Conversations with the Inspiring Princess Gbugu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Princess Gbugu.

Afrik Boutique was created to highlight Africa’s exquisiteness through beauty, fashion, and art. Being of Nigerian descents, Princess and Chika wanted to create a brand that expresses culture using African textiles, whilst creating a fashion statement.

The idea came about when Chika trained in Lagos on how to make Ankara handbags. After discovering that there wasn’t a huge selling base of such bags in the US, Princess decided to brand them and create a site where they could be displayed and purchased. The official store was launched on July 18, 2018.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With every business, you will always face obstacles along the way. There will be highs and there will be lows. The important thing is that you understand your purpose and you keep pushing forward. It’s easy just to give up when things aren’t going as planned, but when you reflect on when your business was at a high, you remember why you started.

My advice for any young woman that has a business idea is to create a business plan. Allow that plan to guide your business. It helps to roll your thoughts into a piece of literature that you can always refer back to when you become stuck or even lose sight of your purpose. And the great thing about your business plan is that it can be tweaked over time.

What should we know about AFrik Boutique? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our uniquely designed handcrafted bags are made in Lagos, Nigeria and brought exclusively to our customers. It’s very rare that you will find another like it. Here at Afrik Boutique, you will find authentic, unique, quality pieces designed with bold pops of color.

Our products are noted for their vividly bold color patterns, well crafted with Hi-target Ankara and Hollandaise fabrics. We use high-quality fabrics to ensure durability.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
One barrier in female leadership is visibility. Rarely, in the past, did you see women holding leadership positions or being business driven. Women were seen as caretakers of the home. But today, women are entrepreneurs and are building empires and as a result, I feel that women lack the visibility to get noticed in today’s society.

Women seeking leadership positions work harder to earn attention and trust of their male counterparts in order to grab the opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.afrikboutique.com
• Email: afrikboutique@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afrikboutique/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afrikboutiques/?ref=bookmarks

Image Credit:
Princess Gbugu

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