The Inside Story with Yanga Tribe
Philip Uzuazomaro David is the Creative Director of Yanga Trybe, an Afro futuristic streetwear brand. David is a graduate of pharmacy and a certified instructor in pattern drafting, garment construction and fashion illustration. He was listed amongst the 10 best upcoming designers at the Lagos Fashion Week 2020.
How Did The Journey to Yanga Trybe Begin?
It began after graduating from pharmacy but even before then; while in school I was more in tune with arts even though I was in sciences. I loved rap music, I draw portraits and created my own manga comics. In my 300 level I had an incident that sealed my mind, I was reading for a professional exam and I didn’t know how I slept walked from my library to my hostel and fell asleep till the next day, I woke up and I was scared, like this is how people go mad from excessive reading, there and then I made up my mind, I was going to graduate so people don’t think I’m an olodo, but I can’t live the rest of my life like this
I hated pharmacy and I studied pharmacy because my father say so, and back then I couldn’t challenge my dad, he’s like an authoritarian, but now he has cooled down though.
After graduation I refuse to sit for my induction or collect my license to practice, I then wanted to get a skill as a young man I tried many things, I started blogging then I opted for photography because I loved pictures, but then when I wanted assistance in getting a camera from mu aunt;
my aunt advised me to learn fashion as against photography, that she has seen my artistic prowess and I can express it more with fashion
I prayed for 3 months before taking the decision because it was new to me, I barely knew anything about fashion. But then I had peace in my spirit and I started by registering in a road side tailor back then in oleh, Delta State. And that’s how my journey into the fashion industry began
The Growth
It’s been a journey of grace, God has shown me mercy, from learning tailoring in a small shop in Delta State to taking the courage to move to Lagos and here we are owning a Fashion School and Show Room.
I started the brand it self Yanga Tribe from my pastors son's room in Ogba, Ikeja and today we have a work studio, an Atelier walk in studio, and our designs are at retail stores around Lagos.
We currently operate 3 course fashion school where I teach fashion designing, garment construction and fashion illustration, we’ve started a little foundation named Yanga cloth a child initiative and we also give scholarships to women on a yearly basis.
The Marketing and PR Journey
my marketing structure is tacky if I do say so myself, but I’m always well dressed so people are attracted to me and I get the questions like "who made your outfit?" So I sell myself, I do post on social media a lot, and get a lot of attention from there as well as Fashion Shows and
my biggest part of marketing has been referral, I always deliver on my word as a designer and clients in return becomes loyal to the brand.
The Future of Yanga Tribe
The goal for Yanga Trybe is to become a household name, just like the big fashion houses Gucci, Fendi and Armani, we are on the journey to becoming a household name in Nigeria and a recognizable Fashion Brand on the World Stage. Yanga Trybe is highly acceptable amongst young people, however we are currently trying to break through the older generation market. We hope to see old men and women wear Yanga Tribe with pride.
Your Thoughts About The Nigeria Fashion Industry
The Nigerian fashion industry needs a better structure and Government support, if the government can make favorable policies and create a kind of standard so that not everything is accepted as a norm. It would help sanitize the fashion industry. The fashion industry globally is a 6 trillion dollar industry, back in 2018 when I read the statistics, imagine what it is today, and Africa only makes 3% of its annual revenue, and in Africa; South Africa makes a chunk of that 3%, Nigeria with a tailor in almost every family still haven’t been able to tap into this wealth in fashion. We have so many tailors and Nigeria still import load of low grade clothes from turkey and China, we are missing something and it must be addressed.