Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zainab Oni. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Zainab, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Femtropës is redefining what workwear looks like for women. Business attire for women is typically not only expensive and ill-fitting, but also enforce long standing societal constructs that give way to unfair restrictions on how women dress in the workplace. Boxy, oversized, mundane outfits have been normalized for women in an attempt to fit into male-dominated work spaces. Earlier in my professional career, I also followed the written & unwritten rules that define women’s workwear. I felt like I needed to “cover-up” my femininity to establish a presence at work. What that led to was feeling uncomfortable in my body because I was dousing any sense of individuality to be respected. And I was not alone in feeling like this, many of the women I have come across in my career have expressed that they also feel the need to “cover-up” who they were at work to be accepted. Femtropës was born from the need for business attire that allows women to bring their whole, authentic feminine selves to work. What a woman wears in the workplace is not definitive of her work ethic or authority. I create clothes that express my belief that power and femininity are not mutually exclusive. The brand was launched with a capsule wardrobe of form-fitting structured versatile clothing that women could wear to work and to play. My mission was to create high quality pieces that are made to last and help women effortlessly make a statement in all the spaces we occupy throughout our lives. Customer reviews such as “I love the quality of the material, how nicely it hugs my body, and how versatile it is. You can wear it to work or out to a party, it works for every occasion. This set is a staple in my closet. I receive so many compliments every time I wear it” let me know that I have accomplished my goal of redefining workwear for women.

Zainab, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up my mother taught me to use clothes for self-expression. She would always tell me “dress how you want to be addressed” and would get me & my sisters clothes tailored for a perfect fit. This belief is one I carried with me all my life so it was challenging for me when I started my career at one of the largest financial institutions in the world and had to dress in restrictive ill-fitting clothes in order to be viewed as a “professional”. I was desperate to find clothes that were both professional and embraced my femininity. Those were incredibly hard to come by so I learned how to sew and created my own. Femtropës designs workwear that makes women feel both feminine and powerful. The brand uses clothes to counter the reductive tropes about women. Tropes meaning the traits women are expected to perform and have, with women who fail (or refuse) to comply risking rejection and ridicule. Femtropës creates clothes that embrace our feminine characteristics as our superpower. The brand was launched with a capsule collection titled “WORK + PLAY” because each piece is designed to be versatile enough for women to bring their true authentic feminine self to all spaces and eliminate the need for a separate work and life wardrobe. Femtropës is an accessible luxury, ethical apparel brand with high quality pieces that serve as building blocks for a long-lasting wardrobe.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Femtropës is less than a year old but has established a strong presence with the target audience – fashion foward career women with “always on” lifestyles. I accomplished this by consciously creating a brand that centered the women I wanted to reach. Before even having any products in the marketplace, I started posting monthly book recommendations. I wanted to curate a community of likeminded women so I leveraged my knowledge as an avid reader to recommend books that were speaking to what was at the forefront of these women’s minds – equality, breaking down barriers, taking up space, the myth of having it all, the power of sisterhood etc. Once the products were launched, I began organizing “sip, shop, and network” events to create physical spaces for these women to create connections with each other and Femtropës. By being intentional, I have built a brand that caters to the lifestyle of women that are doers and makers, the movers and shakers.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Customer referrals have been key to growing our clientele. Femtropës is filling a gap that has existed in women’s workwear as long as women have been in the workforce. Our clothes are truly serving the intended purpose of giving women the optionality of outfits they can wear for both work and play without compromising on looking professional at work or their individual sense of style outside of work. In addition to that, the high quality and exceptional craftsmanship at attainable prices is tough to beat compared to anything in the market. As a self funded business, they were many times during the manufacturing process where it was tempting to cut corners but I remained rigid about quality and comfort as a priority. I was obsessed with quality, and thoughtfully considered every button, stitch, seam, and it has paid off. The women who buy our clothes take notice and spread the word around their circles. Today, we have 300+ customers wearing the brand in over 6 countries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://femtropes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femtropes/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/femtropes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtrop%C3%ABs/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@femtropes

Image Credits
Instagram Profiles below: @g_cantamessa.jpg @kunalkhungerphotography