“Growing up, I had to hustle a lot. My dad died before I was five.” True! This is the testimony of Nigeria’s most sought after fashion designer, who grew from charging twelve thousand naira to sew dresses to charging over a million naira to make a dress.
Victoria James, popularly known with the fashion brand name, Veekee James is an indigene of Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. She was born and grew in Ajegunle, Lagos State. She lost her father before she clocked five years. Thus, her mum was left alone to cater for three children, including the child she was pregnant with at her husband’s demise. It was a stormy time for the James family. It is pertinent to state that Veekee James has not failed to recognise and appreciate the effort of her father brothers in supporting her early education.
The young Victoria’s mother took it on herself not to remarry after her husband’s demise, she was sold on the development of her children but the question was, “Will it be in Ajegunle?” It is no news that Ajegunle is a part of Lagos considered to be amongst the dreaded parts to train a child. Children who had both parents alive, appeared wayward. So, what would become of a widow whose only option was to grow her children within that vicinity.
Little Victoria saw in her mother a woman who understood the assignment of parenting beyond just birthing children. Unlike the parents within the environment, little Victoria’s mother walked her talk. She advised her children not to mess around with the vices of youthful loss. As a mother, never was she messing around with men in order to cater for her children. This act of Victoria’s mother spoke louder than the oral advice she gave her kids.
Industrious little Victoria was never satisfied with her environment, she knew that there was more to life and there are certain qualifications to get into certain rooms, one of these qualifications include, financial stability. Thus, she ensured that she was engaged in certain jobs that assisted the financial purse of the house, from making kolo, saving box to becoming a hairstylist, she was hardworking, at least she could afford to buy Indomie and egg at her convenience.
Little Victoria was not just beautiful, she was and is still brilliant. It was the wish of family members that she become a Medical Doctor. After years of not gaining admission to study the academic course ‘of her dreams’. She went to Uyo for a preferred course, with the expectation that upon completion of the pre degree programme, she would be offered admission into the school as a two hundred level student of Medicine.
Having completed the Pre Degree programme, she was offered Biochemistry, contrary to her intention to study Medicine. She accepted the offer to study Biochemistry, as she could not bear staying home after years of seeking admission into the Nigerian university system.
While in the university, she toggled between school work and business life, for she was not just a student of Biochemistry, she was a full time professional make-up artist and hair stylist. While she earned money, her academics suffered. In her third year her academic grades were poor. No! This was not because she was a dull student, it was simply because she enjoyed her business life more and dedicated more time to it. Once a test was conducted in class by a lecturer in her absence, she did go back to explain her absence to the lecturer for the possibility of a makeup test to commensurate her absence.
This went on until her final academic year. It was clear that her grades were poor and measures had to be taken to avert a spill over in school. She approached certain lecturers pleading for means for an upgrade of results or right means through which the poor graded could appreciate to avoid spending extra years than bargained in school. Unfortunately, the mediocre mind of some cruel ill-mannered lecturers with no morals, requested that the young beautiful Victoria commit fornication with them. What an eyesore!
The young and beautiful Victoria concluded that since she was not ready to give in to the demands of these selfish lecturers and would not want to risk spending extra years in school without knowing the day of her victory, she did dropout and move on with her life. This was the end of her chronicles at the University of Uyo.
Now in her mother’s house at Ajegunle, to her amazement, a lot of persons around her were makeup artist. Thus, she wondered if it was wise for her to continue the business of being a makeup artists, “If everyone around her was a makeup artist, who would refer the other?” This question drove her to her childhood love which she learnt from her mother but barely desired to pursue it cause, as she perceived that despite her mother’s dedication to the skill, the income from the skill was not commended. Anyway, she began fashion design.
Victoria James began fashion design in 2018, in her mother’s sitting room. She made beautiful dresses, attracting consumers her way. In less than a year of engaging in the enterprise, she had made sufficient money to take her out of her mother’s house to Magodo, Lagos State. Her mother had given her one of her apprentice to work with her daughter, Victoria.
In less than two years of moving to Magodo, Victoria James had saved enough funds to relocate to the Island in Lagos.
We are in 2023, reading through and seeing that Veekee James began fashion design in her mother’s sitting room in 2018, will leave you in awe at how fast her growth was. Well, here is one more surprise to burst your bubbles, aside from the fact that she had gone into the university to study an academic course completely out of the concept of fashion design, Victoria James never learnt fashion design from an instructor, she had learnt the basic from her mother and this is something she learnt while growing as she saw her mother make dresses. This does not undermine the fact that she has unskilled herself in understanding the business of fashion design as well as certain nitty-gritty associated with her industry.
Today, she is described as a popular Nigerian fashion designer, entrepreneur, professional makeup artist, content creator, social media influencer, internet personality, and public figure.
Veekee James is a renowned business lady in Africa identified for how apt she proclaims her Christian faith. Thus, she publicly ascribes her fast paced success to God.
This story, written in few words, is a summary of over fifteen years of a lady whose steps are ordered by God.
While making my research, I was as inspired as you are. Indeed, the child of a nobody can become a somebody.
About the Author
So inspired, God indeed ordered her steps.
Kudos to the story writer, for these together.
Thank you Olamide, your positive comments is well appreciated.