Welcome everyone to Season 2! For those reading for the first time, we're so happy to have you here. Over the next few episodes we'll be hearing the stories of various pioneers and entrepreneurs who are paving the way in their industries. This season is dedicated to those who are on the road less travelled, breaking new ground and entering new territory. We hope every episode speaks to you and meets you just where you are.
This week we're joined by Dekola Thompson, the founder of Adekola NG, a clothing brand based in Nigeria. He has a keen eye for designing clothing and describes himself as a man running after God's heart. He's a trained lawyer, singer and an economic policy and tech ambassador for blockchain.
In this episode, he shares openly on the birthing process of his brand, how he's navigated running with the vision and ensuring he stays true to the process. To anyone whose afraid to begin, you can do it. I hope this meets you just where you are. To listen to this, please join our inner community.
Rhieme: Hi Dekola, thank you so much for joining us today. Can you please share a bit about yourself?
Dekola: Hello, I love food, reading interesting facts and exercising. I also love sneakers, although I haven't been getting them as often due to “adulting”. When I go out, I enjoy dressing up , even if it's something simple, I'm always finding ways to “finesse it”. For me, making yourself look decent and presentable is a must ! And yeah, I'd say I'm a friendly person who is willing to meet new people within the confines of what I'm allowed to do. I feel like I'm going to talk about the Holy Spirit a lot. But he's the one who really leads my life.
Rhieme: Thank you so much for sharing. The next few episodes are really centred on pioneering and entrepreneurs. just knowing the behind the scenes on how you've been able to launch what you have now. Can you please share with us how you were able to start Adekola?
Dekola: Starting wasn't the easiest thing. It's one thing to have an idea, it's another thing to actually go ahead and execute. The leap of faith I guess is always a very scary decision to make, to go ahead and execute your idea. So although I knew it was time to execute my idea, I had been physically ‘stationary’ for a long time. It's almost as if I forgot how to use my legs, metaphorically speaking. But one of my friends Daniel pushed and showed me enthusiasm. To me, something that's super important is when you have people around you who can see the vision and are excited to see you do well, it's a very big plus. Oftentimes you find that even without your co-sign, it's those closest to you who are able to sustain the vision .Thus, I'm thankful for the friends I had and still have around me, praying with them played a massive part to where I am today.
That was it really. I’d made the decision to start and run with it. What's more is that, throughout the whole process, Daniel was constantly present, equipping me with encouragement and ideas. Hence, I'm such an advocate for encouraging others. When anyone brings forth an idea to me that seems far-fetched or impossible e.g. they believe it's going to be bigger than Meta in future. Provided the idea itself shows promise, my response is always “Okay, why not?” Meta isn't all that there is, and it's not all that there'll ever be. So, although you might not see it now, if you believe you can see it, let’s go. It's just a dare to think why not and learning to think this way is a powerful virtue.
Rhieme: Yeah, wow thank you. I really love what you said about having the right people around you that will actually take your vision, like it's theirs. You being around the right friends and people has really supported you in your vision. I too have found that there are certain people who will carry what is yours as theirs. So I definitely resonate and agree that yes, these are the people worth keeping around.
Rhieme: When you were launching, did you ever feel afraid? And if so, how were you able to navigate that whole phase?
Dekola: I’ll very much say it's still an ongoing process. When You have ideas, you think everything should just follow these simple steps. “Eventually I'll get to where I plan to be”. But of course, reality is a completely different ballgame. So for me this has proven to be most annoying. Not to mention the added part of being in Nigeria. People don't really respect designers, especially those that are starting out. In fact, even top designers like Lisa Folawiyos, Deola Sagoe, Tiffany Amber's are still subject to people trying to price them down. But somehow when Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior or Gucci call their prices, money is dropped in an instant no questions asked. What's worse is that most of these guys source their raw materials from here in Nigeria. So even though the same leather and quality resources are being used in both cases, without the “name” attached to it, you're always met with a lot of disdain from people saying you’re trying to be x. As a result, I’ve found that, despite my designs being purely original, because someone has designed something similar, people are reluctant to take you seriously. And whilst I never intend to be anyone but myself, people can often find difficulty embracing authenticity of your work.
In fashion, I've also noticed that once there's an idea in the air, don't be surprised if you see someone else execute that exact same idea. Like with everything, it’s spiritual first. I could not explain the internal processes I've had to gain certain design ideas, then boom I’m scrolling on Instagram to see someone doing exactly the same thing. Yes, there were a few changes here and there, but pretty much the same thing and I’m like wait. I didn't tell anyone, I didn't write it down. I didn't even try it. I just had it in my head, you know? So this has definitely been a struggle too. Another challenge that's unique to me would be having to deal with the people closest to me who weren't fully appreciative of the change I made. I feel as though their knowledge of who I was prior to this, hindered their ability to accept the expression of who I am now and there'll be times where I wouldn't be taken seriously. Now, although it wasn't everyone I began to realise that i couldn't expect all those around me to see the vision. By coming to accept this, it freed me from the weight of disappointment. Therefore, I Instead chose to hold on to God. It was him who sent me the encouraging, supportive friends I needed. For me, putting God first is what has made my story a sweet adventure.
Rhieme: Thank you so much for sharing! I loved how you linked it to God and him being your source. To add to the last point you made on people not seeing it, I totally get it. It’s because they've had their experiences with you, for them, it's like, “Where's this coming from? Especially from the context of parents. It's always been about going to school, getting a job, and making money. But I don't believe that's the order that God has intended. I believe it's for us to hear what he has to say about our lives to discover where God wants us to be. And so the more we get older, God is in the process of unravelling us, so it makes sense why they might be confused. They have yet to see this new side of you. That’s why, like you said, there’s so much importance in learning to believe in the vision that God has given you, even if other people don't see it, right? Because it's never been theirs to see. I’ve also found that, within the younger generation, there's just more expression which the older generation struggle to relate to. This disconnect can prove trying at times because but again God has different aspects to us as individuals, in that he's created us to be multifaceted beings. So although our elders may not always agree with our choices to venture new paths, due to it being quote on quote unconventional, we cannot allow such pressures and opinions keep us in a box. So thank you for sharing that. I strongly feel that many can benefit from this encouragement to remain in tune with what they believe God is telling them.
Rhieme: So you’ve touched on how starting out can be quite daunting, how have you had that confidence to just run with the vision?
Dekola: I've been less so dependent on confidence because I've instead learnt to embrace doing it afraid. I say this because the thoughts that deter one from continuing or even starting in the first place will never necessarily go away. Yes it's daunting, but what can I do to progress in spite of those feelings? And drawing inspiration from the bible, David often wrote about how he was constantly tired, Jonah and Elijah also cried out just kill me now I want to die. So during this pursuit of vision building, whilst you may not reach the level of wanting to die, it's almost guaranteed that you will experience despondency. Why is it that no one believes me? Why is it that those I've expected to remain by me are turning their backs? Whilst these feelings are normal and entirely fine, the difference lies in how we choose to respond. Given that we live in a world that encourages a “To hell with everyone else” mindset. We must be mindful not to chase after the motivations to simply make something of ourselves. Going ahead to say, I don't need anybody, I can do this on my own and wanting to claim the “self made” title, it's like can you just keep quiet. Just keep quiet. Because what you're saying is dead on arrival, it yields no power of its own. Why? Because no matter how much you exalt yourself and your ability, or the amount of money you make, you'll always be fundamentally limited. The value lies not in the complexity of your technology or systems, but rather its found in the value of what you produce and the genuine transformation of lives that come as a result of that. And I'm not just talking about how people look, It's also how they feel, how their hearts have changed and how they intend to make other people feel simply by coming in contact with you. That's what our response ought to be. It should look like I'm going to love you guys, in spite of your confusion about this decision I've made, I'm going to be nice to you. I'm going to be caring to you. I'm going to fulfil all my obligations to you.
Everything has already been done. But we are the ones who are progressively coming into that finished work. So if God has called me a designer, as part of my abilities, or talents he's given to me, then I need to embrace it in spite of my inability to see the full picture at work in that current moment. And it's that daring ability to step out in faith to say, you know what, God said it so I'm going to put myself out there. I don't have all the answers but I'm choosing to take baby steps here. Whilst it's true that God hasn't given me the spirit of fear I'll be foolish to say there are no moments, I feel afraid, you know. But after those moments, I quickly return to him and even more so I have friends around me to remind me of who God is, and who he's called me to be. Those things really, really matter. So that's the intent. Step out, do it afraid and keep consistently showing up. Even though you may not have been as productive today as you were yesterday or reached that goal of yours, the important thing is you keep showing up and applying yourself.
Rhieme: Wow, I love how you touched on how God has already fulfilled the things he’s called us to do. So you don't necessarily have to always fight your way through it. Being able to trust that God will work it out even if others may not understand is just a different level of faith. But like you said we must choose to believe that God will explain to people what we ourselves cannot. God accounted for everything that is to come with all the discord or like your parents seeing knew that it would happen. And he uses everything that happens in between for example you and your parents, to build us up in the things he's entrusted us with. Not only should we be able to rest in the fact that God is our defender, but we also need to see the vision as worth defending. I don't say this in that you should be constantly shouting things like “Well God said so …..” , but rather I mean choosing to protect and hold onto the vision. This will always involve us coming before God with our concerns, saying “ Lord, I know you said this, so please can you give me a strategy as to how to go about this.”
For myself, what I'm also learning is that it's not about everyone supporting you. Of course, support is great and we need people, but the most important thing is that you're hearing from God clearly, trusting that he'll never leave us alone. And so, even if the people around us are yet to fully understand everything we are doing, rather than allowing room for anger, resentment and doubtful thinking to keep us down, we must be bold enough to consult God in faith, just being like, “Okay, God, please sort this out”. So thank you for sharing, because I know quite a few people who deal with this issue of always questioning the validity of what they've received due to lack of support and understanding from others. But again, it's knowing that in spite of the hardships and days where it feels that there's no one to confide in, we still must choose to patiently trust that:
The one who gave you the vision will supply everything that is needed.
Rhieme: Okay, I've come to realise that using our gifts and our talents play an important role when walking out the things we've been called to do. And so within your brand, how have you been able to do so and make use of yours ?
Dekola: I think for me I am at a stage where I'm getting to experience myself along with the process. And I think that's a good way to go about things. Yes, I have high expectations for the quality of my work to be top notch, as I can never sacrifice excellence. But there are also times where I'll experiment with putting out designs that, despite my liking, others may not find nice. Yet it's in doing so, that I've been able to explore my gifts in a more fun and engaging way. Of course, due to the business involved you can't just afford to be expressing yourself at the expense of actually running a business. But there's a fine line to tread, so it boils down to always working with ideas. In all of this though, expect to gain traction. For me
Regardless of whether the outcome is good or not, if I gain Gods thumbs up, that's what matters above everything.
Now, it might be easy for me to say these things, especially as I'm not at the level of world class design. But what I can say is the power of holding on to Jesus through thick and thin, especially thin. Most times, when we are dealing with heavy stuff, its easy to shout “ Jesus I need you”. But when times are good, you're doing well financially, you're not stressed about anything and you're practically moving like the wind, complacency can easily kick in. And that's the difference between us and the world, when the world gets to that place where they no longer have to worry about these things, then they've arrived. But the truth is, there is no such thing as arrival. It's a myth. It's a scam. Even in Ecclesiastes, Solomon had every and anything. He had 1000s of women at his disposal, he had all the wealth of nations. He had everything a man could ever want. And yet he still said, Look, I've seen everything. I've tasted everything and I can tell you this for a fact: Vanity, upon vanity, is all vanity. In other words, I thought I will be fulfilled. I thought this was what I wanted but it's nothing. Although many us don't have everything, the world still has conditioned us to constantly be pursuit of such "empty" things. relationship, party, Fashion Weeks ,the latest line drops. However, once you're in this loop of looking for trends, its at the own detriment of our identities. Why because were things become chaotic and messy, to the point where you're easily likened to a city without walls. All this emptiness were tying to satisfy through the chasing of worldly distractions can never win because, its quite literally been designed to only be filled by Jesus. So yeah, I'd say these are the fundamental thoughts that dictate how I go about these things.
Rhieme: Thank you so much. It really is all about knowing where your foundations lie so that you're able to centre yourself on what matters. Like you said, when people begin to experience progression in their lives, for example careers, there's always that tendency forget God. But in reality when the elevation comes, that's when you're meant to stay rooted in God even more. Of course we should always be regardless, but its now the case of where Gods expecting more of you Also, when people begin to see new heights of success in their lives, it now becomes easy for them to turn and distort the vision God initially gave. So, I loved how you touched on the importance of allowing God to sustain the vision he's giving you. Thus with all this, what's key is to remain grounded in Christ. When these transitions take place, its easy to get caught up in all the noise, thinking that you have control over everything. But the truth is you will always fall down if it's not God lifting you up.
Rhieme: So, to wrap it up, what advice would you give to people who want to venture into the fashion industry?
Dekola: Don't be afraid to learn something new. You haven't done it before. Yes, you have an enthusiasm or knack for certain aspects of it, but you don't know everything. So be humble and stay humble. Once you get in there, you find that there's a lot more that goes into doing clothes. It is beyond even the expression of yourself or helping others express themselves. It's such a profound thing, that I'm still finding it difficult to articulate in words, but stay humble. Be willing to take criticism and work on it. Especially from those who are established. When they look at your work and say “ Yeah this isn't really it”. Don't be upset. It's not something to take as a personal indictment on your ability to create, but it's simply an invitation to see another way it can be done. And once you have that positive mindset, truly the sky's the limit. Where you were a year ago when you came in, will be dramatically different from where you would be as time progresses. Another thing I'd say, especially for people who have received instructions from God, is to not become heavily dependent on the world for direction. I'm not saying that you should not derive notes and inspiration from bigger brands, because things as such are definitely needed, but don't let the workings of this world become your only source. I say this because, the core of humility is rather found in your willingness to remain by God. All that there is, isn't all that there ever will be. All that we know to exist does not dictate everything else that has to follow for the next many years of our lives. So once you have the understanding that “Okay, if God says he's doing something new in me and through me, then it means I haven't seen it too”, you must empty yourself every time you come before God, as this will allow you to learn and receive the new things he's called you to. Each time you do that, and you execute things will begin to change. For instance it could reach the point where things explode and people just like “wow this is so new, this is so original, how did you come up with it?”. However, you need to be mindful when reaching this stage as it can be dangerous. This is because rather than acknowledging that God was the one who gave you the ideas and told you what to do, there's the potential to slip back into complacency and to say “ Well, yeah, I just did it this way”. So I would definitely say be very very weary. Like with myself, I know there’ll come a time where a lot of notoriety will come from this brand. Yet I know that as I declare this statement, I'm not doing so in a self-centred way, but rather in one that's rooted in me being focused, driven, goal oriented and most importantly, humble before God.
So yes, always remember to keep strengthening your willingness to obey, even when you don't understand. Because when you submit to the Father, you're now entering into the identity that Christ has given. An identity that never returns void on its fruit. Therefore when faced with uncomfortable situations and circumstances, wondering why, why, why, know that God is working out things in your hearts. He's carrying out the necessary processes which enable us to be transformed into Christ. God is in the business of growing and so as you face difficulties and setbacks, just be willing to give it all to him. As you enter the industry you'll find that it is such a long and progressive journey, that the more you walk it the more real it becomes. Whilst at the same time you're also becoming less enthused about the things offered by this world. And so, once you start to embrace it in this way, the more others will begin to see you for who you truly are. They may not be able to articulate it to you beyond that point, but there’ll be a recognition of “ Wow there's just something about you” and deep down you’ll know it's because you are walking in the truest self of who God called you to be. Again, it all boils down to emptying yourself so that you can be filled with him. Because as you trust God more to be your ultimate sustainer, submitting to him every day, second and hour, whilst you may not know everything that there is to know, what you do know is that he does. Therefore in the meantime take every day, keep showing up and apply yourself.
Rhieme: That was so good, thank you. I really love what you said, about staying connected to God and allowing him to fill you up. Because I found that we don't know ourselves as well, as we often think we do. God has to be the one to reveal us to us. Everything you said has been so impactful, but do you have any last words you would like to share?
Dekola: Well, that's funny, because there's always things on my mind I'd like to share, but I can't remember ( Spirit help me ). I’d like to just pray for those who don't even have a relationship with God, and might be reading this. They may be thinking, “ Not these God people again. But I mean, if they made it to this point, then surely there must be something that's pulling on their heart to be here. So my prayer is this:
I pray that you find Christ , I pray that the Lord opens and conditions your heart to receiving Him. I also pray that you have such an amazing experience with him because that's all you're guaranteed to have an amazing experience. It doesn't matter what's happening in the world, whether that's the fuel shortages, whether you know, things are not financially as rosy as you'd like them to be. Know this, come rain, come shine, through good, through bad, through your mistakes, through your highs, God is with you, and He loves you. He loves you so much. So much and he will never leave. He came, He died for our sins, was buried, rose from the grave and sent it to heaven, where He intercedes on our behalf every day, every second of every day.
How did you find this conversation? Any key-takeaways? Share below.Make sure you check out Adekola.ng and stay tuned for next week!