IJE NWANDU - CEO LAPOOZA LINGERIE

Nwandu… War against breast cancer
AFTER a year in lingerie business, 23–year old Ije Nwandu extended the realm of her dream to help Nigerian women through her campaign on breast cancer. In order to fulfill her desire, she organised a show, which was sponsored by Fidelity Bank, to create awareness on the dreaded diseases. She spoke to OYINDAMOLA LAWAL on her aspirations, project and challenges.
Breast cancer campaign
We have just started, we have big dreams, and it’s something that we definitely hope would pick up. The reception of the show tells us that people are definitely interested in it. We invited a couple of breast cancer patents, but they wouldn’t come because they feel bad having it. Right now, a lot of organisations and governments are interested in the campaign.
Motivation to create awareness on breast cancer
First of all, we design lingerie; and as you know, lingerie is designed not only to beautify the breast, but also to protect it. We also have some personal experiences, where some of our family members had had it, so, it comes natural that one has to enlighten people about it.
Inspiration
A lot of people want to do something about it, but don’t know, where to start from. So, we intend to spend a lot of time to talk about it just as we talk about our lingerie, and to make ourselves look hotter. The inspiration comes from the women around me, the women I have grown up with, the women in my family and my little girls.

WHEN did you venture into lingerie industry?
I have been doing it for a year and half. The idea came up early 2007, but we didn’t start until 2007 Christmas.
And the coinage Lapooza
It was coined from the names of my little cousins Leila, she’s three and the last child. Then Pooky, my little niece and Zara, my little sister. The combination of their names resulted in Lapooza.
Challenges
Starting up this business is not something people like your parent will encourage and the fact that it was lingerie, they saw the potentials, but it was very difficult getting people to believe in what I was doing. It’s been a rough year, but it’s worth the while.
Growing up
I will not exchange my life for the world. I had the best education that my parents could afford. They gave me all the love that they could. They give me all the support, I could ever wish for. I had a beautiful childhood.
Family background
I am the first child of my parents. I come from Anambra State, grew up in Enugu and schooled in England. I am from the best family on earth. If I die and come back, I will have the same family; I wouldn’t change it for the world. My mum is the seventh or the eighth wonder of the world. My dad is into construction and my mum is into a whole lot of stuffs, she helps run my company. She has a traveling agency, a dry cleaning outfit and also a lecturer. She is equally in charge of my dad’s charity. I have young sisters and a brother.
Education background
I have been in England since 2002, where I went to do my A level; after that, I went to University of Sheffield where I studied Politics and International Relations. I’m now doing two second degrees in City University and Regents Business School in London. I am getting my MBA in global Business Management. So, I’m very busy.
Where can one get the Lapooza lingerie?
You can get Lapooza lingerie in Nigeria. Usually, we sell through agents. What I know is that we are not opening our first store firm until about two years from now, so, not only are we selling our products, we are also encouraging women to start up their businesses. Right now, we currently have about 50 distributors in Nigeria but Lagos is still a new market to us. So, what we do is that women buy in bulk and we do all the advertising for them, we get to do like lingerie party, so not only are you selling lingerie, but having fun and happy telling other people about it. Right now, you find our agents in Enugu, Asaba, Onitsha, Abuja, Jos and the host of others. We mostly have young girls about 28 and 29, who don’t have job or who are housewives but want to still earn extra income; we tend to encourage them.
Price
I think that is the beauty about our products. It is really cheap compared to our competitors. You can get Lapooza products from N500. Our pant and thongs go for N500, our bra set cost about N3500, N4000 depends on what you want. One thing we have done is that we have different things in order to accommodate every pocket. If you came into a Lapooza stand with N500 you could walk away with something, if you came in with N20, 000 for one item, you could walk away with something.
Projection into the future
We are still a small company but we have big dreams and I don’t think we are going to stop until we conquer Africa. We are taking one step at a time, and until everyone says Lapooza, the same way everyone dreams about Victoria secret, we won’t stop.
Managing school and business
It’s a thing of this is what I want, so I have to make sacrifices; although my parents have always supported me, given me their 100 per cent backing. They also want to make sure that just incase this one doesn’t go right; I have something to fall back on. It means if I don’t have a social life, I can achieve this. So, what I focus on is school, school, school, Lapooza, and Lapooza.
Change in Nigeria
I would educate women. As I said, this breast cancer thing is something I’m very passionate about. I’ve seen so many friends lose their mothers, sisters, their grand mothers to breast cancer and one thing I would really want to do more is to change the mindset of women about breast cancer. This campaign is not something to be ashamed of; it’s something to embrace. It’s something to talk about so as to help other people. It’s something I would appeal to anyone who has the influence to get involved in.
Role models
My role model is my mother. She’s been a firebrand. Like I said, if I die and had to come back, I would want to be her daughter because she has taught me everything I need to know. I have her personality though she doesn’t agree with that I’m pretty much her in a different form. I admire her so much.
Social time
To me, my social time is Lapooza; that is what I do to have fun. I don’t look at it as a job; it’s just pretty much what I do. So, if I am not studying, I am probably talking t you about – have you seen my latest design? Did you see what I have done? What do you think? That’s pretty much what I do.
Definition of fashion
It’s anything that makes you comfortable; I don’t think you have to follow a certain trend. I just believe that you have to know what work for you. However, I don’t believe that because everybody is wearing pencil skirt, you have to wear it, if you have the right body for it, why wear it because it’s in vogue. You have to be yourself; if you are comfortable and you don’t appear confident in yourself then it shows.
Style of fashion
It’s simplicity; it’s all about comfort that is the important thing to me. I do like a lot of sparkling things. I am attracted to sparkling things but that is pretty much the only thing I will say would be my obsession with fashion. Everything else, as long as I am comfortable and I feel happy with what I am wearing then I am good to go.
Stylish icon
I will say the women in my family again. I have grown up watching them and I have always wanted to be like them and justify them.
What she wont be caught dead wearing
I don’t know actually; I wouldn’t try everything. However, I think I wont be caught dead wearing something because it was in vogue. For instance, when skinny jeans were out, I never wore them initially, but when I got the right combination – how to make it look right from head to toe. I couldn’t have been caught dead wearing skinny jeans just like that, because I felt like everyone is wearing it the wrong way until someone told me that skinny jeans is hot with high heels and look nice with this kind of shirt and stuff like that, then I started wearing it. I copy other people, I can’t deny that, but I wouldn’t have worn it initially when it first came out. There are bunch of others.
Role models
My role model would be my mother; she’s been a fire band. Like I said, I if die and had to come back, I would want to be her daughter because she has taught me everything I know. I have her personality even though she doesn’t agree with that but I’m pretty much her in a different form. I admire her so much
Favourite designer
I don’t have one; I just go with the clothes. I’m not a designer freak; I go with whatever looks good on me.
Growing up
I had the most amazing childhood. I will keep saying I would not exchange my life for the world. I go to holidays, pickings; I got the best education that they could afford. They gave me all the love that they could. They give me all the support, I could ever wish for. I have a beautiful childhood, I cant think of anything I would change about my childhood.
Most embarrassing moment
When I was sixteen that was when I just got to England and someone told me it’s a bank holiday but I couldn’t understand what that meant and I needed to go to the bank, so I went into town and the bank didn’t open and I still couldn’t get it. I kept saying the bank had close, people around said it’s a bank holiday and I still couldn’t understand. That was very embarrassing. They are bunch of others but they are much more embarrassing.
Memorable
I would say Christmas at home. I come from a very big family, my father has 22 siblings and I have 85 cousins; imagine when we were younger, when we have half of us or more during Christmas bash, it was so much fun and we always look forward to. Unfortunately most people are married now, so we don’t have that privilege anymore.
Beauty routine
I don’t have one. Everyone says your mother blessed you with her skin or else you will do so much trouble. I don’t do anything extra ordinary. I just do my makeup and that’s pretty much it. I don’t use any special cream; I use baby oil. My mother has the most amazing skin and that’s all she uses, so I decided hat her skin is like mine and that is what I will use, which is a baby oil with Aloe Vera.
Sexiest part
I think it depends for women. For me, I will say it’s my leg, I love my legs; not everyone agree with me but I love my legs and I tend to show them what they lost.