From Setbacks To Success FT Derin Fabikun S1 E14 ( S1 Finale)

In this honest and inspiring conversation, Derin Fabikun opens up about building her fashion brand from the age of 19, navigating slow seasons, overcoming health challenges, and finding the courage to keep going when giving up felt like the easier option.
She shares the realities behind the evolution of her brand, why quality fashion comes at a cost, and the opportunities many emerging designers are missing.

Whether you're a fashion entrepreneur, creative, or anyone building something from scratch, this episode is packed with practical insights and lessons on resilience, growth, and staying the course.
__

00:00 – Introduction
01:49 – What did you start with as a 19-year-old?
03:57 – How did Fabling by Derin begin?
05:03 – Was it easier to start a fashion business then or now?
06:16 – There was a time your business went quiet—what happened?
11:37 – Credit Direct Hype
12:29 – Did you ever think, "I'm not doing this anymore"?
17:40 – Where is the brand today: ready-to-wear or bespoke?
19:00 – What does your pricing look like today?
19:30 – What do you say to people who ask, "Why can't it be less expensive?"
20:42 – What advice would you give to upcoming designers?
22:48 – What opportunities are designers not taking advantage of?
24:45 – Giveaway 🎁
25:53 – Outro

If you enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share with someone building a creative business.

#DerinFabikun #FashionBusiness #NigerianFashion #CreativeEntrepreneur #ReadyToWear #BespokeFashion

Welcome to TheGbemiOO 

A channel where culture, fashion, business, and real conversations meet. From insights in the fashion industry to honest discussions on life, work, and everything in between, this channel gives you a front-row seat into my world.

Let’s connect — follow me across all social platforms for more.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gbemioo/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@gbemioo?_r=1&_t=ZS-95BEyPb2vfM

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

To your affordable luxury is 100,000 and above, what would you say people who were like, why can't it be less expensive?

SPEAKER_01 0:07

I was scared to put out this collection I just did. Because the price point, if they can't afford it, there'll be people that can afford it.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

In the studio with me today is a lady who runs away from publicity. She does her work and tries to hide from the camera, but I had to go look for her because I've admired her brand for a long time. She's been doing this since she was 19 years old. And we're gonna get into deep into her story, her wins, her struggles, her triumphs, and everything. Like I said, welcome, Daring Fabico, everyone. Please put your hands together for her. Thank you. Thank you very much. Welcome. You're so ladylike. You're so calm. And I know that you are like, oh my goodness, I'm shy. But we really need to talk to you. And this is part of the reason why I have this show, because there's so many Nigerian creatives in the fashion space who are really just about their work. They don't want the flash, they don't want the noise. But your stories need to be told because I feel like we could all learn from your story, we could all draw inspiration from your story. Um, I'm particularly particularly interested in your story because you started at the age of 19. So for a 19-year-old who is watching this and thinking they have all the time in the world, there's no time. We need to start. So you started at 19, correct? Yes, I did. What did you start with?

SPEAKER_01 1:58

Um so I started right after university. The only thing I knew was I loved fashion. And I had no um, I had no knowledge of it. I had not gone to school for that. I actually went to school and I studied management. Um, but in school, I find that I was always styling my friends and my roommates. My wardrobe was the one where people would come and take pieces or I see someone wearing something, I'm like, oh no, I think I have a top that matches this. And it was very easy, it came very easy for me. So when I was graduating from um second um university, and we all needed to make this outfit, there were a bunch of events lined up, and I said, Oh, you know, talking to everyone, what are you gonna wear? I'm gonna buy something, I'm gonna buy something. I'm like, nah, I don't think anyone has what I want. So I remember like putting pieces together in my head, trying to put it on paper, and I went to a designer at the time. I'm like, this is exactly what I want. I said the colors, and she's like, this is quite strange. But I'm like, yeah, do it anyways. And it came out really nice. People really love my outfit. I love my outfit. And then right after uni, I made, I was in love with Ankara. So even before we graduated, I had told my mom to buy me a bunch of Ankaras, and she did. So I tested out, I made um a kaftan for myself. And my sister was like, Oh, I really like your kaftan. Can you make one for me? So I made one for her and she wore it to the office. At this point, I knew I loved fashion, but I didn't really know I wanted to do it as a business. And she came back to me and she's like, Oh, Darren, so many people loved your kaftan and they want your tailor's number. And I remember saying, I was like, okay, cool, no problem. But then I sat down and it came to me so quick, like, oh, but your tailor didn't design this, you designed this and told him what to do. So I'm like, you know what? Give them my number instead. And she did. And that's practically how it started.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

The rest is history, basically. Like history. So you started out, and was it fabling by Daring from the beginning?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

So um, when I made the Kaftans and it started to grow, um, I sat down, I'm like, okay, we need a name. And to be very honest, I wanted to do, I wanted to be a modeling agent. I was uh I loved like pretty girls and I felt like I could do it. So I already had the name Fab Lane. It was gonna be Fab Lane, something, something like that. Like an agency. Yeah. Yes, an agency. And then when I was looking, when I was thinking of a name for my brand, I just said, oh, it could be Fab Lane by Daring. Because firstly, my name is Fab. Um, people call me Fab in uni. But if I keep saying secondary school, people call me Fab because of your second because of my last name, Fabricon. And um it was very easy to pace together. So yeah, that's how the name came about, Fab Lane by Daring. So okay. Yeah, it practically when it when it started to go big, the name also we incorporated the name into it.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Okay. Knowing what you know now, is it easier to start, was it easier to start a business then or now?

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Oh, it it was so much easier to start a business then. Because this is me even like trying to rebuild. I mean, just speaking based off of my journey and I it hasn't, I mean, it's it's been a it's it's a journey, but it hasn't been as easy as it was back then. You know, it was very easy. Each era has its own challenges. Because at that time, people did not feel the need. Most people were buying their clothes, you know. So, like as a young designer, making this outfit, trying to convince people that, oh, this is really nice, or I didn't do too much convince, and the clothes spoke for itself. But like it was it was a time that era was actually quite beautiful, and it there was no pressure, you know. So Samija was not what it was, it wasn't what it was then. And for me, because it came from a place of so much love and so much passion, there was really no pressure. I mean, as much pressure as we have now, but yeah, I I would say it was easier to do business back then.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

There were times when your brand went quiet. What happened during those times?

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Okay, so um my business family went through a lot of challenges, especially me being the founder. Um we from my showroom getting flooded in. The first showroom I ever had got flooded, like the water was literally like heap level, and I saw it and I just started laughing.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

You were laughing?

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yeah, I was laughing actually. We had we lost so many things. Fabrics, customers' fabrics, we had to like refund some people, a lot of people were kind in that time, and that's when I knew the power and love that my business had because a lot of people were very kind to me then. Then some people some people were not, which is understandable. So we had to refund a lot of people, and then that was what fuiled my move to the island. And on the island, I started to have um some health challenges here and there. It went from bad to worst, from worst to from worst to worst, you know, and I really couldn't do much as a designer anymore. As a sole designer of my business, I the one thing I love as a business, fashion businesswoman is designing. It's still my strength till today. So we we we we couldn't function, not because I didn't have the right people in place. I had everyone that you could possibly have as a business, you know, to run a business in your absence. But for some reason it just wasn't working out. And even being on hospital bed, um, a lot of customers were looking for my personal number and calling me and saying things. So that the doctors, I remember that day they came into my office, my room, and they're like, you can't do this, you know, it's not helping, you're not getting better, and like your your vitals are going up and down the place. So you you need to focus on one thing for now. And what's important is your yeah, and my parents, everyone was like, Sorry, I'm gonna I'm getting a bit emotional.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Oh no, I understand. I totally understand.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Yeah, so so they advised me to um to shut down and I I agreed. At first I thought it. I'm like, oh, we could try, I could try, but then they're like, you can't. So I had to shut down, and yeah, I feel like a part of me.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

Can we get to show? I can't believe I'm crying. No, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but oh my goodness. I thank you so much. I believe your story is a story of resilience. You know that you have a gift, you know that you've done this business, you've done it ready to wear, you've done it for weddings. I remember bridesmaids, lots of there was a time when when people would get married, all their bridesmaids were Fabian Bideering. Yeah, we went around. You were very popular for that as well. And you've also showcased your your talent on a lot of your friends, Inidima, one of your muses, Nimeon Alaja. Nimionalaja Sharonogia, all these people were friends with you. I think you were also involved with Inidima's wedding, right? Oh, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

That was one of my so at that time I I I had I hadn't launched, but we were going on a ride, and because I I hadn't launched, she didn't want to pressure me. So I was fine with following her on her wedding looking for designers and all of that. And it was her reception dress. It was first her court wedding, and we're just like, oh, who's gonna make this? And who's gonna make this? I remember very well we're on the we're in the car on the bridge. And she just said, Darren, you can make this dress now. And I looked at her and I'm like, I I can make this dress. And she's like, Yeah, let's do it. Like, try, please. She's like, please do it for me. I'm like, okay, cool, no problem. And that's how it was, it was it was fun to get back in that element. I really enjoyed making that dress. Uh, both her court and her reception. Her reception, her reception dress was phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 11:00

I remember, and I and I remember seeing it. I was like, oh yay, it was good to see. I think that people don't understand that behind a business is a human being or a team of human beings. And as a human being, sometimes you have to either take some time off, whether it's by force or whether you decide on your own to do it, you know. And I totally listen, I I understand. I got I have been a person who is like, you know what, this business is stressing me. It's not even a health thing, but if not, I will go crazy. And I have disabled all my social media accounts. Like, I just don't want to think about the business. So I get it. And there'd been cases where you're also forced because of health or whatever issue it is. If you're watching this, you've probably heard me talk about the Credit Direct app. And I will keep talking about it until you download that app. But jokes apart, um, wealth really is a journey, right? Sometimes you need access to credit, sometimes you need buy now, pay later, um, because it helps you manage expenses better. And sometimes tools like yield by credit direct help your money grow, even up to 21% per annum, depending on the plan that you choose. I'm mentioning all the different ways and different things and different things that you can use the Credit Direct app for. Credit Direct brings all of these tools together in one place designed to support people at different stages of their journey, whether you're a business owner or not. And you can explore what works best for you by downloading the Credit Direct app. Um did you at some point feel like, you know what, I'm not doing this anymore? Ever again?

SPEAKER_01 12:51

Um so when I was on my break from the health situation, I remember like thinking that okay, when I got a bit better, I remember thinking that, okay, maybe God doesn't want me to do it, because I'm also really spiritual. There's a lot of my faith in my business. So I remember saying, Oh, maybe God doesn't want me to do this anymore. And I as I was praying and asking him for what to do, like the next direction, and maybe I did this on, you know, there's that thing where you start to doubt, like, oh, maybe God wasn't even in this, regardless of him showing you that he was in it. So I remember asking him if he didn't want me to do this and he wanted me to do something else.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

Give me a sign, let me know.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

And he really did show me a sign that, bro, there's nothing else for you to do. Like, this is that thing. What was the sign? Okay, I'll tell you. This story is very funny. So I I had gone to, I was about to go to bed, and I said my prayers. I'm like, please let me know if I'm about to do this, if I'm supposed to be here, you know, like should I continue on this journey or should I just leave it? And I said, I don't want to hear through a dream. I don't want to hear a voice, I don't want to dream it. I want concrete physical. I want someone to call me, or I want to hear someone speak to me, like right beside me. I want to see the person. And I said that prayer and I went to bed. And then the next morning, I'd forgotten about it. I just got a call from a strange number, and she was like, hello. I'm like, is this Darien? I'm like, yeah. Oh, I had to go look for your number. Um, you made my reception dress in a certain year, and it was like one of the most beautiful things I've ever won. I know that you're going through a bit of challenge now, but I just want to tell you that whenever you come back, we're here, we're waiting for you. We need you. The business industry needs you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

Yeah. Now it's my turn to not be emotional. You encouraged me to be emotional. Um, you don't understand. My aesthetic is hard, girl. Hard vape, hard babe, hard vape. Tissue, please. But I no, I have to show you. I feel like as a business owner, I understand. And it can be very, very disheartening when you want to do something. Yeah. And this is not a crying show, for God's sake. I can't believe. Oh, God. Oh my God. I don't cry on camera, Darren. What's this now? I'm glad I could get that out of you. No, because as a business owner who you are not in it because, oh, you want to make some money. Yeah. You are in it because you are passionate about this thing, you know, and you know that you can do it, but different challenges that, you know, the life throws at you, whether it is health or whether it is, you know, a crazy landlord or a plumbing situation or whatever, and you feel discouraged. And you feel like, you know, what am I doing with my life? Is this what I'm supposed to do? You know, that sort of thing. And uh so I I totally understand. And I I would have probably, did you cry when you got that call?

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Oh, I started screaming. So in the moment, I was just like, oh wow, this is because she said she went to look for my number. And then after the call, I was just like, oh wow, that's so nice. Okay. And then the Holy Spirit just dropped in my mind. He's like, that's your confirmation. So I just started to scream and cry and pray. It was a beautiful, actually, a beautiful encounter that day, I remember.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

I mean, for those of us who are not in this because of the aesthetics or because it's cool to say, oh, you have a business. So I I totally I feel you, I understand. And for those of us who have come to our come to Jesus moments where you're like, God, is this the work that you want me to do, or should I just go and dust off my CV and go and find bank work because you know what is this? And if this is what I'm supposed to do, why is it so hard? Yeah. You know, why is it so hard? Why is it so tough? I spoke to someone who is in a similar um field as I am as a footwear designer, and um, it remains more for me to cry. Honestly, I had to hold my so it's you that brought out the crying now. But we've had situations where you've created like a diffusion line, ready-to-wear. Then we've had situations whereby you it's more of um made-to-measure, or should I say, bespoke. Yes. So where are we now with okay?

SPEAKER_01 17:39

So right now I am trying, I decided this year to focus on my ready-to-wear brand because from inception I created the brand because people couldn't really afford Fabling back then. So I wanted a line where people could like probably um, you know, go through when they can't. But I didn't give it my all. It has been a brand where I never gave it my 100%. I just designed and I had someone managing it. But when I check it, it's actually one of those that like brings in a lot of fast money without any stress. And I was thinking to myself, if um end of last year, that what am I gonna do? And my spirit said, if you you haven't given 100% to this brand and you earn in this much, what will happen when you give 100% to it? So I want to really focus on my Racewear brand this year, you know, put in more um more aesthetically pleasing designs, you know, also like push it more than I've always had. I just see what that does for me.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

What's the price like in terms of is it like mid-range? Is it um what people will say, oh, affordable luxury? Will people say it's a luxury ready to wear? At where does it fall?

SPEAKER_01 19:10

I would charge it affordable luxury.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Yeah. I would put I will put it at affordable luxury because we have pieces ranging from a hundred to and above.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Yeah, and above. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yeah, so I would charge it as affordable.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

What would you say to people who say to you affordable luxury is a hundred thousand and above? What would you say to people who were like, why can't it be less expensive?

SPEAKER_01 19:39

Okay, so it was actually so it's in me putting my best foot forward that I realized that we needed to increase the prices because I would I I never wanted it to be at this price point. But then when I did my books with my accountant and finding out how to scale and all, I found out that I had been selling at a loss for about three years. I mean, there was money coming in so I could see it, we could run the business, but there was really no profit. So like I was running at a loss. So we had to come to a meetup where I'm like, oh, I still really want, I don't want to lose those customers, but at the same time, I don't want to kill myself. So if people was I was scared to put out this collection I just did. Because the price point, this is the first time. I'm like, what if people can't? And someone said to me, if they can't afford it, there'll be people that can afford it. Like build your new niche. Exactly. You know, and although that made me sad, it's a business.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

I understand. Yeah. So what would you like designers? Um, whether they're upcoming, whether they're established, to if you could give some advice, what would you like to say?

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Um my number one advice to people is always to stay true to themselves. There's so many things going on around you. Shut out the noise, you know, and focus on what works for you. Um also to not take on more than they can handle. Okay. I mean, it's okay to push yourself, but there's also pushing yourself and being greedy. You know, the point where you know, oh, I actually cannot deliver, but let me see if I do like nights, and then you do that and you don't deliver a hundred percent on the outfit. And the customer is so upset, she doesn't even care about how much work went into it. At that point, it's like, for what did I do this? You get so like stay true to yourself and also listen to your body as a designer, your mind. Because if your mind is not settled, nothing, even the Bible says it, you know, guard your heart because everything you do flows from there. If your mind can't be settled, you won't be able to put out what you need to put out. You will find that you're always finding one battle, fighting one battle or the other, and that's when you say, Oh, I have creative block, I have creative block. You need to make sure that nothing or no one affects.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

It's difficult in today's Nigeria where you wake up and it's a new headline. Diesel has gone up, petrol has gone up, this is happening, they are blocking this road today. This person has come to commission this and this and that, and then police were holla, all sorts, there's all sorts of stuff. So I it's it's not as easy as it sounds. Yes, but I totally understand what you you mean. So, my question to you, and I think you've answered it, was going to be what you're focusing on for the rest of 2026, which is this ready-to-wear line. So, blown by it.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Okay, it's blown by daring. Was that bloom by daring?

SPEAKER_00 22:44

Bloom by by daring, yes. And what opportunities do you think there are right now in the fashion space that people are not taking advantage of?

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Oh, to be very honest, this even just yesterday I saw a bunch of grants that was available for women. I saw that. And it's not limited to fintech or business people. It's literally you as a creative. There's the people that really want to give you money. I don't know how it works because I've never done it. Um and I keep asking myself, am I ever going to do this? I don't know. Um, but yeah, there's so many, there's um a lot of grants out there for women in business, women in creative space. I think there's even some that are specific to fashion designers. Yeah, and in terms of opportunities, there's so many. The sky is so big for everyone. So don't ever be be afraid that, oh, there's so many designers already. What is in your head is not the same thing as what is in the next person's head. What you're gonna offer a woman as a female designer, it's not what the next person is. If you're a designer, if you're not a copy cut, or it's not gonna be what you're gonna offer um the next person is gonna offer. So just do it. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

And that's how we're going to end this uh conversation today. I want to say thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I had like 30 questions, but I feel like in the short time that we've spoken, you've pretty much covered everything. And like I told you from the beginning, even before we started um rolling, I said there was a reason I wanted you um here, and it's because your story is a story of you know what, resilience is a story of someone who has met been met with different obstacles and you are still able to move on. So I want to say thank you for coming. Thank you. And it's been amazing, and I wish you all the best. I wish you all the best. Thank you. It's time again to tell you how you can win a gift voucher, courtesy of Credit Direct. All you have to do is download Credit Direct, the app, follow them on social media, follow us at the Fashion Roundtable, and show proof in our DMs at the Fashion Roundtable on Instagram. And you could be the lucky winner. This episode was brought to you by