes with unique element and vibe that this brand aptly incorporates in its designs.

The not-so-long journey ended almost abruptly considering that I had been in my head all through. The Lagos-traffic factor had nothing on me and I couldn’t be happier. I finally met Mr. Allen Segun Agboola, the adorable CEO of TheeBig Nigeria. I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t a little distracted by his youthfulness, beauty, and quiet mien. But I snapped back, quickly refocusing myself as I excitedly exchanged pleasantries. The most intriguing part of this meeting, just like the sublime entrepreneurial world, is the domination of the younger generation whose brilliance and resilience in both brand and business building, are noteworthy. I quickly delved into the main business of our long-awaited chat.

Just before we started off, I had a hunch that the fashionista was somewhat conservative and protective of his intellectual property. When he began to talk, his passion for the creativity, fashion, and style became unmissable. I couldn’t agree less because his styles are indeed unique. From across where we sat, there was a little exhibition on-going and I couldn’t get my eyes off it.

Meanwhile, I got the most unexpected response from the CEO of TheeBig when he disclosed that his creativity and inspiration are mostly triggered by animals. This was new and little wonder he has a beautiful cat. This was weird but phenomenal, and I must confess that there’s this thing about this brand that is not Yoruba-like, but Lagos, that comes with unique element and vibe that this brand aptly incorporates in its designs.

Our chat felt like a first date, with me newly falling in love with fashion. The CEO’s self-discipline and his yearning for brand building was noticeable. But he refused to disclose the reason for his no-face identity. Not to forget how he is rapidly gaining ground with his exquisite designs being rocked by influencers and celebrities. I was privileged to touch some of these clothes and the fabrics felt as smooth as butter. I couldn’t resist getting a shirt, which cost me ₦10,000…money well spent. You can guess I couldn’t get enough of this meeting but it was time to hit the road.

When I posed the teaser about his favourite part of being a fashion designer, the style connoisseur said creating unique styles give him contentment and self-fulfillment. He cited culture, animals, and environment as major contributors to his inspirations.

Trucker hats, tee shirts, cargo pants, puffer jackets, hoodies and shorts, among others, are the merchandise available for purchase under the brand.

The Lagos-born entrepreneur who defined fashion as a combination of self-expression, a popular trend or style, especially when it comes to clothing, said creativity, apt sewing and top-notch sketching are requisite skills that set a fashion designer from a tailor. He stated that staying atop the game is a function of one’s ability to pay attention to details while also keeping up with some of the latest styles, trending fashion TV shows, the fashion week, and relevant happenings on the social media. The creative designer added that cargo pants and oversized T-shirts emerged in the early 2000s, went on a lowkey, only to resurface in 2020, with features like the many large pockets. Amazingly, they are now unisex with females adding feminine touches to their clothes.

TheeBig brand presents these fashionable street wears, encapsulated with “Nigerianness”. These wears are extra comfortable but fit more into the entertainment industry than the typical workplace.

An excellent example of a few of the target markets of Theebig can be found in the tech community, telecoms, and creative agencies where we have less tolerance for formalities. Here, you find people who dress down and incorporate these wears into their system. Also, typical workplaces with not too stringent dress codes allow their employees to dress down on Fridays or whenever they have ad-hoc engagements.

On his aspiration and projection, the pets’ lover said: “Ten years from now, I would like to have grown within the same company I started with, having acquired skills enabling me to establish myself worldwide.”

Clara Gaiya, an entrepreneur, writes from Lagos.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.