Fashion Industry

How Mai Atafo Dominated Nigeria’s Fashion Industry

Just by his looks, one can guess his area of expertise. Ohimai

Atafo, popularly known as Mai

Atafo, has succeeded in showing Africans the real deal when it comes to fashion. His story instantly reveals how he dominated the bespoke tailoring scene and curbed the need for imported designed garments.

Coming from Edo State,Mai was born in Ile-Ife, Osun State on the 15th of November, 1977. He started his early education at University Staff School in Benin, concluded his secondary education at Federal Government College, Ido-Ano in Ondo State. Atafo proceeded to study Agricultural Economy and Extension at Edo State University for his first degree and soon moved to bag his second degree at City University, London, where he studied Information System Technology.

Looking back at his educational background, one would say that it was not related to fashion. But even though he didn’t study fashion in school, Atafo had a passion for it even as a child. While in school, he was known for having a unique specialty in understanding the quality of clothes, and to him, his educational journey was a form of exposure to the fashion world.

Shortly after his master’s degree, Atafo came back to Nigeria in 2002 to make a career for himself. He landed his first job as a brand marketer at British American Tobacco Nigeria. After four years, he left to work as a senior brand manager for Guinness foreign extra stout at Diageo management.

Following the Callings of Fashion

While working as a brand manager at Diageo, Atafo’s creative and multitasking nature dug into fashion as well. Not long, he opened his own fashion brand, which he named “Mai Atafo Inspired”, which he actually started up as a mere side hustle, offering little tailoring services to his close friends and making aso-oke waistcoats for weddings. He was able to joggle between his career and evolving fashion brand for three years before he took the big leap and resigned from Diageo.

“I was just working to make a living until the passion for fashion took over, and I decided to do something in fashion. It wasn’t a plan that when I finished working here I would want to go into fashion. Not at all! My passion for fashion just drove me into fashion.” Atafo said in an interview.

Birth of the ATAFO Fashion Brand

After starting his new company in 2010, he began accepting jobs from people, particularly celebrities. Even with countless challenges as a starter, Atafo experienced a quick boost in his brand after dressing Pasuma and Omowunmi Akinnifest for a reality dance TV show known as “Celebrity Takes Two.” The fashion icon discovered his area of expertise and gave the brand its great debut in the production of high-end clothing, showcasing glamorous dresses for women and well-crafted bespoke tailored suits for men. Participating in various fashion weeks while Creating exceptional fashion styles with extra passion also drew a lot of attention to Atafo’s brand. The more he produced, the more attention his brand got.

Mai Atafo hit a major milestone in 2011 after he launched a bridal line named “Weddings By MAI”, which uniquely specialised in evening dresses and wedding gowns. He gave women a chance to celebrate their special day with uniquely designed fairlytale gowns to match the order of the day.

Aside from the several national and international awards his fashion brand has garnered the young fashionista has also in 2017 launched a fashion campaign, Follow Mai Heart, in partnership with Moet and Chandon on his 40th birthday celebration. Atafo said. “This collection is an ode to brides and an inspiration to others because I always FollowMaiHeart.”

Soon, he rebranded his fashion line in 2019 from being known as “Mai Atafo Inspired” to just “ATAFO”, with his reason being that he needed to separate his person from the brand, to enable the brand grow and attain its potential outside of him. New categories of design in children’s clothing, streetwear, and accessories were also introduced as a result of this rebranding.

ATAFO still upholds its daring and inventive designs with the sole intention of serving more clients, developing a platform to empower people, enhancing brand marketing and going global. “I want to be the best suit tailor in Africa.” “ I’m not a sucker for going international because those internationals are trying to come to Africa, so let’s be the champions of Africa before going out to the rest of the world,” Mai Atafo said.