I’m Shy, Quiet, But Friendly

Chioma Mang

Chioma Mang is a 25 year old luxury entrepreneur with a niche for creating timeless and exotic leather wears ranging from handbags, wallets, purses, belts, footwears and a lot more. With over three years in building a flourishing career, the young beautiful entrepreneur is ever ready to continue to bestride the heights of bespoke luxury, catering to exotic wears, beautifully designed creations and more. She spoke with Tosin Clegg about starting out, her products, emerging to be one of the strongest homemade brands and more

I had an amazing childhood

Growing up was interesting, being the last born with three amazing elder sisters and an elder brother to look up to. I had an amazing childhood; I was the baby of the house and my dad’s favourite. My parents were busy bankers, but always made out time for family. I wanted to be a doctor and then a lawyer at various times growing up. I grew up in Port Harcourt and completed my academic education at the University of Port Harcourt. I moved to Lagos In 2018 where I completed my NYSC. I’m a shy and quiet person at first but really friendly when I get comfortable. I love meeting new people and trying new things.

About Mangzcode and how I started the brand

I received a pair of handmade leather sandals from a friend while in school, it was so beautiful and everyone who saw them wanted a pair. From there I developed interest in leather products and how they were made. My family, friends and colleagues were my first customers. I started the brand Mangz Code officially in 2018 after I moved to Lagos for my Youth Service and it’s been an amazing journey so far. My last name is Mang, so I wanted a brand name that was personal and represents me. The code is what the brand hopes to deliver, which is stunning art pieces to fit every lifestyle.

Products we design under the brand

We started off creating slippers and sandals when the business began in 2018. We’ve expanded steadily since then including more leather products like handbags, wallets, purses, belts and so on to our range using the best quality leather and materials.

Mangz Code will be 3 years in September 2021

It has recorded significant growth over the past years including our first workshop and pick up location In Lagos and a subsidiary brand named Bags.Lagos. Bags.Lagos is a brand borne out of a desire to meet a high demand for handmade vegan leather bags. Doing business in Nigeria is crazy, from the steady rise in prices of production materials to other things like electricity, logistics, regulatory issues and so on. It’s been a journey filled with constant learning and unlearning. However, I absolutely love what I do and there’s nothing I would rather be doing.

Creative process behind the designs

I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best artisans and I’ve watched the quality of our products grow exponentially over the years. As the creative director, I love to research on fashion and also follow a lot of fashion trends on social media to see what consumers like and how we can improve our products. I also get motivated by other designers who have been in the business longer. We hope to grow our factory so we can meet the rising demand for our products. We also hope to open flagship stores so we can cater to more people and provide a complete experience. I would love for people all over the world to get the Mangz Code experience.