Learning from the Ground Up: My Apprenticeship with Happy Designs
If you’ve followed Chi & Stainless from the start, you know my journey didn’t begin in fashion school or a global studio.
It started at a sewing machine in Enugu, in the quiet workshop of Happy Designs, where I apprenticed and learned fashion from the ground up.
Today, I’m looking back on that chapter with so much gratitude—because the lessons I learned there shaped how I see clothes, craft, and creativity forever.
🧷 Why I Needed an Apprenticeship
After launching my first pieces in 2019 and gathering momentum, I realized something:
Passion isn’t enough, technique matters too.
I knew how to imagine looks and manipulate fabrics, but I wanted to deepen my construction knowledge to understand why clothes work, not just how to make them look good.
That’s when I reached out to Happy Designs, a respected local designer who’d been making beautifully tailored outfits in Lagos for over a decade.
Inside the Workshop | Chi & Stainless Fashion at Happy Designs Studio
🧵 What I Learned
That apprenticeship didn’t just teach me garment construction, it taught me:
- Patience (redoing a dart 5 times until it sits right)
- Discipline (ironing every seam, no matter how small)
- Respect for process (not rushing when the fabric speaks slowly)
I spent hours learning the technical side of design—how to balance structure with movement, how to fit across body types, and how to design for real people, not just mannequins.
Tools of the Trade | Chi and Stainless Fashion
💬 The Lessons That Stayed With Me
One moment that stuck with me was when my mentor looked at a blouse I’d stitched and said,
“This is good but it needs to feel finished inside too. Clothes should be beautiful on the inside.”
That hit me.
Since then, I’ve applied that thinking to everything I design. Every Chi & Stainless piece is made with intention, even in the hidden places.
I carried the techniques I gained from Happy Designs straight into my second collection “She Speaks” (coming 2021)and every client piece since.
It made me more confident as a designer and more committed to making clothes that don’t just look good in photos but feel good to wear, wash, and live in.
Trying out sketch| Chi and Stainless Fashion
Not every designer will talk about where they trained, or who taught them to align seams and fix invisible zips. But I believe transparency is part of good design.
Chi & Stainless wasn’t built overnight, it was built stitch by stitch, lesson by lesson, in places like that little workshop.
So if you’re just starting out don’t rush. Learn from those who came before you. Stay grounded. Sew your way forward.
