We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melanie Mfuh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

The outbreak of the pandemic posed and still poses some extent of threats to the growth of my business. On the other hand, it has been somewhat of a blessing in disguise because it made me adapt to and always think of better ways of scaling my business. COVID-19 made me think outside the box and seize the opportunity that came with the moment, by creating fashionable masks for everyday people and nurses.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Melanie Mfuh, I’m from Cameroon, West Africa. The name of my business is Uzuri Closet. It is an African print-inspired fashion brand! I started Uzuri Closet in 2014 in Silver Spring, MD when I couldn’t find clothing that represents me. The beauty of my African culture is what inspired me to create unique, fashionable garments that people can wear and be proud of.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

In 2014, I happened to be living with my sister and had a job with decent pay. When the idea of starting the business came about, I thought my savings was enough since I didn’t pay many bills at the time. But when I started designing and placing the first order with the manufacturer in Cameroon, the total cost was A LOT and I was short by some thousands. I have an older brother who I can proudly say has been the backbone of this business from day 1. He saw how badly I wanted to do this and gave me the money with no strings attached. To this date I look back on all the times I feel stuck financially and thank God he’s been there from the start helping out along the way as needed. My family in general has been and still is my rock through it all.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is complicated and that’s the truth. However, it is not impossible! I remember paying influencers back in 2018 or 2019 to promote our Instagram page. That helped us a little but the cost was becoming too much so I stopped. I decided to actually study branding through social media. That’s when I learned about the importance of using new features in the platform’s release. Our social media pages are definitely still growing but using the features has helped grow our Instagram page. For TikTok and Facebook, it is still a challenge, but we are staying focused and working diligently to increase our presence.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.uzuricloset.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/uzuricloset
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/uzuricloset
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/uzuricloset

Image Credits
Jason Atherton