We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Letrice Okai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Letrice below.
Letrice, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
My name is Letrice Okai and I am the Co-Owner with God of Okai Fabrics. We are an online boutique that specializes in Afro-centric apparel and accessories. Okai Fabrics was founded in 2016 initially as a way to connect to my Ghanaian husband. At the time, we were married for 2 years yet because of the immigration process, we were still living on 2 separate continents and I wanted to feel connected to him. During my visits to Ghana, I always admired how beautifully the natives were dressed and I could never find the fabrics that I saw in Ghana stateside. Without any formal business training, I started wholesaling fabric that my husband would send to me. This went well for a few months but my audience became filled with potential customers that wanted garments made with the beautiful fabrics but I didn’t know how to sew. I pivoted and eventually taught myself but it was challenging to keep up with the demand and work my full time job. I hired 2 seamstresses to assist me and make custom clothes for my clients. This lasted for a few months but I quickly discovered this way of operation wasn’t fiscally wise so I pivoted my business once more to offer a product that I could make myself while still working full time and that product was headwraps.
In 2018, my husband migrated to the US and for a moment, I thought I was going to have to close Okai Fabrics since my husband was the supplier of my fabric, however God had other plans. God released me from my corporate job to focus on growing Okai Fabrics. At the time of my leaving, Okai Fabrics was not grossing enough revenue to sustain my household yet I was going to be obedient to what I heard the Lord say. I prayed and asked what the purpose of the brand would be now that my husband had migrated to the US. God reminded me of the decade that I suffered with depression and how what I was going through on the inside directly correlated to what I wore on the outside. He reminded me of the times when my self esteem was nonexistent and self worth was so low that I would never wear color. I never wanted to stand out in any crowd because I lacked confidence. Everything that I wore was dark, black and muted. He told me that there are still women who are dealing with those same struggles and I am to be the voice, model, and example for them. Okai Fabrics is so much more than a boutique, it’s a movement. It’s a ministry. Every Monday at 9am EST on IG live, I host Motivational Mondays where I share a God led motivational message that inspires women to tap into their God-fidence; to understand the love that the Father has for them and to appreciate who they are and who they belong to. I believe that by being transparent, I am making impact. I have met so many women who tell me that before coming into contact with my brand, they’ve never worn bright colors and they rarely felt comfortable in their own skin but because I show up exuding so much confidence, it inspires them to try new prints, patterns and colors and that makes my heart sing.
Okai Fabrics’ mission is to deposit seeds of confidence in the form of fashion. When you purchase from us, our product serves as the seed. When you are complimented, those compliments water the seed which takes root internally and your self confidence grows. My prayer for all of my customers; former and potential is that they begin to see themselves like God sees them; beautifully and wonderfully made.
Letrice, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Okai Fabrics is more than just another boutique selling goods. We create an inviting experience of reminding you that you are beautifully and wonderfully made; from our personalized messages to our outpouring during Motivational Monday IG lives, we deposit seeds of confidence to our audience. I am their personal hype woman. I believe in them and with them for their wildest dreams. On occasions, I consult with my customers on style tips and outfit assembly. I encourage them to try new colors that they’ve maybe never tried before AND to be comfortable and confident in their own skin. When time permits, I lend a listening ear and offer practical and relatable advice because I want to see everyone win.
Another key component that sets Okai Fabrics apart is that we source our fabrics from local suppliers in Ghana so not only do my customers get to wear the same prints that our native brothers and sisters wear, we also have a direct impact on the livelihood of those living in Ghana. This is extremely crucial in this climate when inflation is daunting many and they are unable to afford life’s necessities.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective strategy for growing Okai Fabrics has been pop up shops. When I first started Okai Fabrics, I did a lot of pop up shops to put a face to the brand. Some of my most loyal customers are those who I’ve met at a pop up. I love pop ups because people come from all over and they disperse to different places so your brand has the opportunity to enter rooms, workplaces, homes and spaces that I haven’t physically entered.
It’s no secret that I have a magnetic personality so people are naturally drawn to me. This works in my favor at pop up shops because once you enter the vicinity of my area, I’m going to greet you and invite you to come check out my table. While there, I tell you who I am and what I offer and I compliment something about you. Compliments are free and they make everyone feel good. Even in the event they don’t make a purchase, I create a memorable experience that’ll create a lasting impression.
Pop ups can be risky for the business owner so you have to be strategic. The key to pop ups is to attend the ones where your target audience will be. In the beginning, I didn’t understand this so while I would get sales the day of, many of those impulse buyers didn’t make repeat purchases. To get the repeat business, you have to make sure that they pop ups that you attend are really the ones where your target audience will be so it’ll increase the chances that you’ll form a loyal customer and not just getting sales by luck.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When the pandemic first happened, I was concerned that my business was going to suffer. I thought that headwraps were going to be the last thing people would think about when the world felt like it was turned upside down. I watched the news and heard how there was a shortage of N95 masks for healthcare workers and they were having to re-use their masks. I wanted to do something but was unsure what.
I was tagged on a post on social media where a nurse was looking for someone that sold headwraps because she wanted to protect her hair from Covid. I was tagged in the post and offered to send her a free headwrap just to thank her for what she was doing on the front lines. Inside her package, along with her handwritten note, I included a handcrafted mask cover. The mask cover was made to fit over her n95 and it could be washed so that hopefully it would extend the use of her N95 mask until the inventory could be restocked. I also offered one free mask cover to all health care and front line workers.
When the nurse received her package, she was so surprised that she shared it on social media. My one act of gratitude and appreciation catapulted my business in such a way I never expected. I remembered my Why which is to instill confidence in the form of fashion and so I began selling headwrap and mask sets. The theme was “cute and covered”. I took the lemons of the pandemic and turned into some great tasting lemonade by way of stylish headwraps with matching masks. To date, 2020 has been my best year in revenue. It’s all about the pivot.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.OkaiFabrics.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/
OkaiFabrics - Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/
OkaiFabric - Youtube: OkaiFabrics
- Other: TikTok: @OkaiFabrics
Image Credits
Kaaron Holloman