Nigeria’s Women of Vision: Adenike Ogunlesi

Starting from the boot of her car, Adenike Ogunlesi founded children’s clothing business, Ruff ‘n’ Tumble in Lagos in 1996. It has gone on to become a great success story and exports along the West African coast.

Adenike Ogunlesi is the founder and chief executive of Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, an indigenous clothing company in Nigeria that specializes in children’s clothing. And she sits deservedly on the list of “Nigerian Women With Vision”, a Tiffany Amber campaign celebrating Nigerian women who are at the forefront of development, innovation and constantly breaking barriers in their chosen career.

Adenike has built a reputation for being one of the best manufacturers of children’s clothing in Nigeria, with a brand that can compete with any clothing line globally. From a tiny shop with her and her mother as the main staff, Adenike aka Nike turned Ruff ‘n’ Tumble into an instantly recognizable brand and a thriving business with distribution along the West African coast. With its flagship store at GRA, Ikeja that was opened in June 2000, and currently operates several outlets across the country, Ruff ‘n’ Tumble design, produce and retail clothing for boys and girls from newborns to sixteen-year-olds (0-16 years).

Adenike Ogunlesi was featured in the Africa Open for Business documentary and was recognized as the Fate Foundation Model Entrepreneur in 2005. She is a mentor to Junior Achievement of Nigeria and the Fate Foundation.

As a pioneer of children’s outfits in Nigeria, Adenike says one of her initial challenges was the acceptability of locally made products, but she dealt with that by improving on quality and benchmarks her products and services against international standards.

Today, Ruff ‘n’ Tumble has become a household name, expanding aggressively and bringing their brand closer to more Nigerians. Adenike Ogunlesi is certainly a role model a young aspiring Nigerian entrepreneur should look up to.

About the author: Chris Bamidele is a passionate and unapologetic Nigerian, who believes in God and humanity. He is a writer, blogger, and an aspiring Television Director; and an optimist to the core. He blogs at www.chrisbamidele.wordpress.com and tweets @Chrisbamidele. He currently lives in Lagos