How Nigerian Fashion Brand Dye Lab Hacked International Pop-Ups

Founded in 2020 and operated from Nigeria (where the clothes are also made), Dye Lab has situated itself as a formidable cultural artifact. Its signature Agbadas, boubous, and flared tops have become a staple in the wardrobe of the socially savvy African. The colors on their prints are bright, bold, and repeatedly referenced. As a Nigeria-based brand, Dye Lab has managed to maintain a global outlook and a continental sensibility. To think of someone wearing a Dye Lab outfit is to imagine them dressed for a day party in Nairobi or an evening soiree in Accra. Such is the versatility and ubiquity of their designs. And with the pop-ups they organize each year across different parts of the world, with a heavy focus on the African continent, Dye Lab has created a product that conveys the same message in different languages.

But what does it mean to organize more than five international pop-up events while being a Nigerian-based brand?

"In the beginning, we would work with third parties who were creating a space for a bunch of people to rent their corner. But we've evolved from that to organizing our own pop-ups and creating our own brand experience,"Ozzy Etomi,who runs the brand alongside founder Rukky Ladoja, tells OkayAfrica. Because Dye Lab is primarily an e-commerce brand, physical activations provide an opportunity to connect with customers in person and offer them a chance to experience the brand's sensibility.

Cultural expansion

For Ladoja and Etomi, the early days of organising these pop-ups were a time of endless discoveries but also of figuring things out without a template. One major discovery they've made is the immense logistical difficulty of travelling and doing business across different African countries. The duo say that it's often easier and more reliable to shop outside of Africa than within it. "We always say we are an Africa-first brand, and so we prioritize African countries even more so than the West. It's very difficult, as everyone knows, to travel and ship within Africa. Cross-border payments are challenging, even for our retailers who are in other African countries remitting funds; payment isn't seamless," Etomi shares.

As demand for pop-up events grows and stores across the continent invite the brand to set up a pop-up, this has meant that Dye Lab's cost of doing business continues to rise.

Due to the peculiarities in the different countries where these pop-ups are held, the timeline for the planning of a Dye Lab pop-up is dependent on a variety of, often uncontrollable factors. "The pop-ups happen quite organically. For example, if we go to a city and we meet someone who's like, "Oh, you should come to my city. I have a shop. I have a store that aligns with the brand." Then we use that as the starting point for planning to go to that city," Ladoja says.

What follows are weeks of marketing, an inventory estimation, and an assessment of which designs and fabrics would work best in specific cities. The latter is a crucial lesson the duo has learned to adapt to. Etomi recalls a pop-up event they hosted in Accra where buyers shied away from the clothing made from red fabrics. "We realised red is a Ghanaian funeral color, we had all these red boubous and prints that people were avoiding."

That peculiarity also features in other places. "In French-speaking African countries, they're not that interested in events, so if we're having a pop-up, we just need to set up the retail space, and they shop at their own pace." This was a shock for the duo, who are used to creating a festive vibe at their pop-ups. "Even within American cities, we found New Yorkers are very different from people in Texas with how fashionable they are or the things they're willing to to wear versus in Europe where they lean towards darker colors because they're a lot more conservative and feel like it's too bright to wear on the streets of London," Etomi adds.

The duo says the lessons continue to help shape their global language, but also encourages them to introduce Dye Lab to countries where many might be unfamiliar. The goal, according to Ladoja, is "Going to as many spaces where Nigerian or African fashion doesn't even thrive yet."

This also presents an opportunity for Ladoja to educate shoppers who may have stigmas around the quality of African designs. "The more places that we're able to go and be in that space, people then start to trust and hopefully just then move to buying online."

Even as the duo hopes that intra-African travel becomes easier and cross-border payments become seamless, they are aware of the vital pathway they are laying for the future of African brands seeking to expand globally. "We are trying to create what that playbook looks like for a brand that was born in Nigeria, operating in Nigeria, operating with local resources. What does it look like to grow a brand like that across the continent?" Etomi says.