A young entrepreneur is trying to ease into the Ottawa fashion space with the launch of his leisure clothing brand.
Lazy Day founder Prince Ikpesu, 19, emigrated from Nigeria at age 18 to study in Canada. The Algonquin College computer engineering student said he was inspired to create his brand last summer when his friends were talking about back-to-school shopping.
“We were talking about what (clothes and shoes) we were going to buy for school. My friend started naming brands like Nike or Puma. I said, ‘You’re just following the crowd. Get something new and be yourself.’ So I decided to make a brand that represents me,” he told OBJ on Monday.
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Once Lazy Day officially launches, it will offer hoodies, t-shirts, hats and sweatpants. Ikpesu said the brand’s vision is to focus on downtime as much as work.
“How many times have you sat up, looked around, sighed and let the words, ‘I’m tired’ slip from your mouth? We all have. That’s why everyone deserves a lazy day — one to chill, be happy, and find true peace. At Lazy Day, we treat your downtime with respect by offering comfy, sustainable outfits that remind you to relax in style,” Ikpesu said in an email to OBJ.
Ikpesu is largely running the business by himself, although some friends have lent a helping hand, whether with business advice or helping with marketing content.
“I have a few people who are involved in the business. My friend Davis has been helping me with the website. My friend Abdul gave me some great advice. I’m really grateful to have (friends) like them,” Ikpesu said.
In the short time he’s been in Canada, he said it has shown him that “if you put your mind to stuff, you (can) actually make it,” and he intends to leave his mark.
“I’m trying to make people see that we (Africans) can actually do something in lands that are not ours,” he said.
Leaving his family to study in Canada and trying to start a business has not been easy, Ikpesu said, especially since he’s hit a few speed bumps along the way, such as lack of funds and manufacturing capacity.
Though the road to entrepreneurship in a foreign country has its challenges, Ikpesu said he’s up for it.
“When I started this brand, a friend of mine told me that this wasn’t going to work because (I’m) Nigerian and starting (my brand) in Canada. (He said) if (I) started in Nigeria, this was going to be quite easy, but I didn’t let that stop me,” Ikpesu said.
Hoping to inspire other young immigrant entrepreneurs, Ikpesu said that, despite challenges, the only way to go is forward.
“My message to people who are in my situation is that you can’t give up because everything doesn’t look good. There’s a saying in Nigeria that says, ‘Before today is as bright as it is right now, there’s always midnight.’ So things do get better,” Ikpesu said.
For now, Ikpesu is working with a friend to complete the brand’s website and he looks forward to putting out more social media content by the end of the month.
He said he plans on filming promotional videos for social media soon and will organize a basketball tournament this summer to promote the brand.
“The main idea is to host a basketball tournament where people can come play and win different customized tees as prizes and some cash as well,” he said.
When looking at opportunities for growth, Ikpesu said he plans on reaching out to wellness brands to collaborate.
“(Our vision) is trying to make people feel calm and just relax. It would make sense if we collaborated with wellness brands who might provide candles and other stuff to create the scene of relaxation,” he said.
As the brand grows, Ikpesu said sustainability will be at the heart of manufacturing.
“When our brand eventually does kick up, we plan on (having) a more decent approach to fashion. We don’t stand for innocency, so we’re not going to support it in our clothing (either). We already have some guidelines for (the) designing of our clothes,” he said.
For now, when it comes to starting and scaling his business, Ikpesu said he is looking for guidance and mentorship from whomever can help.
“We’re just starting in this business. We have no idea what we’re doing so we would really like to reach out to people who already know the business and are willing to show us the rules and how you do it,” he said.
Though there is a long way to go, Ikpesu said the greatest feeling on his journey so far was seeing his ideas become a reality.
“I was so happy when (the first hoodie) came out, because I was like, ‘This is no longer what you see on the computer. It’s actually something that could come out in real life,’” he said.
