Meet the Multi-talented Lady Sylvia Chinegwu, Disrupting The Nigerian Fashion Industry with her Co-Working Space dedicated to Fashion Designers. She is also a mother of a beautiful daughter.
Sylvia shares some of her life lessons, goals, and aspirations in this interview with Red Edit Magazine.
Can we meet you? Tell us about your background, who you are, and what you do.
I am Sylvia Nkiru C. Chinegwu (Nee Ekwenibe), an embodiment of multiple talents and
personalities. I am an Estate Surveyor and Valuer, a Corporate Worker, Book Reviewer,
Personal Finance Development Advocate, Fashion and Life Enthusiast.
I possess the gift to make the best out of every situation while helping others to achieve the
same. Fondly described as simply sophisticated, I indulge in being a Social Worker, Socialite, and Self Development Assistant.
I am happily married and growing my family.
How did you make the decision of what you want to do in life, Sylvia?
Well, not like I have figured it all out, but back in the days while I was growing up, I was weird to so many people. Also, this is because I was so
ambitious right from childhood. I am the type of person that usually wanted “my own” all the time. Invent and do my own stuff. I remember my
friends and many others that knew me then, telling me that I shouldn’t be bothered about creating my own path to wealth because they think my
parents have already established it. And then I will answer that it’s not mine but my parents, so I shouldn’t be entitled. Indeed, I have always
wanted to contribute my own quota to making the world a better place, so at each point in my life. I create goals that will lead me to accomplish
my mission and being a multi-talented person, I have the opportunity of engaging in various projects that enable me to achieve my goals. So here I
am, working towards being a global figure with respect to my areas of interest, strategizing and repositioning myself to get better at what I do
every day.
From your bio, you are an Estate Surveyor, Book Reviewer, Personal Finance Advocate, and Fashion & Life Enthusiast. How do you juggle all these and maintain life, family, and work balance?
To be frank, it can be time-consuming, exhausting, and fulfilling at the same time, but I
prioritize. The lovely thing is that all that I do, are true to me, so it is not a big deal to apportion
the activities and manage my time to suit my priorities, such that my body, soul, and mind will
be in sync. I know when to take a break and continue afterward. Also, my husband is super
supportive for he assists in creating an enabling environment by making sure the home is fun,
and peaceful and other recreational activities are embarked on to balance things.”
As an Estate Surveyor, what advice do you have for younger people? Especially those that
want to become professional Estate Surveyors and valuers.
Grit, diligence, and honesty, these values are essential to become a professional Estate Surveyor and Valuer. It’s the ability to be devoted to
understanding the profession and abiding by its best practice.
As a Fashion Enthusiast, have you had any endeavors in the Fashion Industry?
Yes, I started off as a runway model, modeling for designers, and even went ahead to participate
in pageants of which I have been crowned a Queen twice, so you can tell I have had flair for
fashion which made me start my fashion business. After a series of Advanced fashion classes, I tried to major in Ready-To-Wear and it was picking up until Covid-19 happened, the whole Stay-at-Home made me look inwards, and the inspiration to have a Co-working space for fashion designers came up, since then, it is still ongoing till date.
Sylvia Chinegwu, You said you own a co-working space, dedicated to Fashion designers. Can you tell us what it is all about?
It’s basically an outlet/space designed and furnished with the necessary sewing tools, machines, and equipment to enable various fashion designers to work comfortably and collectively within
the space. They rent the space monthly and or yearly, depending on the terms and conditions.
What inspired you to invest in this segment (i.e., the co-working space for Fashion designers) of the fashion business value chain, and how long have you been running the fashion designer’s co-working space?
First, I felt it was needed, I imagined a community of fashion designers just focusing on their craft and ensuring quality designs are created in the
most productive way, it was initiated also to encourage start-ups, especially for those finding it difficult to set up a space, so this will enable them
to overcome that the setbacks and thrive. Lastly, I decided to practice and enhance the facility management skills I acquired from being an Estate
Surveyor and Valuer in the Fashion Industry.”
What is your long-term vision for the fashion designers’ co-working space?
To scale it up, to be able to expand our network and outlets across Nigeria and Africa. I hope to partner with National and International investors to build more factories and spaces. This will be able to serve a lot of upcoming fashion designers.
As a book reviewer, you should love reading books. Can you share with us your three favorite books and why would you recommend them to anyone?
I love reading right from childhood, I would prefer to read than watch television anytime. In fact, I fantasized about writing a book and it happened that being an avid reader inspired me to write a book.
Maybe I should recommend four books instead, lol. Among the vastly knowledgeable books I have read, I
recommend the following:
- “Why You Act the Way You Do” by Tim Lahaye because the book assists in understanding yourself and the people around you. It teaches you how to co-exist.
- “Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason as it first introduced me to the world of personal finance.
-48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene as it will help one understand the dynamics of human relationships
and how to navigate their interest to achieve success in life. - You Can Become A Saint by Mary Ann Budnik reminds me that Holiness is not the privilege of a few, that it is a gift offered to all with practical examples of how it can help one in the struggle for Holiness.
You just mentioned you being an avid reader inspired you to write a book. Can you tell us
more about the book you wrote?
Oh yes, I wrote a children’s storybook titled “How Solange and Friends Built Money Trees”
The Storybook is centered on financial literacy for all Children, most especially Teens. it’s a
book on Wealth Creation, Savings, and Investment. We hope to get every promising child to
have a copy.
What is your ultimate personal finance rule when advising people on how they should plan
their finances?
I would have said many things, but you said the Ultimate Rule. First, I suggest 10% of all earnings must be set aside for investment, this is the
ultimate. Secondly, 20% of all earnings should go to the emergency fund. Thirdly, 30% of all savings should go to the Savings Account. Fourthly,
40% of all earnings should go to the bills and expenses account. I strongly advise that 10% of all earnings should not be touched, no matter what.
Sylvia Chinegwu, As a life Enthusiast, who and what inspires you? Do you have any habit(s) you do, that keeps you motivated every day?
Another difficult one to answer because many people inspire me in different aspects of my life, even a child can inspire me but basically, those who
embrace themselves & their uniqueness and work towards becoming their best selves to make the world a better place mostly inspire me. The likes
of Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, Okonjo Iweala, Femi Otedola, Amina Mohammed, and Folorunsho Alakija,
name them, they are a lot, that inspires me.
What inspires me? Nature, Love, Humanity, Success, and God, whatever I do, stem from these.
The habits I do that keeps me motivated are praying, meditating, reading, watching
documentaries, listening to educative podcast, exercising, and practicing charity against all odds.
What other goals or interests do you have?
I mentioned that I also indulge in being a social worker, socialite, and self-development assistant. So I intend to build on these as a social brand, that can work with various other brands and institutions with similar interests to achieve mutual goals by maximizing the different social platforms and opportunities. Also, I love being told I smell good (apart from looking good), which signifies that I won’t mind having and launching my perfume collection in the future, though I wish to specifically partner with an international brand, so I am open to collaborations.
Are there challenges you have or have had to overcome (or are still overcoming) in getting to where you are now, or where you want to be?
Challenges are inevitable in any success story. So yes, a lot of challenges are not left out. First is the issue of Capital; access to the massive capital that can scale up my endeavors, dreams, and aspirations has been
a huge challenge.
Secondly, I had to, and I still battle to overcome the challenges of people having preconceived notions about me, for instance, when people expect me to behave or act in a certain way to conform. So right
from the time I was growing up, I don’t think I have received in-depth understanding from everyone around me the way it ought to be, though now as I am gradually building up my circle, things are becoming better. Indeed, I won’t tell you that many people have been supportive throughout my life choices, mostly because my life choices are viewed as being ambitious & controversial, and not because the people around me don’t love me. I am the type that wants my view to be heard and taken seriously, not due to the way I look or how I speak, but because of what I can offer, so every other time.
I am striving for someone to understand and to be able to attain something so simple, so easy, and not you throwing prejudice my way because of how I look or the perception you have about me. Sincerely, it’s not fun reminiscing these memories because after going through the closest people to you misunderstanding, betraying, don’t trust, believing, or respecting you for a very long time.
I am taking my time to be comfortable opening up to people at times (probably the reason why many guess about me or hide to watch and figure me out from afar), and also even when they start respecting you and your views later in the years, you will have mixed feelings, you will be like, okay, maybe they are doing that now because of this or that, so why didn’t they do it when I was this or that, so you see, it is a battle to stand strong, be heard and get supported for my truth. At most, I will say it can only get better.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
In the next five years, I will be more advanced in my endeavors and networks. I love self-
development so I should have added a lot of knowledge, expertise, and qualifications to my wealth of portfolio. Also on the side to my corporate work, I will be taking more risks and getting investors to collaborate and scale up my co-designers fashion space while leaving room for spontaneous growth in other areas of my endeavors.
What do you do to relax? That is, how do you de-stress when things get a little intense?
I enjoy hanging out with family (and friends), and trying out new recreational activities, we are practically outsiders in my family. Also, I de-stress by going for Spa sessions, and honoring interesting invites and events as per the queen of gaiety, I just love adventure jare. I relax by sleeping for long hours too.
What would you say are your biggest life achievements so far?
Having given an award as the most Achieved pupil in my University days back then. Like did they even know what they were speaking into my life? Hehe. Having a national award for personal community development service. I did this during NYSC by creating and furnishing a computer room for my Place of Primary Assignment. I would also say, having my family and being a mother, as coming from the psychology of not being so
concerned about getting married. This is because I felt it was going to hinder me from achieving my big dreams. But thanks to God and my loving
husband who is supportive, I am actually happy that I get to do both simultaneously and it’s a beautiful feeling.
Do you have specific tips on how you succeed that you would like to share?
Resilience, Tenacity, and Being Strategic. I don’t entertain failures or take no for an answer, that is, I don’t let rejection and downfalls get to me. I believe that the universe is there to serve us what we strongly desire, the question is, are we willing to sacrifice, never give up and pursue what we want, until it is served to us? To succeed, it is important to know that there are many ways to achieve a goal, if plan A is not working, plan B, C, D, and E will work. When there is a will, there is a way!
What is your favorite quote?
“Everything worth doing is worth doing well, and to achieve your best, you put God first, every other thing follows”.
Final words.
In Nelson Mandelas words, “Its always impossible until possible”, the fact is that if you think you can achieve it, yes you can! Go for it, don’t daydream, or engage in wishful thinking, work smart and never give up. Don’t look at your present state, the future is so bright, believe in God and yourself, and constantly work towards being the best version of yourself. Achieve greatness and make the world a better place. Live, Love, Laugh!
