I have often referred to this boutique to various people that have asked as the ‘pet project’ I am working on while I get used to the Nigerian corporate environment.

The truth of the matter is that ‘Leila Fowler’ is an idea that was born since I was a little girl playing with glamorous Barbie dolls and watching the beautiful women in my family go about their daily routines. - Funke Fowler.

Funke Fowler: Very well thank you.

FA: Please give us a brief introduction about yourself.

FF:  My name is Leila Olufunke Fowler. I was named Leila after my paternal grandmother. I have been told that the name Leila is originally of Arabic descent, although now commonly used in the English language to mean ‘oriental beauty’. In Arabic it means ‘night’ or ‘dark beauty’. I am in my mid-twenties and have a BA in Economics from the University of Nottingham and an MBA from AIU.

FA: How did the idea of Leila Fowler manifest, what was your A-Ha! Moment?

FF: That’s not a simple question to answer. I have had the idea to open a boutique for the last 16 years at least. I have always loved fashion and have grown up around very glamorous women. My aunt owned a boutique in Liberia before she passed on and I remember writing in my diary when I was 10 that I was going to grow up and own a boutique just like she did. The A-ha moment I would say, came more for me while I was trying to decide the name of the store. I contemplated between various names and decided on ‘Leila Fowler’ as I wanted the boutique to be very personal and for my clients to feel like they were shopping in my own personal space. Baring in mind also what ‘Leila’ means, what better name than to just call it mine…   

FA: Can you virtually walk us through Leila Fowler, What do we see? What should we expect?

FF: I think I will leave the look of the store for clients to find out on their own, but fashion and style wise one should expect to see unique hand selected pieces from various local and international designers. The store also stocks an extensive designer jewelry collection with the highest quality in sterling silver, precious and semi-precious stones and gold filled pieces.

FA:  How are the brands picked to be in Leila Fowler, and how exclusive should we expect the brands in the boutique to be? Is it also concentrated on just designers of African descent? It’s a very wide variety?

FF: I work with various international suppliers and go through their current collections and pick out the pieces that I think would work best with the overall look and feel of the store. Not forgetting the various needs that Nigerian women may have style, size and culture wise. And yes, I also carry items created by African designers. I am an overall fashion junkie and do not have a particular preference on designers or the cost of an item. I wanted a very eclectic mix of designs in the boutique to satisfy different styles and price ranges. Which to me is what makes a boutique different from just being an ordinary clothing store, the individuality of the pieces in the store. So it was definitely important for me to carry a wide range of designs. I do not usually stock more than a couple of a particular item which helps to keep the uniqueness most women might be looking for style wise.

FA: What is the price range in the store?

FF: That is a question I do not usually answer, but I will say that there is something in the store that meets most price points.

FA: Who is your favorite Fashion Designer? Should we expect to see them in Leila Fowler?

FF: hmm… that is another hard one to answer. I do not have a favorite designer period and am just a fan of beautiful things.  

FA: Any plans of Leila Fowler becoming a department store, with boutiques all over the globe? What city or country should we expect this dose fabulousness next?

FF: I pray that one day ‘Leila Fowler’ would be a chain of exclusive boutiques around Africa, because I believe that there is a great need for that here. But more importantly I want the store to always have the personal hands on feel it has at the moment.   

FA: Fabulous! For aspiring boutique owners out there, would you like to give a brief process on how you got to this point? Anything they should be aware of?

FF: This boutique has been a very personal project for me and one that a lot of time and effort has gone into. I think that for everyone that is in the process of opening a new business especially one so personal, they will find as I did, that a lot of hard work, patience and attention to detail is very important. Once all of that is in place, everything with the grace of God will fall into place.

FA: Well, Funke, we have no doubt you are a pioneer when it comes to blessing the City of Lagos with a fresh and Luxurious experience when it comes to boutiques, we wish you the best, any gifts you want to leave our readers?.. like discounts?!>.. :).. HAHA! Take care!

FF: Thank you very much for wanting to talk about the store and we look forward to helping your readers find that special item. Discounts? Hmm… that’s something we just might be able to arrange.

See pictures of the opening of Leila Fowler in the events section on FashionAfrica.com

- Wadami.

Tags: Interview