From an undergraduate hobby to an intercontinental fashion brand - Omobowale Biobaku, CEO Mobos Fashion, shares the story of her 20-year journey

What gives Mobos Fashion its exquisite touch? What is the story behind this lifestyle brand? Conversing about fashion, her entrepreneurial journey and what the future looks like, we engage the CEO of Mobos Fashion and Founder of the Victoria Roberts fashion line in what turned out to be a warm and friendly conversation about Mobos Fashion’s journey.

Mobos Fashion has come a long way since 2001, could you give us a bit of a backstory to what started this journey and what has kept this brand going?

What is now Mobos Fashion started way back in my undergraduate years. I’m always excited to say we started small and grew to where we are today. Mobos Fashion started as a hobby as I have always loved everything fashion.

I just love to look good and also love that everyone around me looks fabulous as well. I ventured into the world of fashion in school, offering lady’s shoes to my friends and I continued throughout my service year. It’s exciting when you can make money from what you love. Fast forward to today, fashion is still my passion.

But today I have taken very seriously to the business of fashion. Fashion is fun but the business of fashion involves a lot of detail and learning.

I would like to encourage anyone who wants to start their own business, to start where they are and with what they have.

Take that leap and the sky is only the beginning.

Your slogan says, Passion, Fashion, Addiction; and it’s no doubt loaded. Please tell us more about what Mobos stands for.

I remember when I got this slogan, I was walking the streets of Istanbul and the thought dropped in my mind: Passion because I love what I do which is obviously Fashion and Addiction because once you have a taste of Mobos, you can’t help but come back for more. That is Mobos Fashion in a nutshell.

On your site you say Mobos is the number one omni channel fashion retail company out of Africa. Tell us what makes Mobos fashion unique from other brands?

Correct, We use the term omni-channel because that’s who we are. We have our physical locations as well as a strong online presence. We are not either or; we are both. And the vision is to extend from Nigeria to other parts of Africa and the world. We aim to be the first fashion omni-channel brand out of Africa and we are extending our borders, one store at a time. While we stand out in so many ways, one special thing about Mobos Fashion is how we uniquely serve each of our customers, giving them the freedom to come back to us if they have any issues with their purchase.

From an undergraduate hobby to an intercontinental fashion brand - Omobowale Biobaku, CEO Mobos Fashion, shares the story of her 20-year journey. Pulse Nigeria

How would you describe Victoria Robert (VR), Mobos Fashion’s exclusive line. And has anyone asked why you didn’t choose a more afro-centric name?

The VR brand is all about wearability. We offer clothes that can be worn all year round. We provide pieces that can be worn and over again. Sustainability is one of our goals. It's also an affordable line for the fabulous luxurious women.

VR is coined from my parents' names, Victoria and Robert. I wanted to always remember them as they both were my greatest influence. Also, VR is a global brand and we wanted a name that can resonate with everyone. We infuse a little bit of Afrocentricity into some of our pieces even if our name isn’t and that's more important to show our roots.

Who is the ideal Mobos Fashion woman? Tell us whom the fashion pieces and the brands you select intend to attract?

Our pieces are delicately designed for the mature and discerning woman. A stylish woman who is also timeless. Fashion does not define her but she defines her own style, and is confident to rock it her own way.

How is your design process for Victoria Robert different from any out there?

Our design process starts from the needs of our customers, once we identify their needs, we then go to the drawing board. We design all of our pieces in house and we get inspiration from global trends and also international designers. Our designs are a mix of wearability, comfort and style.

If I could ask the Mobos Fashion brand to define what fashion is, what would it say?

Fashion is what you make of it. One should define Fashion and not the other way round. We believe fashion should be versatile. You should be able to tweak it to suit your mood. The most important thing is that fashion must make you feel better. You should feel some energy from the way you look.

With already five stores across Lagos, tell us what the future looks like for Mobos Fashion.

We will keep expanding our reach physically while building a stronger online presence. And we will keep pushing to be more inclusive and sustainable.

Why should anyone shop Mobos Fashion?

Aside from offering, quality, stylish, unique and timeless pieces. We offer head to toe styling to the discerning woman who wants to look fabulous, that is the least you are expected to be here at Mobos Fashion. Also our dresses are to live for and you live in our dresses.

Visit mobosfashion.com to learn more and explore wearability, comfort and style from Mobos Fashion.

*This is a featured post.