DiscoverYoruba.com is your one-stop for embracing Yoruba culture, entertainment, and history unfolding.
Today’s interview is with the outstanding Founder/CEO of HeyBeautyCollections, a fashion store that brings Africa, especially Yoruba fashion, to Finland. She shares her journey from when she started to where she is now, and all we hear is resilience! Read this interview to find out more about HeyBeautyCollections’ process, goals, and mouthwatering discounts of over 80%!
1. Tell us your name, qualifications and about your business.
My name is Ojuolape Akinwunmi and I hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Babcock University, Nigeria. I have my master’s degree in international business management from the University of Oulu and I started my business even before I got to Finland. I was running different kinds of businesses in Nigeria before I migrated to Finland.
My business in Nigeria is also quite similar to what I am doing now but it’s just like the other way round. What I do in Nigeria is that I order clothes and accessories from China and Turkey down to Nigeria and I sell in Nigeria. But now, I’m in Finland.
I have some basic knowledge of sewing but major productions are made in Nigeria and sales of clothes are being done here in Finland. Of course, people also place orders to have their clothing made here in Finland, but basically, I sell clothes, accessories, bags, and fabrics, and they are mostly made of African print and African cotton fabrics that are colourful and have vibrant prints, all from Nigeria.
Basically, I got my business idea when I saw that there was no place I could get African clothing with African designs that would really suit this country’s cold climate (Finland). I knew that it was important to have clothes that would suit this location. So I opened up a place in Nigeria where I employed young, female tailors. I made it strictly young female tailors because I realized that back in Nigeria, there are young girls who have learned a trade but don’t have the capacity to set up themselves.
So my aim is to engage these ladies to work at HeyBeautyCollections for a while, train them to be better, also get them to take more courses so they get better in that field and after a while, they are able to stand on their own and set up their own enterprise by themselves.
That’s the goal of HeyBeautyCollections. I am also bringing African style and fabrics and making contemporary designs—things that people abroad can see and wear all year round. We have designs that suit their climate and the people. We are not trying to change the old thing but to create a fusion.
2. What products or services does HeyBeautyCollections offer?
Just like I said earlier, our mission statement is to create pieces with African fabrics to make contemporary designs. Also, sustainability is key for us. We are making designs that you don’t just wear and throw away.
We are also trying to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. And in turn, we are trying to battle hunger back in our country by providing sustainable jobs to our workers with a good salary, not even the average salary in the country. We pay above the minimum wage for our tailors in Nigeria.
The products I offer are clothing, products like earrings from waste products like cartons and juice packs and instead of throwing away the pieces from our fabrics, we put them back into the business and make wearable designs from them. We make scrunches and headbands, all from waste materials. This is a thing that makes us different from other kinds of organizations.
3. What problem does your product/service solve for customers?
Well, in Finland, majorly, it is a rampant thing to see African designs everywhere you go. So this is one problem. A lot of people want to go to Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana, but they may have their own restrictions or fears. With the products we offer at HeyBeautyCollections, we are gradually bringing Africa closer to people in Finland and other places as well.
Also, we make designs people can relate to; for example, we have swimwear, sportswear, jeans, and other things people can wear and feel comfortable in. I know that the African wears can be dramatic and for specific occasions but we have streamlined the designs to what people can resonate with and feel comfortable in.
4. Who is your target audience?
Well, we have had a lot of customers say good things about the business, especially the Finnish people. Of course, the Africans also have good things to say. Our target market is specifically not the African community because we know we are aware of our designs. But the growth of the business cannot be spoken about if we don’t invoke the African community.
The Africans in Finland, in Oulu to be exact, because that’s where the business is located, have made a major contribution to the growth and success of this business, so I cannot take the African community away. But majorly, people who are fascinated by the designs and products are the Finnish people and people abroad generally—in the UK, Italy, Spain, Norway—those are the kind of people that are interested and would love to see the designs to patronize and support the brand.
5. Please share the special promotions or discounts currently running for your business here.
Currently, the promotions we have running are end-of-summer sales, and it’s a 70% discount on all the products we have in stock because we always want people to get our products. At first, I know our prices might be on the high side but if you are going to consider the production costs and all the other costs involved, it is worth the price. During the sales, you can get things at a reduced rate, which would make them affordable to almost anyone.
6. How can readers find your business online?
Well, to find the business, we are on all social media platforms. TikTok (HeyBeautyFinland), Instagram (heybeautycollections_finland), website (heybeautycollectionsfinland.com), and Facebook (Hey Beauty Mom and Kids).
7. If you want, you can offer an exclusive discount for your product/services to our readers
And for the lovely readers of Discover Yoruba, if you want to benefit, you can have an extra 15% (plus the 70% discount) if you’re shopping from the website directly, making it an 85% discount off all the goods. To use the extra 15% discount, all you have to do is type “Thank You,” and you can get it. (Discover Yoruba is grateful for this huge discount. People make haste and grab this opportunity.)
8. Are there any upcoming events/classes or product launches?
On upcoming events and classes, we don’t have any classes going on right now. But we are going to have a product launch which would be in winter. You can get beautiful items in this new product launch.
9. What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
For aspiring entrepreneurs, one thing I would always say is to believe in yourself. Believe in your craft. Whatever you are going to go into, it should be a business you enjoy doing, something you won’t quickly get tired of. Running a business is not an easy peasy thing; it involves everything—your mind, emotions, finances, physical energy, and all that.
So you can’t take away anything. It needs all the attention so if it’s something you don’t enjoy doing, please don’t do it. If it is something you love to do, even during the challenging phases you would still see yourself doing it.
10. Can you provide some tips for getting the most out of your product or service?
HeyBeauty products make versatile clothes that can be worn anytime, any day, anywhere, especially when it’s not sportswear. Even the sportswear can be worn all the time. We have the jogger and hoodie set that I’ve seen people wear to occasions like birthdays or parties. Another thing we are launching is the gift box (gift set) for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, maternity gift boxes, and any kind of gifts for events.
11. What do you think about the Yoruba culture?
The Yoruba culture is a culture that you can’t take out. This is something I appreciate about my business. I am bringing Africans, specifically clothes from the Yoruba people, to the people in the Western world, starting from Finland. For example, I just started working on Adire materials. Adire is from the Egba people of Nigeria. The Adire is specifically known to be done in Abeokuta. I am from Abeokuta, and I love, love, love my city, my tribe, and that I’m a Yoruba woman.
So right now, I’m dedicating a collection specifically to the Egbas, using Adire fabrics to make these designs. I cannot wait for people here to see what I am doing with that. And I know that when you wear African prints or clothing designs of the Yoruba people, it is rich in culture. It has a story. It has a story that we are telling and this is something I want to tell through everything I create. I want to share the story. I want to share the story of how the Egba people were under the rock, and how they enjoyed their time under the rock.
Those are the kinds of things I want to tell through my brand, designs, and everything I do at HeyBeautyCollections.
Thank you so much for having me and choosing to interview HeyBeautyCollections. It’s so much good you’re doing and I appreciate it. I cannot wait to have your readers support and patronize HeyBeautyCollections. Thank you and do have a nice day.
This is the end of our interview with HeyBeautyCollections. Follow the appropriate links to find out more, follow them and benefit from their sales. Did you know Discover Yoruba has merch? Join us to showcase our Yoruba pride, here.
