Where you at the First Ladies Pink Ball organised by Optimal Care Foundation in 2016? Well, if you weren’t then you missed. I can’t forget quickly how the hall at Intercontinental Hotel in Victoria Island Lagos metamorphosed right before our eyes into a beautiful and exquisite space. The chandeliers, the table arrangements and covers, the drapes, the colour coordination…gosh! simply stunning! Guess who the event manager/decorator was? She is the gorgeous Remi Olaleye, who wears two caps being the MD/CEO of Rexkraft Events and secondly Michelles Jewellery. I wouldn’t have expected less from a master of a craft which she has completely embodied and has been doing so consistently and distinctively for 13 years and still counting.
Armed with a BSc in Economics, a PGD in project management, an MBA majoring in management and strategy, and a Masters degree in Industrial Relation and Personnel Management Relations, Remi is surely the entire package of beauty and brains.
Her passion for her work was inspired by her mother. In her words, “My mum was the Manager, Clothing and Accessories Department at the then Kingsway stores both at Marina and Apapa. I enjoyed doing my internship there during the summer holidays and my interest in beautiful clothing and accessories grew from my days interning at the store. My mum is very fashionable and loves to buy unusual and unique jewellery pieces. This further sparked my interest in the jewellery line of business so let’s just say I got my inspiration from my darling mum” she responds with a smirk.
Remi’s love for event planning and decoration was also a spin off from her love for all things beautiful. “I love clean spaces and I love for things to be organised and in a timely manner. I started off helping friends and family decorate and organise their homes and from there, I organised my elder sister’s 50th birthday about ten years ago and was encouraged by everyone to give it a shot and that birthed Rexkraft Events in 2004.” Remi states.
Truth is, over the past 10 years, Nigeria has enjoyed the services of professional and amazingly talented event planners and decorators, the industry has really grown however, Remi opines strongly that as far as Rexkraft is concerned, their unique, simple yet classy designs especially in floral artistry is their selling point. “We are also known for our top notch table setting and exquisite linen and accessories. When we started, we were the ‘Mecca’ for unique centrepieces and accessories and we still are. We even cater to other planners and decorators alike. Our core purpose is pushing the boundaries of innovation everyday” she reveals.
For her, challenges are mere stepping stones to greatness. Hear her view “I see challenges as stepping stones because they make us strive harder to be the best and bring new innovations and designs to our clients. However, I must not fail to say that the economic situation of the country is not really helping matters as most of our props are sourced abroad, the exchange and importation policies have not helped in our line of business but it has pushed us to be more creative in using our locally made materials in creating unique props which our clients have come to accept and love” Remi tells me.
Asked what inspires her and she says “I am inspired by places and nature and I go for a lot of trainings abroad to keep abreast of new designs and innovation in the industry. I am also inspired by the work of other A list event designers and their work, they make me push to be the best everyday”.
For anyone encouraged to come into her line of business, she has this to say to you. “Patience, perseverance and integrity is key. Rome was not built in a day. You must learn to take a step at a time and strive to give the client their best no matter how low budget the brief is” she advices.
Sharing on her other arm of business which is the jewellery line, Remi says “Michelles Jewellery is a spinoff of the event business. Most brides we work with ask me to source jewelleries, head bands, tiaras and so on for them and I did this a couple of times and later decided to go into the line of business two years ago. This business started as a full business venture”. She says and adds “So far, we thank God, we have over 800 clients and we have served and spread across all parts of Nigeria. We also have clients in the UK, Canada, United States and Dublin. We source our pieces from all over the world; anywhere you find any unique piece you will find us there”
“We sell high grade platinum based pieces and there are no exceptions. Everything we stock we sell out within two days. We mostly sell earrings faster than 2piece sets as most clients just want to pair nice earrings with their outfit.” She concludes.
On her view on Nigerian women and style, hear what she has to say. According to Remi, “Nigerian women are very stylish, fashionable and informed. They push us to source for the latest and most unique pieces around the world and our clients range from ages 20 and above.”
The exchange rate hasn’t been encouraging but we are thankful it has gradually begun to drop. This creates hope for businesses like the ones Remi has. She agrees to this and adds “Yes the exchange rate has been bad but we are grateful to the government for alleviating our plight by pegging the rate down. It’s quite encouraging but we pray it gets better. We remain hopeful” says Remi.
I took her into the future of her business by asking where she believed her business would be in five years and her optimism knew no limits. Hear her “We are trusting God to have our own event centre. This has been in the pipeline for years and we are about to wrap up on it. It will be unique and tasteful, a completed centre that will be the number one location in Ikeja GRA in Lagos, for events.”
“For Michelles Jewellery, we will go into production of jewellery cleaning, accessories and personalized jewellery cases. We are planning to open two more stores in Ikoyi and Lekki to serve our clients on the Island.” She confirms.
We end the interview with words of appreciation to God and her family. “I remain grateful to God for my husband and children. They bring me joy and that positivity helps me even at work.”
KEMI AJUMOBI
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