The Creative Director and Founder of Zulér, Surajudeen Opeyemi Musa, says Nigerian fashion can compete successfully in the global market if the industry combines cultural identity with technology, quality production and investment in local talent.
Musa stated this during an interview on Adamimogo 105.1FM Ibadan, where he spoke about the vision behind Zulér, its Nigerian identity and its focus on youth empowerment and local production.
He said his interest in fashion and his desire to build businesses capable of creating opportunities for people influenced his entry into the industry.
Musa began his fashion journey in 2018 with Musante Sculpture and said his relocation to Ghana in 2023 helped him develop his ideas further through exposure to a different cultural environment.
According to him, Zulér was conceived as more than a fashion label, with its activities spanning culture, craftsmanship, technology, embroidery, design and pattern drafting.
“Zulér has to do with culture, craftsmanship, technology,” he said, adding that the model could create employment opportunities for young people.
Musa said Zulér remains firmly Nigerian despite its international outlook and operations across the Nigeria-United Kingdom corridor.
He said his exposure to life abroad had not weakened his connection to Nigerian culture, which he described as central to the identity of the brand.
“Zulér is a Nigerian thing,” he said.
He added that the brand’s products and designs are made in Nigeria, stressing the importance of encouraging local production and strengthening the country’s creative economy.
The fashion entrepreneur also rejected the perception that Zulér was created exclusively for wealthy consumers.
He said the brand was intended to be accessible to different categories of consumers, although he acknowledged that people would naturally have different purchasing capacities.
“Zulér is not elitist and is not for a particular part of the people,” he said.
Musa described the brand as a movement centred on youth, culture, entrepreneurship and craftsmanship, rather than simply a clothing business.
Speaking on the prospects of Nigerian fashion in the international market, Musa identified culture and technology as important tools for achieving global competitiveness.
He explained that culture gives a product its identity, while technology provides opportunities to develop ideas, improve production and reach markets beyond geographical boundaries.
“Culture is about identity, while technology has to do with migration because technology is a new currency in society,” he said.
Musa argued that Nigerian-made products can meet international standards when entrepreneurs invest in design, production and quality control.
He noted that established fashion industries in Western countries also developed through sustained investment and the gradual expansion of local production capacity.
According to him, Nigeria has the talent and creative capacity to produce for the African and global markets, but that potential must be supported with technology, investment and a commitment to quality.
He said Zulér’s broader vision was to demonstrate how Nigerian culture, creativity and locally produced goods could be transformed into commercially viable brands with international appeal.
