RETURNING TO her childhood city of Lagos in 2004 after attending a British university, Honey Ogundeyi ventured out to Balogun market on a colleague’s advice to find a pair of sturdy black heels for her consulting internship. That was enough to convince her Nigerian fashion needed to go online. “There’s no changing rooms; there’s no return policy; there’s no exchanges; there’s no authenticity. You can’t tell if what you’re buying is fake, [or] whether you’re going to break out in hives from it, or whether it’s been worn before,” says Ogundeyi, 32. “It’s the most uncivilized way to shop for fashion.”
MARKET LEADER: Honey Ogundeyi got the idea for her company, Fashpa, while having trouble shopping at Balogun market in Lagos. Fashpa now has customers across 10 countries.
ADEOLA OLAGUNJU FOR NEWSWEEK
She eventually gave up, bought the shoes online and waited six weeks for a friend to bring them to Lagos. And so the germ for an e-marketplace of African fashion was born.