Meet Christopher Onyemenam of Miimii in Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Onyemenam.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
15 years ago, after having an early dinner in Florence, Italy, I walked into an intimate apparel boutique to buy some items for my wife at the time and was amazed at the long queue of lady customers waiting to pay for their purchases.

I asked the sales associates if the queue of over a dozen ladies was the norm and they told me I came at the right time as it actually does get busier.

The light bulb in my head lit up right away and then I pleaded with them to give me their suppliers info so I could possibly look into opening a store in the US.

They refused, of course, laughing at me but directed me to a huge mart outside the city of Florence where I could make large purchases of clothing apparel including Intimates.

And so the journey began. I bought quite a large number of ladies underwear on that trip and sold out at a trade show in Atlanta.

However, I had a few ladies there complain that I didn’t carry a wide array of sizes in particular “larger/plus sizes”.

So over the next few years, I went on buying trips to Brazil, Turkey, Italy & Canada in search of plus size intimate apparel but with no luck whatsoever. I chose those countries as I’d wanted to bring in different and sexy items in larger sizes that weren’t available in the USA.

At the time (15 years ago), Plus Sizes were hardly spoken about or hardly available. And so, Retailers, Designers, Manufacturers/Suppliers concentrated their efforts solely on smaller sizes (S, M, L).

A good friend of mine in the industry did tell me that had I decided to launch “Miimii” then, chances are it would have been very difficult and perhaps unsuccessful.

Sad as it may seem but it was true. At the time, Full figured women were looked down upon, stores refused to add plus sizes to their collection & Designers wouldn’t dare do anything “plus size”.

After searching worldwide and not happy about the disservice to the full-figured woman, I decided to launch the brand “Miimii”.

Miimii was launched primarily for the Plus-Size & Curvy woman. Our intimate apparel line not only looks good, but also wears with the comfort you’d expect from a product specifically made for a full-figured woman.

We didn’t just think of comfort or wearability, however, we have “sewn in the sexy” to every single piece that carries the brand.

In his article on https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-fashion-industry-thinks-big-about-plus-sizes/, Johnathan Berr, an award-winning journalist and podcaster based in New Jersey whose main focus is on business and economic issues, rightfully mentioned that when it comes to apparel sales, big is beautiful. To fuel growth, the fashion world is increasingly counting on plus-size customers, a demographic that it has long ignored.

Miimii, a sexy brand come true, inspired by the full-figured woman, was developed to capitalize on that huge market that was being ignored.

According to market researcher NPD Group, sales of women’s plus-size clothing (defined as size 12 and above) rose 6 percent to $21.4 billion in 2016, double the rate of overall apparel sales.

That number is expected to hit in excess of $50 billion by 2020 according to Ascena Retail (ASNA).

We are pleased to announce that Miimii is now a vendor for “Forever21”. We are in the process of signing up with a mother major US retailer before year end. The goal in 5 years is to be that one-stop-shop for plus size sexy lingerie and clothing apparel. A lot of work ahead but we’re going in full steam.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been a smooth road one bit.

There has been a lot of struggles in just about every aspect/phase of the business.

This business has been at least 15 plus years in the making. I’ve had to put her on hold quite a number of times due to budget constraints.

At the time when I initially mentioned it to friends, most thought I was crazy coming up with the idea.

There were also the following:

1) Identifying the right manufacturers to work with and capable of producing what we want.
2) Attending Tradeshows worldwide in search of designs and suppliers.
3) Creating brand awareness.
4) Establishing the brand.
5) Finding models to work with.
6) Marketing issues.
7) Having to order a large amount of inventory especially from the Asian manufacturers considering our budget was limited.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Miimii story. Tell us more about the business.
Established in 2010, Miimii, a sexy brand come true, inspired by the full-figured woman was developed to capitalize on a huge market that was being ignored.

Being plus size, the options for finding clothing & intimate apparel are very limited. Until recently, retail establishments were not carrying larger-sized selections and lingerie manufacturers were mainly focused on producing smaller sizes.

Miimii’s goal is not only to specialize in making products exclusively for the Plus Size & Curvy lady, but also to put that sexy in them by producing a wide array of comfortable, classy and sensual intimate apparel with sexy laces/fabrics from all over the world. This sets us apart from other brands.

We are part of the movement encouraging ladies to embrace their curves & love the skin they are in.

What makes me proud as a company is the fact we’ve hung in through tough times especially in this industry where lots of brands are closing down their doors.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I can’t say ‘luck’ has anything to do with business.

Perseverance, believing in yourself & being able to roll with the punches thrown at you is key.

I know folks born with silver spoons & came from wealthy families but couldn’t capitalize on it and therefore never succeeded in their business ventures.

I’ve learned a lot from reading about some of the most successful people today. They had no ounce of ‘fear’ in them and never took ‘no’ for an answer even when doors were shut in their faces.

Again, the key is hanging in there until some door opens up for you.