Some Japanese and American designers roasted Africans, calling us mere consumers. Jumoke Dada took it personally, and turned it into a success story, called taeillo. In this article, we’ll discover who Jumoke Dada is, why she chose to build a furniture company and the factors that enabled her ascent.
taeillo (pronounced tailor) is a child of happenstance. Its founder, 27-year-old Jumoke Dada, had no intentions of starting a furniture business. But sometime in 2016, she attended an interior design conference, and that was where everything changed.
At the conference, Jumoke listened as some Japanese and American designers lambasted Africans. “You black folks… are just consumers. You guys don’t produce anything.” Jumoke recollects them saying.
Now, before you conclude that these were the stereotypical comments of some prejudiced Asian and caucasian folks, it’s important to make these two statements.
Sometimes, The Truth Stings
First, the remarks are true. As we all know, Africa does a terrible job of maximizing the human and material resources we’re blessed with. Two, it appears these foreigners intended to inspire, challenge, and spur action, not belittle.
“You guys need to start creating more,” they said, according to Jumoke’s account of the experience. And their mission, intentional or not, was successful. Although I doubt Jumoke sent them a thank you note, we have them to thank for spurring her to launch what is now a multi-million dollar furniture company, taeillo.
Jumoke Dada’s vision is to see taeillo become the IKEA of Africa. And based on measurable success indicators, the realization of that vision is well underway.
In only half a decade of existence, taeillo has gone from a fledgling startup that was launched with zero capital to a recognized brand, selling over 10,000 pieces of furniture in Nigeria and beyond and raising millions of dollars in VC capital.
In honor of Women’s History Month, here’s a story of one of several young, vibrant African women making waves in a continent where the odds seem insurmountable.
Who is Jumoke Dada of taeillo?
Jumoke Dada grew up in a middle class family in Lagos, Nigeria. She has a history of being a high-achiever. In her late teens, she bagged a first-class degree in Architecture from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She also holds an M.Sc in Environmental Design from her alma mater.
In 2013, during her undergraduate days, she interned at Interstate Architecture Limited, an architecture and planning company, where she participated in the rebuilding of the Lagos Branch of Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria — a significant project by all standards. It was here she fell in love with the craft of furniture making, and ended her love affair with Architecture.
After graduating from university, she began working as an interior design intern at IO Furniture, an interior design and furniture manufacturing company, founded and led by Mrs. Muni Shonibare. Mrs. Shonibare saw a younger version of herself in Jumoke and frequently spoke encouragingly to her. It’s worth stating that although IO Furniture produces its furniture in Nigeria, they source most of their raw materials from Europe.
By working at IO Furniture, Jumoke’s goal was to become an interior designer. While working there, she saw planks of wood shapeshift into aesthetically appealing furniture pieces, causing her passion for furniture to flame, all that was left was for those flames to be fanned.
And not too long after, the flames were stoked when she attended an interior design conference (the same one I referred to earlier), hosted by the African Contemporary Institute of Design. After a moment of light sadness triggered by the biting remarks of the foreign speakers, she decided to rise up to the challenge of helping to (a) wean Nigeria and Africa off its over-reliance on imported goods and, (b) rewrite the narrative that Africans are not innovative. Thus, taeillo was born.
The Beginning of taiello
From the start, Jumoke knew she wanted to showcase African culture through the style of her furniture. She also wanted to source for raw materials locally.
So in 2016, she toured the country, immersing herself into African culture and imagining how she could create premium, African-themed furniture by harnessing local resources. This Afrocentric design would turn out to be one of taeillo’s selling points.
taeillo furniture is often covered in upholstery made from local textiles such as àdìre (motifs), ànkárá (colorful cotton fabrics with vibrant patterns), and asọ òkè (hand-woven cloths).
In an interview with Kippa, Dada delved deeper into what inspires taeillo’s unique furniture style.
“Our inspiration ties back to our brand essence; the plan is to project Africa to the world, so we have adopted a strategy that makes people effortlessly resonate with the brand. A typical taeillo piece gives an Afrocentric vibe that portrays its origin at first glance when spotted anywhere across the world. Hence, the indigeneity embedded in its upholstery…, its structure, finishing, and even product name – our pieces are named after actual people from across Africa (Femi, Ada, Mensah Wanjiru, etc.).”
Fun Fact: taeillo literally means tailor. As an adolescent, Jumoked longed to become a fashion designer “so badly that [she] usually practiced by cutting paper and cardboard pieces into clothing designs.”. Since that dream never came to fruition, she decided to name her furniture business after her childhood obsession.
The Wind Blows Hard and Soft
As civil servants themselves, Jumoke’s parents wanted their daughter to get a job and build a career. So when she needed to raise funds to make her first furniture piece, she expected them to be unsupportive. Consequently, instead of convincing them to give her a loan, she diverted her graduate school tuition fee into manufacturing the piece.
Fun fact: Payment deadline for the tuition fees closed in on her and she couldn’t raise the fees. So she eventually had to ask her mom for a bail out.
Jumoke designed her first piece for showcase. Fortunately, someone loved it, bought it and made an Instagram video about it. Following that incident, taiello’s fame grew rapidly by word of mouth. Having validated her product idea, and seen how well it was accepted, Jumoke knew she was up to something and that was when she decided to go all in. taeillo officially launched in 2018.
Today, taeillo is known for manufacturing furniture that looks different, but rivals imported pieces in terms of price and quality. Given the instability of the naira, consumers who would have preferred to import their furniture are now looking to purchase locally. And (you guessed right) it’s been taeillo to the rescue!
The Blessing of Adversity
When you’re bootstrapping your business on a shoestring budget, you’re compelled to find innovative ways to get more mileage from a dollar (or naira). Jumoke’s case was no different. In the early days of business, she frequently Googled, “How to Start a Business with Zero Capital.” Her early financial constraints led to some interesting innovations.
For one, taeillo is the first furniture company in Nigeria to integrate emerging AR and VR technologies (Virtual and Augmented Reality) into its shopping experience. AR and VR enables customers to see how a furniture piece would look in their home spaces before purchase. The adoption of these futuristic technologies helped the business provide immersive showroom experiences without actually physical showrooms. It also enhanced the brand’s appeal among users.
The COVID-19 pandemic also opened unexpected doors of opportunity for taeillo’s growth. Furniture businesses are one of many “non-essential” businesses that were forced to close shop during the global lockdown. And taeillo should have been affected, too, especially because it was operating a B2B (Business-to-Business) sales model.
However, Jumoke saw an opportunity to leverage their active online presence and pivot to a direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales model. The result? She designed and launched the elegant amakisi table. The table went viral due to 1000 pieces being sold off in a heartbeat.
Speaking about the change in strategy, Dada said it “proved to be a wise business move. Individuals who previously could not afford the brand’s furnishings and new and existing enterprises, government, and organizational bodies are now among our customers.”
Taeilo: Success, Recognition, and Future plans
taeillo currently employs about 90 people and has done over $2.8 million in revenue in its five years of existence. At present, the business operates in Nigeria and Kenya only, but it plans to spread across Africa and Europe. Given that they recently raised $2.5 million in equity funding, it’s safe to say that expansion is expected sooner than later.
Sometime in December 2023, taeillo had its grand showroom opening. The event was nothing short of a triumph, filled with laughter, style, and the unmistakable scent of new beginnings.
As the doors swung open, guests were welcomed to a world of contemporary design and timeless craftsmanship. Each corner echoed with the buzz of admiration as guests explored taeillo’s thoughtfully curated collection of furniture pieces.
The showroom, which is now open for walk-ins, allows customers to experience the essence of taeillo firsthand.
So, whether you’re looking to furnish a cozy corner or revamp an entire room, taeillo’s showroom is a treasure trove of possibilities.
taeillo is located at 56 Billings Way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos and is open from 9am – 5pm.
Jumoke Dada has been using her new found influence to inspire females all over the world. And she has this message for young girls:
“Just shut out every voice. Not many people believed in me, but I had to believe in myself constantly. Odds were stacked against me just like every other girl, but don’t let it get to you. Let people see your confidence and strength. Let people see how passionate you are about creating a change.”
Hopefully, Jumoke’s story serves as a reminder that good things come out of Africa. And sometimes they come from the wombs of Africa’s young women.
References
- NEF: JUMOKE DADA
- blog.kippa.africa: Building The Multimillion-Dollar Furniture Business, Taeillo
- YouTube, NdaniTv: Young CEO — Jumoke Dada — founder of Taeillo
- YouTube, Tayo Aina: At 26 Years, She owns a Multimillion Dollar Furniture Company in Nigeria
- YouTube, Arise: Covid Lockdown Opened E-Commerce Opportunities for Taello Furniture – Jumoke Dada
