When it comes to fashion brands in Nigeria, the eponymous label, Banke Kuku, is a trailblazer with a cult following. Its founder can single-handedly be credited for starting the mesh dress craze that many competitors began to imitate.
Every fashion lover knows the label, instantly recognizable by its signature mesh dresses, printed silks, pyjamas, and two-piece set. 
Banke Kuku began as a textile designer in Paris, making fabrics for home furnishings before transitioning to a full-on fashion label.
She moved back to Nigeria in 2019, just at the precipice of the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, her amazing trajectory has included a major collaboration with Hollywood superstar Gabrielle Union.
This collaboration brought about 100,000 unique visitors to her website. With such success in its belt, the business has since gone on to build a cult fashion following known not only among the elite in Nigeria but all over the world, but it all began with a relatively small loan from GTBank.
How Banke Kuku Got a ₦10 Million Loan from GTBank
When it comes to starting a business, funding is everything, and raising money is where most founders get stuck. Banke didn’t want to get credit in dollars because of the conversion to naira. So, here’s what happened.
Before Palmpay, Fairmoney, Okash, and other apps that offer quick loans, GTBank had a funding service you could get by simply dialling their code, *737#. The interest was pretty low. “It was like free money. First I started with 5 million; I paid that off, and then I got another one for 5 million,” she said during an Afropolitan podcast.
Unfortunately, GTBank doesn’t give these kinds of advances anymore without collateral and guarantors, but back then, it was as quick as ABC. Banke used the money to get substantial inventory, but she also got capital from her family members.
Today, however, Banke wouldn’t advise getting a loan from a traditional bank. The high interest rates can put entrepreneurs under undue pressure.
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What Makes Banke Kuku Different?
To make production easier and cheaper, most labels source their products from China. However, every single fabric and thread used by Banke Kuku is locally made in Nigeria. That means she is truly exporting Nigeria to the world.
The company was also innovative and ahead of the curve in that on the verge of COVID-19, when her shop had to be closed down, she got a web designer to design her website and took pictures of the models within 24 hours. This made her record massive sales during the COVID period, especially to international clientele.
But for Banke, being excellent is the most important thing, and hiring the best hands is where the magic is. She admits that Nigerians can be a bit relaxed when it comes to delivering quality products, but her staff members are trained to be excellent and not rush their work because rushing will decrease quality.
It is amazing to see what a ₦10 million investment can do.
These days, her creations are bought all over the world. She isn’t building a fast-fashion venture: it can be tagged as mid-luxury since it’s sold in dollars.
Banke Kuku definitely stands as an inspirational person to those who want to build a global enterprise from scratch.
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