Todimu Okeowo did not start 3Sevens because she had a business plan or a gap in the market analysis. She started it because she wanted to wear clothes that actually looked the way she imagined them. And since she could not find them, she made them herself.
The business part came later, and it came from a banker.
Todimu had been sewing and designing for herself when a banker asked her to make some corporate outfits. After seeing the finished pieces, the banker’s colleagues wanted their own. Todimu was invited to the bank to take measurements. Those women became her first serious group of customers. No marketing. No launch. Just referrals from people who began trusting her work.
That is how 3Sevens Creative Global Limited began in 2017. A premium fashion design and bridal couture house based in Ilorin, Kwara State, built slowly and carefully over years that looked nothing like a straight line.
The name itself came from her faith. Growing up in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, she had heard Pastor E.A. Adeboye teach about the significance of the number seven as a symbol of perfection and completeness. Three sevens meant perfection amplified. And it reminded her of the Holy Trinity. When it was time to name the business, nothing else felt right.
After NYSC, Todimu started the business from her father’s house. Then it was time for her to get a Master’s degree, which was intense enough that the business slowed down significantly during that period. Before she even finished the programme, she received an offer to join the newly established State Internal Revenue Service.
She took it. And looking back, she says it was one of the better decisions she made.
Nine years in public service gave her things a business course could not. She was surrounded by young, driven professionals and strong leadership. The environment built her confidence, her discipline, her professionalism, and a leadership style that now shows up in how she runs 3Sevens. Even during those nine years, the fashion business never fully stopped. A full-time staff member handled production while Todimu managed client communication alongside her day job.
When she finally resigned to focus on 3Sevens completely, things moved quickly. Within six months she had moved the business from a home-based operation into its own dedicated fashion house.
One of her proudest achievements was designing and making her own wedding dress. It was emotional in the way that only something you have built with your own hands can be.
Which brings up the story she and her family still laugh about.
While preparing for her wedding, the tailor working with her suddenly stopped showing up. She had her wedding dress, outfits for the bridal train, and clothes for family members all to complete. No backup production support. No systems like the ones she has today.
She got through it. But the day before the wedding, after the dress came back from dry cleaning, she tried it on and it appeared to have jumped above her ankles. She started crying immediately.
Her sister stepped in, turned the dress inside out, and removed the interlining. The dress relaxed.
“Today, we laugh very hard whenever we remember that day,” Todimu says.
She also notes that the moment is a reminder of how much she has grown technically. In those early days, the focus was on making something beautiful. Today, 3Sevens has a much deeper understanding of fabric behaviour, grainlines, construction, and finishing. The knowledge gap that almost ruined a wedding dress has long since been closed.
The other moment that changed the direction of the business was quieter but just as significant. For a period, Todimu was investing serious time, attention, and craftsmanship into garments, and customers were not willing to pay prices that reflected the actual work involved. That experience pushed her to reassess what market she wanted to serve and what she wanted 3Sevens to be known for.
She moved more deliberately into premium bridal couture, where design, craftsmanship, detail, and customer experience could be properly valued. Fewer clients, deeper attention, higher standards.
“Creativity alone is not enough,” she says. “A business also needs financial planning, pricing discipline and adequate capital.”
That shift required her to invest in training every year, learn structured pricing, and account properly for every part of the process including design development, materials, labour, fittings, and finishing. It also required her to get more comfortable saying no, to opportunities, customers, and projects that were not the right fit.
“I have learned to make my yes and my no stronger,” she says.
One thing that might surprise people about Todimu is that she does not particularly enjoy operating a sewing machine. Give her one that develops a technical problem and she will quickly lose interest. What she loves is designing. A blank canvas, a design problem to solve, a concept to bring to life. That is where she comes alive. Her strongest contribution to 3Sevens has always been the creative vision and direction, not the machine.
Beyond the fashion house, Todimu has built initiatives that reflect the kind of business she wants 3Sevens to be. The 3Sevens Wedding Wardrobe Project works with couples and bridal parties to create coordinated wedding looks. The Aso Odun Initiative transforms suitable leftover fabrics into festive outfits for children, combining creativity with community and responsible use of materials.
Her advice to anyone starting out in fashion is detailed and genuinely useful. She points out that the fashion industry is much wider than sewing, covering pattern making, styling, education, digital fashion, textile development, production management, photography, content creation, and brand management. She encourages people to understand their actual strengths before deciding where to focus.
She also says something that does not get said enough in conversations about fashion entrepreneurship.
“Before you start, do not think only about making beautiful clothes. Think about whether the business itself can be sustainable. Consider your capital needs, pricing, cash flow, staffing, systems and long-term financial security.”
And for women specifically, she adds something personal.
“For women who choose to marry, I believe it is important to choose a spouse who is kind, understands your vision and is willing to share the practical and emotional burdens of family life and entrepreneurship. There are days when building a business can feel overwhelming, and genuine support makes a significant difference.”
In the next three to five years, Todimu wants 3Sevens to become a respected premium African fashion and creative company with stronger systems, a wider team, and a growing client base across Nigeria and the diaspora. Modish Woman by 3Sevens, the ready-to-wear label, is in development. My Custom Wedding, the flowers and gifting brand, is growing. Digital fashion tools are being explored to improve design visualisation and communication with international clients.
On the hard days, Todimu says what keeps her going is the person she is becoming.
“The woman I want to become, the mother I want to be, the leader I am growing into and the legacy I want to build all keep me moving.”
That is the whole story in one sentence, really. Not just what she is building, but who she is becoming while building it.
Follow 3Sevens on Instagram and TikTok @3Sevensfashion and on Facebook at 3Sevens Clothing. For enquiries, reach Todimu on WhatsApp at +234 703 202 5254.