Story of a Survivor - Season 1 - Episode 18

Episode 5 years ago

Story of a Survivor - Season 1 - Episode 18

I put my all into my job throughout the festive
period, dishing out uncommon designs and
making our Clients happy. Customers did not
tell me the design or style they wanted to sew
except on rare cases where uniform design is
sought for an occasion. I simply looked at the
Customer, take his or her measurement and I
carve out an irresistible design that brings
smiles to the face of the Client when
completed. The compliments I received were
one too many but I was not satisfied.

Something was still missing.

As usual, I slept in the shop in the month of
December but this time around I normally
sprayed insecticides in the Shop by 6:00PM
when everyone has left till 10:00PM before I
began to work. I cut Fabrics into shapes all
night and I sewed all day while another
apprentice did the ironing. The business of
designing dresses gave me joy.

Work pressure reduced in February due to
decline in demand as Families tried to recover
from December c-m January celebration
expenses and the quest to pay Children School
fees. I used this period to develop several
designs, the creative ideas came in naturally
and in torrents and I was drawing the designs
up as the idea came. I no longer sold maize at
night because I was occupied and partly
because I was making enough money. I told
Silvia to continue with the business so that
someone else would not take over the spot
but she declined.


By the end of Easter which was also the
expiration of my Contract with “Delectable” I had over two hundred samples of various
unique designs in my Notebook, I called it my
Catalogue. I also had about one million eight
hundred thousand naira in my Bank account.

That was the Month of May 2000, three
months to my birthday! I was born on the 18th
of August 1980. I will be twenty years old and
I had plans for that day.