The Vintage Colette Woman Series Photoshoot

The Vintage Colette photo shoot was inspired as a form of tribute to celebrate female entrepreneurs as every day women. We wanted to bridge the gap and allow our customers to relate well with our brand. We decided to start with entrepreneurial women from a vast range of businesses who understood what it meant to run a business within Nigeria. It took four months to prepare for this photo shoot from day one to the day of the photo shoot. Even though I had initially been advised against the idea as this was contrary to what any Nigerian designer had ventured into, I chose to go ahead because I was a woman, a designer and an entrepreneur. I knew that I could be as contrary as I wanted to be because otherwise, I would be in a constant state of collapse whenever I innovated anything.

I wanted to celebrate these women who are realistic, strong, focused and determined to excel. They motivate me and consistently keep myself and other women true to their core. Each fabric, style and color was designed for the persona and style of the female entrepreneur wearing Vintage Colette. The looks are different, but the souls are the same, as are the things and people that constantly inspire me in life. That is the true persona of the Vintage Colette woman. 

This photo shoot is a celebration of personal style that ignores the demand from the outside, a carefully followed and well researched journey, one that I hope would serve me for many more years ahead. 

- Binta Shuaibu

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The Vintage Colette Woman Series: Wonuola 'Omowo' Sanni

Wonuola ‘Omowo’ Sanni is a political science enthusiast and a catering extraordinaire. She enjoys the art of cooking and serving great food. She has so much passion for what she does that she could splurge her last cash on a fine set of dinning plates.
I Just Wanted to do Something Different
In 2010, I started a catering company called Good Eats. We specialize in gourmet hors d'oeuvres, finger foods and canapés. I’ve always had a passion for cooking and I’ve always wanted to do something in the food industry, but I didn’t exactly know what that was many years ago. I saw that everyone was into catering things like rice, fufu and other things, but I just wanted to do something different. I wanted a challenge. I started doing finger foods as a hobby and the response I got was quite good and because we were in Nigeria, people loved the idea of having unique and different types of finger foods than the usual buns etc. But again, because we are in Nigeria my best-selling product was still the “puff-puff” of course *laughs.* Right now, we also have this branded chilli that has been doing very well..

I Found Time to Develop My CraftAfter graduation, I decided to try entrepreneurship. I sold clothes amongst other legit items but nothing worked. My mother had always been my pillar of support considering that parents of that generation always wanted their kids to study professional courses. For that I would always be grateful to her. I remember when I started my business; on my 1st job I had to borrow a camping gas to cook. I also borrowed table cloth from my aunt *laughs* and that only made me more determined.

Good eats is not your average food service provider. What sets us apart is our unique plating, presentation and display. I started the company by turning my hobby into a profit making venture. I found the path I wanted to follow and found time to develop my craft, train a few others and took things one step at a time. The company has grown from catering for 50 guests to catering for 500-1000 guests at multiple events every weekend. I'm looking forward to making the company recognized nationwide and globally. In the nearest future, I also want to start an agency where people can hire cooks and chefs that have been trained by us.

If the Cost of Living was Cheaper, Nigerian Businesses Would Do BetterElectricity is a big challenge for most businesses here in Nigeria and I’m not excluded from this challenge. The electricity here makes it difficult to run my business. I could be making spring rolls for a large order-and as you may know, they need to thaw a little and freeze. But the spring rolls could be in the freezer overnight and we lose electricity. It's definitely frustrating because we have to throw food away at times. The Nigerian government should address the electricity issues, along with the cost of living. The cost of living in Nigeria should be way cheaper than it currently is. If the cost of living was cheaper, Nigerian businesses would do better because in addition to the high costs of rent and land, you have infrastructural costs, diesel costs and so on.

The Vintage Colette Brand
This photo shoot was a privilege and I am glad that I was a part of it as it was something completely different for me. It was a lifestyle shoot, and the cooking life is anything but glamorous *laughs.* The Vintage Colette brand is a very relatable brand. The clothes are really different. They are conservative, but relatable and very ready for wearing. I’ll be wearing Vintage Colette for many years to come.

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