An initiative of the Creative Innovation Practice by EyeCity Africa, the Sketch to Store Masterclass Webinar was hosted on 22nd August 2025 and spanned approximately 90 minutes. The webinar was moderated by Gbenga Ayo-Dada, CEO and Founder of Gbenga Artsmith, with trailblazing panelists including Pinaman Owusu-Banahene, Founder and CEO of Adjoaa.com, Lanre Shonoiki, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Cadet, and Omonigho Aito-Imonah, CEO and Creative Lead of Naija Fashionista Illustrations.
The Masterclass aimed to provide high-quality, actionable insights on fashion product development, focusing on the end-to-end process from ideation (sketching the vision) to market launch (products on the shelf). The Webinar was tailored to address pressing challenges faced by fashionpreneurs across diverse business stages.
Delivered in both English and French, the following insights were uncovered:
Design Development and Ideation
Pinaman shared an insightful product development process which is researching the business idea and ideation, design, sampling, production, go-to market (GTM) strategy. She shared the importance of defining who the ideal customer is, including getting down to detailing their lifestyle, psychographics, affinity, and behaviour.
She also shared her market entry strategy, which involved testing small before launching big. In her business journey, she shared how she tested her ideas with close friends and family before launching with 20 brands in her online marketplace, rather than onboarding 120 brands at once, allowing for gradual scale and growth. The market entry process was also iterative, which helped to improve and build on feedback from her immediate community. This helps to test, fail fast and ultimately build trust with the ideal customers.
Maximizing the Investment of Time, Effort and Capital
Lanre Shonoiki shared three key considerations for creatives to maximize the time, effort and capital invested in developing product ideas.
One is the commercial requirement of product development, which is for entrepreneurs to get clarity and be specific about who their product customer is. He added that being specific about customer personas is critical for positioning. One way to do this is to go on social media, especially Instagram (which is great for fashion content) and identify a person who typifies the image and lifestyle of an ideal customer to define the target market.
Another way to get clarity on who owns the product is to make yourself the archetype- think of what you, as a customer, will enjoy wearing, as that could also lead to discovering an interest in your market segment. Be critical in your ideation process and brutal in identifying and improving the shortcomings.
A second consideration that Lanre shared is the creative side of product development. He advised that product creation can be outsourced or done in partnership with creative experts if it is not an area of core strength. This is partly because there are principles to creating a great design, and if entrepreneurs must capture the vision they have, they should consider the importance of churning out a well-designed product and because creating a substandard product can set the brand up for failure. He added that entrepreneurs should consider documenting the design idea and take steps to protect their intellectual property.
On execution, Lanre shared that creatives must factor in the ease of execution in their ideation process. This includes clarity on the nature of the prototype and how to get it to the market.
Fashion Illustration as the backdrop of Garment Making
Omonigho spoke about the gap in the African fashion education system, where the focus is on garment making and little is taught about conceptualization and creativity. In describing the importance of fashion illustration, she noted that it is the foundation of garment production. She said without it, it is like building a house without a plan. Illustrating the design idea provides fashionpreneurs with the vision that inspires and guides their creative process.
Illustration has gone beyond pen and paper methods to include modern tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI), 2D Illustration tools, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk Sketchbook. She recommends the latter and 2D digital because they are beginner-friendly and easily work on phones and highlighted the ease of generating designs using AI tools.
Continuous Learning and Technology Adoption in Fashion
Omonigho advised that entrepreneurs must have a learner’s mindset to stay relevant in the creative industry and there are many platforms where one can learn from.
Pinaman shared that fashion designers cannot afford to ignore technology, particularly e-commerce in their businesses. 48% of retail happens digitally and there is a customer somewhere in your corner, region and internationally. Hence, fashion entrepreneurs should leverage online marketplaces to sell to a wide network of customers and this is not only limited to having a website but also leveraging social media platforms.
Steps to Prepare for Working with Digital Marketplaces
Pinaman shared that African fashion is a thriving industry and there is a huge demand for African products globally. However, the following steps must have been put in place:
For customers who may not be accessible via websites, email marketing tools like MailChimp and Clavio are useful. To cap it all, be prepared to find your customers where they are using different platforms- LinkedIn, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. The critical thing is to meet customers where they are.
One habit, One Tool, and One Mindset that Entrepreneurs Should Have
Ultimately, the Masterclass equipped fashionpreneurs with real-world strategies and tools to fuel their growth and elevate their entrepreneurial journey.
The Creative Innovation Practice by EyeCity Africa remains committed to empowering visionary minds with the tools, insights, and connections they need to thrive. Whether you're a fashionpreneur, creative thinker, or changemaker, our mission is to help you unlock your full potential through innovation, capacity-building strategies, and strategic support.
Missed the Live Masterclass? No worries—we have got you covered. You can catch the recording here in English or French
Ready to elevate your journey? Don’t miss out on future sessions, resources, and opportunities tailored for creative entrepreneurs. Join our Community here to network and connect with other entrepreneurs who resonate with your journey.
For more information on future webinars, opportunities, or partnerships, please contact us at cip@eyecity.africa. Learn more about Creative Innovation Practice by EyeCity Africa here.
FRENCH
Initiative de la pratique d'innovation créative d'EyeCity Africa, le webinaire Masterclass Sketch to Store a été organisé le 22 Août 2025 et a duré environ 90 minutes. Le webinaire a été modéré par Gbenga Ayo-Dada, PDG et fondateur de Gbenga Artsmith, avec des panélistes pionniers tels que Pinaman Owusu-Banahene, fondateur et PDG d'Adjoaa.com, Lanre Shonoiki, co-fondateur et associé gérant de Cadet, et Omonigho Aito-Imonah, PDG et directrice créative de Naija Fashionista Illustrations.
La Masterclass visait à fournir des informations de haute qualité et exploitables sur le développement de produits de mode, en se concentrant sur le processus de bout en bout, de l'idéation (la vision esquissée) au lancement sur le marché (les produits en rayon). Le webinaire a été conçu pour répondre aux défis pressants auxquels sont confrontés les entrepreneurs de la mode à différentes étapes de leur entreprise.
Les débats ont été menés en anglais et en français, et les informations suivantes ont été mises en lumière :
Développement de la conception et idéation
Pinaman a partagé un processus de développement de produit éclairant, qui consiste à rechercher l'idée commerciale et l'idéation, la conception, l'échantillonnage, la production et la stratégie de mise sur le marché (GTM). Elle a souligné l'importance de définir le client idéal, y compris en détaillant son style de vie, ses psychographies, ses affinités et son comportement. Elle a également partagé sa stratégie d'entrée sur le marché, qui consiste à tester petit avant de lancer grand.
Maximiser l'investissement de temps, d'efforts et de capitaux
Lanre Shonoiki a partagé trois considérations clés pour les créatifs afin de maximiser le temps, les efforts et les capitaux investis dans le développement d'idées de produits. L'une d'elles est la nécessité pour les entrepreneurs de clarifier et d'être spécifiques sur qui est leur client cible. Il a ajouté que définir des personas de clients est essentiel pour le positionnement.
L'illustration de mode comme fondement de la confection de vêtements
Omonigho a parlé du fossé dans le système d'éducation de la mode africaine, où l'accent est mis sur la confection de vêtements et peu est enseigné sur la conceptualisation et la créativité. Elle a souligné l'importance de l'illustration de mode, qui fournit aux entrepreneurs de la mode la vision qui inspire et guide leur processus créatif.
Apprentissage continu et adoption de la technologie dans la mode
Omonigho a conseillé aux entrepreneurs d'avoir un esprit d'apprenant pour rester pertinents dans l'industrie créative. Pinaman a partagé que les créateurs de mode ne peuvent pas se permettre d'ignorer la technologie, en particulier le commerce électronique dans leurs entreprises.
Étapes pour se préparer à travailler avec des places de marché numériques
Pinaman a partagé que l'industrie de la mode africaine est en plein essor et qu'il existe une forte demande pour les produits africains à l'échelle mondiale. Cependant, les étapes suivantes doivent être mises en place : connaître ce qu'est une fiche produit, organiser la photographie de produit, affiner la stratégie de tarification, tirer parti du commerce social et du marketing d'influence, utiliser l'IA pour l'efficacité et la personnalisation, etc.
Une habitude, un outil et un état d'esprit que les entrepreneurs devraient avoir
Au terme de cette Masterclass, les fashionpreneurs ont été dotés de stratégies concrètes et d’outils pratiques pour stimuler leur croissance et enrichir leur parcours entrepreneurial.
La Creative Innovation Practice d’EyeCity Africa demeure résolument engagée à soutenir les esprits visionnaires en leur offrant les ressources, les connaissances et les connexions nécessaires pour évoluer avec assurance. Que vous soyez fashionpreneur, penseur créatif ou acteur du changement, notre mission est de vous aider à libérer pleinement votre potentiel grâce à l’innovation, au renforcement des capacités et à un accompagnement stratégique.
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