“I Was Making Dresses For My Dolls At 8yrs Old”

Urnaija recently had the privilege of speaking with Miss Goodwill Fashion Ambassador Nigeria 2016, and CEO of Debraeworld, Hunge Deborah Jesuyon, 35, who shared with us the interesting story of how she got into Fashion Designing at the tender age of eight when she used to make doll-sized kaftans

**I’m the proud mother of two handsome boys**

URNAIJA: How did you get into Fashion Designing? Was it a hobby or did someone inspire you into doing it?

Debra: This is exactly what happened, I’d say Fashion Designing is a hobby. I have a fashion Designing background because my mum is a Fashion Designer. She’s the one who went through the 5-year Fashion Designing training but the funniest thing about my story is, when I started designing, my mum wasn’t involved in the business anymore. She was sick and had to be relocated from an urban area to a rural area where she couldn’t find customers. So, I was left alone to pick up the pieces all by myself. I remember the two faulty sewing machines that I picked up from her business. This was, about twenty-seven years ago when I was eight or nine. I was self-taught and by the Grace of God I picked things up quickly. I must have been Holy Spirit inspired as I was far too young to be doing what I was doing at that age.

I’ve been designing since when I was in primary four. Back then, at any given time if you looked through my school bag, you’d find a doll-sized kaftan. I’d get a doll and dress that doll up in the kaftan I had made. (laughs) Kaftan was the reigning style then. I would even run all sorts of embroidery on that kaftan.

URNAIJA: For the Doll?

“Yes”