DESIGNER DOSSIER OF NIKI KAY

ADENIKE aka NIKI KAY is a fast rising celebrity designer who plays with vibrant colours to create her special kind of unique collections. Her outfits are easy to wear and if you are a lover of art and colours then the brand is something to look out for. Niki Kay shares her story breaking through from 2013 with EM’S DAMILOLA SHOTE

HOW DID THE JOURNEY BEGIN?
Funny thing…I started my career out in Banking but I had always known I wanted to go into Fashion, sketching and designing every time I got the opportunity to. I decided to go into Fashion fully in 2013. So, I enrolled at Nobel Afriq, did a brief spell there and started my brand, NIKI KAY shortly afterwards, armed only with my knowledge from Nobel Afriq, my MBA from Kingston and some fund to start my very first collection. Along the line, I built the brand name NIKI KAY, perfected my craft, made my brand indispensable to a large number of customers and here we are.

WHATS YOUR SIGNATURE STYLE?
Edgy, wearable and classy! There’s always a bit of a thrill in my designs…frills, flares, deconstructs, I design with the intent to stay a few steps ahead of the game

WHATS BEEN YOUR BEST MOMENTS AS A DESIGNER?
There have been so many, can’t quite pin point one.
Costuming for The Wedding Party 2 this year was definitely a good moment for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the project.
Fashion week is a moment I look forward to every year as well…seeing my well thought out collection coming to life successfully on the Runway is just priceless.
The sheer joy on a customer’s face when she fits an outfit and it’s all perfectly fitted on her is another moment I wouldn’t trade.

WHATS BEEN YOUR WORST MOMENTS AS A DESIGNER?
Can’t remember any really. I try not to dwell on the negatives in the business. I continue to work hard and strive to achieve greater feats in the industry.

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, WHATS BEEN YOUR RESPONSE FROM CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION?
11, lol. Customer service and satisfaction is very key to the brand, we do our best and then some to make sure customers always leave happy. We therefore have great feedback from our customers

WHICH CELEBRITIES HAVE WORN YOUR BRANDS?
Tewa Onasanya, Yemi Alade, Ireti Doyle, Sola Sobowale, Patience Ozokwor, Rachel Oniga, Tale Alimi, Tala Adeshina. We are currently working on a few more for the next few months.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK WITH PLEASURE?
I guess when you love what you do as much as I do, work can certainly be pleasurable. But I make a conscious effort to create enough time away from work with my family (hubby and kids especially). With my friends by spending time with them, we always end up talking about NIKI KAY and them placing orders, so, I guess you could say I work and have fun all at the same time.