Passion and Determinations; A case of Victoria Amidu
24 year old Victoria Amidu is a first born daughter in a family of 3. Her dream and passion has always been in the fashion design industry though against her parent’s liking as they wanted to see their daughter being a banker.
“I don’t want to be receiving petty cash while dressed in descent clothes in an air conditioned room in a banking hall, I want to be making my own money whilst working hard,” Victoria narrated her response to her parent’s dislike for her work and her personal goals.
Upon completion of her secondary education, Victoria first studied Business Management at PACT College and found a job in the sales and marketing industry. She nonetheless paid a tailor who taught her some basics of tailoring and later left her job to join DAPP Mikolongwe Vocational School (MVS) for a Textile and Fashion Design (TFD) course to fulfil her dream of becoming a fashion designer. She joined the institution 6 months later than her classmates who had enrolled in 2015 for the 3 year course.
Victoria did her attachments at Lily Alfonso in Lilongwe. There she boosted her skills in entrepreneurship and garment finishing in a quest to satisfy customers. Whilst in school, before and after her attachment, she worked with the tailor she had paid to train her in tailoring basics on different designer clothes for different customers. Four months after graduating, she opened her shop in Nancholi township in Blantyre. She employed her tailoring basics mentor and her former classmate from DAPP Mikolongwe Vocational School due to the volume of work she was having.
Her customer base is not only in Blantyre, it extended to the capital city, Lilongwe through a shop going by the label Vtouch which makes more than MK300,000.00 a month (more than EUR350). From the proceeds, she pays her employees as well as shop rentals whilst also taking care of her home as she stays with her younger brother. In a period of 4 months, she managed to buy a sewing machine, furniture for her home, a smartphone and a laptop among others. Victoria is earning a living and more, whilst also fulfilling her designing instincts.
