Lady Judith Opens Fashion House In Sapele, As Diden, Ogieh, Others Grace Event

By Daniel Dafe

The long awaited formal opening of Blend & Style Fashion House in Sapele has successfully held.

The event which took place recently in Sapele, had the Chairman, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Hon. Michael Diden, the Managing Director, DESOPADEC, Hon. Askia Ogieh and others in attendance.

In her address, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Blend & Style, Mrs. Judith Nwachukwu, expressed gratitude to friends, sponsors and all those who came to witness the opening ceremony of her fashion house, as she advised women to make good use of their talents, adding that they must have self confidence and believe in themselves.

She said: “We are all here to mark a special day in the history of Sapele town and its development as Blend and Style, our fashion house hopes to positively impact on the economic development of Sapele youths and its populace in general.

“For several years, the Delta State government, especially under the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has taken novel and innovative steps to rid Delta state of poverty by creating several empowerment programs, like the STEP and YAGEP programs, which has created thousands of entrepreneurs and subsequently resulted in the creation of more jobs and livelihood for the people of the state. This has also contributed to making the state more peaceful.”

She continued: “Undeniably, DESOPADEC has also played a major role in this respect by funding training programs, creating access roads, empowerment centers and financially empowering youths to start small and grow big.”

According to her, she has invested almost N10, 000, 000 to set up the fashion house to enable them give high quality services to clients in and outside Sapele and also train several individuals to learn the noble trade and become independent themselves.

She said further: “We hope in the near future to have our own property/estate where we will build a world class fashion school and spa to elevate the standard of not just our services but the economic future of Sapele people and youths. This will of course reduce poverty and vices in the town and environs, making life more enjoyable.”

Also, while addressing journalists at the end of the ceremony, she noted that the concept of Blend and Style is to be creative and stylish.

“Anything I put on, people always appreciate it and so I thought that I can make more women and men beautiful. As the Managing Director of Blend and Style, I have trainees and staffs; people call us from different places to consult us on what to put on and I see myself gifted in that area because I know how to blend and style,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hon. Diden has assured Blend and Style Fashion House of patronage from him and other key stakeholders in Sapele.

Diden disclosed this during his remarks at the official opening ceremony, noting that the state government is providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the area.

While commending Nwachukwu for the move, he decried the attitude of employees who have the habit of undermining the business owner’s interest if not around, saying, “the problem we have in Sapele is that, if you have people working for you, the moment you leave the place, the people working for you believe the place belongs to them and that does not help an organization.”

He advised Mrs. Nwachukwu to be careful with the people she employs to avoid her workers from destroying her business, adding that he has seen her good works and will encourage her by patronizing her fashion house to make it grow.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the occasion, Bashorun Askia Ogieh, represented by Hon. Joyce Overah, representing Ethiope West, Okpe and Sapele in the DESOPADEC  board, also appreciated the effort of the MD and CEO of Blend and Style, saying that she has been able to turn her dreams to reality by the launch.

He said: “The idea is a good one and it is our belief that as you progress with this new enterprise, Sapele will know greater things and instead of us going to Benin, Lagos and other places for fashion, we will be patronizing Blend and Style goods.”