Nigeria’s fashion industry was agog last week as the Veekee James Luxury Fashion Masterclass which saw the training of 110 fashion designers from within and outside the country got underway in the highbrow Lekki area of Lagos, the country’s commercial capital.

The three-day intensive luxury fashion masterclass put together by award-winning Nigerian fashion designer, stylist and professional makeup artiste, Veekee James, took participants including established and upcoming fashion CEOs and fashion brand founders through courses that included Veekee James Signature Corset, Master the art of fitting, The importance of Packaging, How to become a Successful Fashion Designer, How to market your fashion brand on social media, How to create your own designs, How to survive in the fashion industry, and How to give value and charge your worth.

With a fee of N500,000 per participant, it was clear that the class was not for freshers as the intent was to lift these fashion designers to the point where they can take their fashion brand to a different positive level after the masterclass.

It was also an opportunity for the participants to network with their peers from across the world as well as fashion industry leaders and CEOs.

“Biggest takeaway for me is just basically how to manage my business and package my brand properly, because I have been running my business for five years now and I don’t have proper management, marketing, or even how to post well on social media. So I would say I really took home something big from the masterclass,” Rukevwe Aquila Unuefevwa, CEO, De_real_Aquilasfashion, told The Nigerian Observer in a chat.

Unuefevwa further said the masterclass would have positive impact on the Nigerian fashion scene as it would help to uplift many fashion brands because Veekee James taught them how to create their own designs and not to copy other designers.

“This will really make Nigerian designers to come up with new ideas on how to do their own designs instead of copying from others, because creating their own designs will actually bring out their own brand in Nigeria,” she said.

Other Nigerian fashion designers who took part in the masterclass for upgrade included Precious Tonna, CEO of Precious Apparel Fashion Academy, Atufe Blessing, CEO of Atufe’s Finery, Okekhian Marian, CEO of Rian Couture, Ezinne Olivia, CEO of Ezvia Fashion Academy, and many more.

Writing about her masterclass experience on her Facebook wall, Founder and CEO of Eaglesmind Couture Academy located at Onitsha, Anambra State, Joy Uzor, said, “I have been wondering why Veekee James wasn’t scared to reveal the depths of her business secrets to us. Veekee James literally emptied herself to us.

“Honestly, the over 1.4 million naira I spent for these 3-day Luxury Master Class is so worth it.”

She thanked God for making the funds available and her husband for his immense support “on this journey to another level”.

The participants received certificates of completion at the end of the masterclass.

Meanwhile, the Veekee James Luxury Fashion Masterclass FINALE NIGHT took place on the third day of the masterclass, 12 August 2023. It was hosted by Enioluwa and Tomike. Speakers were Mr Maiatafo and Mr Ugo Monye, while the Guest Speaker was Chef Hilda Baci, current holder of the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time.

The final day saw the participants competing in areas like draping, where the winner took home the sum of N300,000. Similarly, the best dressed fashion designer went home with the sum of N400,000.

Unusually, the judges started gifting some fashion designers who they felt also dressed well. One of the lucky fashion designers, Okekhian Marian of Rian Couture, was gifted the sum of N1 million by Pretty Mike of Lagos; another designer got N600,000, while yet another received N450,000.