TIGER TEM

Hey Everyone!!!
Thanks for all the birthday love!!!
I am old oooo! Gosh, the way age creeps up on you isn’t even funny.
So what has been going on in my life, well, work, work work.
Dear people, when you have a good job with a well-known multinational, where you can blog at work and gist endlessly on the phone, please don’t quit oooo
Don’t be like me, I used to whine so much about my old job, that it wasn’t challenging etc….
Wow, I am eating my words, my new job is challenging (serious understatement) and that’s for sure! Jesus take the wheel! I seriously think this might be my last 9-5 job, I will just go and start one ‘business’ lol….Y’all should give me some ideas.
What else has been happening? Hmmm, I have started exercising; I have been sooo with exercise over the last year so I have decided to get into shape….If you see my jogging around ur neighbourhood…make sure u hola.
So what is going on in blogsville?
I know I am guilty of being MIA but I hope blogsville is not dying, I went around some of my fave blogs today and the updates have been few. What’s going on?

Moving on, Temi Ogunsanya of Tiger Tem is one of my favourite fashion entrepreneurs.
She started her line, Tiger Tem years ago before being a ‘designer’ became the it-career.
Temi is a lawyer but left her law career for the world of fashion, she previously worked for Condé Nast (Home of Vogue, Glamour, W and all the other top mags) and has written for ThisDay Style and What’s New Magazine.
TigerTem has been featured in Vogue UK and has lots of hot, fun accessories and tees.
Check out my Q & A with Temi and take a look at some of her designs.

1. Fairy Godmother in Leo print (from the Cinderella Collection)
2. Princess Charming in Red Jasper (from the Cinderella Collection)
3. Belle in Amethyst (from the Cinderella Collection)
4. JetSet travel set in Lilac croc
5. The Boutique
6. The Goldfinger in Chocolate

What's Tiger Tem?
Tiger Tem, The Boutique and Tea Room. Its the ultimate accessory haven with a selection of bright, pretty and quirky bags, delightfully sparkly jewellery, fabulously glamorous belts...and our unique cute, cheeky tshirts (I only print one of each).

Tell us about the Tea Room?
The Tea Room is an oasis of peace and calm in the crazy city of Lagos. A chilled out place to hang with your people and sip on a nice cuppa, or a big glass of vino...and chow down on some brownies, apple crumble and lots of other mouthwatering treats!

Why did you choose the name?
I love Tigers, they’re one of my favourite animals. No two Tigers are the same and there’s something mysterious and intriguing about Tigers. You don’t see them so much but when you do, I certainly pay a lot more attention to them than the other Big Cats in the wild. And they have a strength and an elegance that I haven’t seen in any other animal. Wouldn’t try to tame one though!

When did you start designing?
I started designing handbags while I was working in PR around 2002/2003. And I made them ALL myself for the first 18 months of Tiger Tem’s existence.

Do you have any formal fashion training?
I did a course at St Martins in Handbag design which was a great way to learn the basic on handbag construction. That’s where I really learnt to use a sewing machine and when your skills are limited it actually forces you to be more creative. I still use the basic shapes of the first 2 bags I designed.

Your previous job prior to taking the plunge as a designer?
PR for a lifestyle PR company which looked after the Marco Pierre White Group and a number of top hotels, resorts and restaurants. It was fun. Lots and lots of perks to the job.

Your influences?
Anything and everything. I aim to create the ideal bags for all occasions the dinner, the bar, the club, the black tie event, a day in the office, a day out shopping…I aim to cover all bases. Tiger Tem bags are versatile enough to appeal to a wide range of women yet stand apart from everything else available today. Sophisticated, elegant, pretty bags.

Why did you decide to move back to Nigeria?
I felt as its still a developing country there was more scope to make a difference, make more of an impact, create something totally unique.

What are the challenges of running a fashion related business in Nigeria?
The ones you expect and then a whole heap of unexpected ones! Staff is a major issue as is the total absence of infrastructure. The lack of education means the basic level of understanding of the average worker is very low. But in adversity there’s opportunity so you learn to roll with the punches. Starting here has made me much more flexible than I would have been otherwise and its allowed me to fine tune my vision. And learn from my mistakes.

You were featured in UK Vogue. Describe the moment you saw Tiger Tem in the magazine.
I was rendered speechless. Couldn’t quite believe it had happened so quickly. I’ve never seen or heard of any place in Nigeria mentioned in UK Vogue so it was a pretty groundbreaking moment. Its one of those moments most retailers/designers would sell their grandmother for or pay a PR firm copious amounts of money for…and I just got lucky.

And what is the future/dream/vision for Tiger Tem?
Everybody needs a piece of Tiger Tem. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody who gets it, who likes it and who wants it. I know what I want Tiger Tem to be. Its about being a small giant, I’d rather have a great company than a big one.

That's it!!

I promise to blog more often.

Let us know what you think.

Take care

Ciao