Nigerian jeweller Chris ‘Ice man’ Aire is one of the more successful Africans in diaspora, designing jewellery that is worn by many Hollywood celebrities, global music stars and making himself a very rich man in the process. Yet the man is not well-known back in his home country but with the launch of a Chris Aire Concept Boutique inside the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja in Decemeber 2011, things could be set for a change as the ‘Ice man’ brings his wares to the African market. Tom Jackson looks at five business lessons from Aire’s remarkable enterprise.
Find a market
Aire has made a bold statement in global fashion market, by picking a market and relentlessly selling to it. At the start of his career in jewellery he started hanging around places where stars frequented and did not miss any opportunity to sell the story of his exceptional craftsmanship in jewellery making. The first major break however came when a basketball star, Gary Payton, bought the story of the ambitious black boy from Nigeria and ordered a platinum pendant shaped like a basketball. The Chris Aire brand was born.
Believe in yourself
After leaving Nigeria, Aire had to fight in order to make himself the man he is today. He left his father’s business at a young age and entered the job market. When he moved to the United States he initially settled for a career in the music business in Memphis. This did not work, but Aire refused to return to Nigeria, as a result finding himself omitted from his father’s will. Not one to give up, he changed his name and tried acting, flipping burgers to support himself. Eventually he took a self-help seminar, made links in the jewellery business and the rest is history.
Focus on your customers
Aire calls his company a human institution, professing that it is not all about money making but about serving customers. Quality service and the human touch create a bond between a business and its customers than no advertising campaign can create. Aire understands that money is the by-product of genuinely listening and catering to the needs of customers, and seeks to make them feeling intimately involved with his business.
Seek publicity
Aire is friends with music stars like D’banj and Duncan Mighty, and these links have brought him more attention than he would otherwise have had in Nigeria. Geena Davis, Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey, Terri Hatcher, Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Clint Eastwood and Will Smith are just some of the international celebrities that have worn his jewellery and other accessories. Each time they do, Chris Aire becomes a little better known.
Go back to your roots
In November of last year Aire launched his first boutique in Africa, in Abuja. The launch event was attended by celebrities including Jamaican-American reggae star Shaggy and Hollywood actress Lynn Whitfield. Other stores are said to be on the way, and though Aire really made his name abroad, he is now looking to bring his products back to his home market, opening up a new line of revenue.
