How Folorunsho Alakija, Tara Fela-Durotoye inspired me—Adejoke, CEO, Jokeroyale Couture

Here comes Noah Adejoke, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jokeroyale Couture. Hers is a truism of the age-long saying: Where there is a will, there is a way.

Growing up, Adejoke had a major dream: to become a business tycoon in the future.

Her desire consequently metamorphosed into a blazing passion after gleaning from exploits of influential women like Folorunsho Alakija—Nigerian billionaire businesswoman—and Tara Fela-Durotoye, founder of House of Tara.

With consistency and hardwork, the graduate of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba, Akoko in Ondo State, has continued to defied the odds to achieve her dream.

In this interview with CRISPNG, the young CEO reflects on her journey into fashion designing and other issues concerning Nigerian youths.

Let’s get to know you more

I’m Noah Roselyn Adejoke, an entrepreneur/fashion designer and also a graduate of Religion and Culture from Adekunle Ajasin university Akungba, Akoko.

Tell us about Jokeroyale Couture

Jokeroyale Couture is a dream that has been there for a very long time. While growing up, I always longed to be a business tycoon.

By the time I started getting inspirations from the likes of Folorunsho Alakija, Tara Fela-Durotoye and many other successful business women, I realised that their passion for the things they do made them successful.

So, I made a decision that I am going to focus on my passion which is designing.

What are you basically into at Jokeroyale Couture?

Jokeroyale Couture is a fashion design hub that specialises in modern wears designed and made from African prints and contemporary fabrics for Nigerians and Africans in general.

We offer quality, and affordable wears which are available in different sizes. Our aim is to create a shopping environment that will cater for the needs of contemporary wears designed from African print fabrics for the trendy African woman.

How has the journey been so far?

So far, I have been able to build my brand into a household name in the fashion landscape. However, this has not come without some challenges. One of such challenges facing the business is epileptic power supply. Also, we have minimal staff for now and this constitutes a challenge. We hope to overcome these challenges with time.

Some youths in Nigeria often claim that there are no job opportunities, do you also share this view?

I beg to defer that there are no opportunities in Nigeria. There are several opportunities from government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to support upcoming entrepreneur.

But the issue is that most youths are not willing to go through the sometimes rigorous process involved. Not every youth will end up with a white-collar job. I guess the earlier we realise this the better it is for us. It is better to find your passion, make a goal and work towards it.

So, there are job opportunities in Nigeria. We have 36 states and 774 Local Government Areas in the country. There are several things needed in each of these places to live. This is where youths should think of the value they can bring on board.

There are so many opportunities and job options for Nigerian youths. However, they have to be passionate and willing to bear attendant challenges to make make the best of the situation.

Not every youth will end up with a white-collar job. I guess the earlier we realise this the better it is for us. It is better to find your passion and work towards it.

What do you have to tell the youths out there?

I’ll advice my fellow youths in Nigeria to always make something good out of whatever life throws at them. Most of us grew up with a different perspective of life, but as we advance in age, we realise that life is not probably what we take it to be. Whatever challenge yours might be, don’t be discouraged. Every challenge is a stepping stone to greatness, with persistence and commitment, you will make it.

Below are some works by Jokeroyale Couture: