From doing paper rounds at age 12 and making 10 pounds a week to creating ringtones and making 1 million pounds at 25, Alexander Amosu’s rag-to-riches story is an example of how dreams come through by due diligence, hard work, tenacity and consistency. His story is a big inspiration for today’s young entrepreneurs who are striving to carve a niche for themselves in their chosen fields and businesses.
To Amosu, Luxury Products are childhood passion and indulgence, and he now fiercely promotes luxury and opulence lifestyle through his brand, Lux Afrique. The British/Nigerian luxury designer and entrepreneur was named by Guinness World Records as having created the world’s most expensive suit at £70,000. His £240,000 Diamond Encrusted BlackBerry Curve 8900 is ranked the world’s most expensive BlackBerry. He is also credited with producing the world’s most expensive champagne. He has created exclusive luxury phone designs for Motorola, BlackBerry Limited, Apple and Samsung.
Despite being very rich and owning many successful enterprises, Amosu is humility personified, and a man of great character.
In this exclusive interview with Acada Magazine, the stylish and a serial entrepreneur spoke passionately about his love for Nigeria and the African continent and how he has been using his platforms to showcase the good and the positive sides of the country and continent to the world.
You made your first million in British pounds at the young age of 25. Tell us, how does it feel to have a million pounds to your name?
At the time, it was waoh! Obviously I didn’t grow up with money, it was quite exciting that I made some money for the first time. Not now, it doesn’t really surprise me anymore because we are working to get to the billions level, then you can ask me the question again. But for now, I’m thankful that I have the idea and I’m able to create something at that level.
How was growing up like for you?
Difficult! It wasn’t easy. We were living in a council estate and there was a lot of poverty in the area, drugs. It wasn’t really like the best place to grow up but I think that was what made me. That is part and parcel of the DNA that gives you that tenacity that, okay cool, this is not so great an environment but what are you going to do to get yourself out of it. So I don’t regret it but I actually think that’s part of the success story.
Growing up in such a difficult environment and background, how were you able to navigate through it and not get caught up in the whole mess?
You know when you have good parents and you yourself also have a strong will, it’s quite easy to follow the crowd but when you have a goal and a focused mind and you know what you want, you know that is not for you no matter how much people in your environment tried to influence you, you know that’s not your direction so you just leave it alone.
How did you become an entrepreneur because you started early in life?
I don’t think there’s like a thing that you can say, oh I’m looking to be an entrepreneur. I just realized that I needed to make money. And I get to know that part of wanting to make money is you have to be an entrepreneur, you have to think of ways to create something that brings incomes in, and I guess what entrepreneurship is about is finding something that people want to pay for and you get the income. And there were no written rules that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. It was more like, cool, I need to get out of my situation and I need to be very creative in terms of what I do to make money and that’s how it happened.
What prompted your delving into the Luxury Lifestyle market?
I’ve always had the passion for luxury. I’ve always from the young age liked things that are very luxurious. And I’ve always said to myself that one day if I have the opportunity I would like to start my own luxury brand, and that was a perfect opportunity to get into the luxury world. As you know, I did the most expensive suit, the most expensive phone, etc., so it’s all about doing something I have the passion and the love for in the industry. And I always wanted to do something on that scale.
How does it feel having the Guinness Books of Records for the World’s most Expensive Suit, BlackBerry Phone and Champagne?
You know at a time when you’re thinking about doing these things it sounds and seems so far and distant, in fact it seems almost impossible to do, but I think for me that’s what attracts me to do some certain things. I want to look impossible because the excitement and the belief is that we are going to make something that it’s impossible possible. So when people say you can’t do something, I will say let’s go. I would rather fail at doing it than to not know whether I could do it or not.
Most times people only see the successes and the good sides, especially you Alex. People will usually say, oh Alex is a millionaire, is a billionaire, but they don’t see the difficult sides. Have you lost money in business before?
Of course! I’ve been losing money since I was a kid. You know when you start up in business and you have the opportunity to experiment with business, sometimes you put your money in this venture and it doesn’t work out, you learn from the mistakes you make and you go into another venture where you put your money. Several times as a young person I’ve lost money, investing in things that unfortunately didn’t yield the returns. But I think that’s part of the lessons of being an entrepreneur. It’s like riding a bicycle, when you ride the bicycle, you fall down to the left, and you get up and say okay I have to balance it this way. So you do it again and you fall to the right, and you’re like, okay I have to stay in the middle. So that is business in the sense, when you fail you fall to the left, and you learn, okay you learn you’re not supposed to do that again. Fall to the right, you learn not to do it again, then as you get better you start riding your bicycle and that’s no different from business, to the point when you’re now doing stunts, and that’s what entrepreneurship is about. Failure is actually a natural progress to success. Nobody should see it as a bad thing, you should actually fail more. The more you fail when you’re starting out in business, the less you fail in the future through the lessons you have learnt in terms of failures. Anybody that doesn’t want to fail cannot succeed.
Several times as a young person I’ve lost money, investing in things that unfortunately didn’t yield the returns. But I think that’s part of the lessons of being an entrepreneur. It’s like riding a bicycle, when you ride the bicycle, you fall down to the left, and you get up and say okay I have to balance it this way. So you do it again and you fall to the right, and you’re like, okay I have to stay in the middle. So that is business in the sense, when you fail you fall to the left, and you learn, okay you learn you’re not supposed to do that again. Fall to the right, you learn not to do it again, then as you get better you start riding your bicycle and that’s no different from business, to the point when you’re now doing stunts, and that’s what entrepreneurship is about. Failure is actually a natural progress to success. Nobody should see it as a bad thing, you should actually fail more. The more you fail when you’re starting out in business, the less you fail in the future through the lessons you have learnt in terms of failures.
We can never get tired of the ringtones story that brought you fame and fame and fortune, which also gave you the moniker, ‘Lord of the Ringtones’. Tell us about how it happened.
The ringtone business started with me making a ringtone in the living room. I designed it and it took me about 2 hours to design it, Big Pimpin’ by Jay-Z. I sent it to my brother, he took it to school. His friends heard the ringtone, and literally by evening, 21 people came back to the house. I thought it was some kind of problem but when they got to the house they said they wanted the same kind of ringtone on their phones. And I said no problem, if you want it, I will charge you a pound each. That was how I made 21 pounds that day and I just thought if I can make one ringtone and sell it at one pound, what will happen if I make 5, 10, etc.? And that was how the ringtone business started.
Tell us about the Lux Afrique. What’s the concept behind it?
Lux Afrique is about how can I bring the word luxury, and the word Africa together by celebrating the African culture? Celebrating the beauties and luxury that is within Africa and also in Europe but combining the two together. And I just felt with my passion it’s something I want to explore a little bit more that is why I launched Lux Afrique.
Tell us about Lux Afrique Boutique
Lux Afrique Boutique is a luxury online shopping and concierge service tailored to high-net-worth individuals across Africa and beyond. We specialise in providing access to the most coveted luxury brands and experiences, delivering directly to all 54 African countries and worldwide.
Our services go beyond e-commerce; we curate personalised shopping, gifting, and exclusive lifestyle services that redefine convenience and luxury. From couture fashion and high-end jewellery to one-of-a-kind experiences, Lux Afrique Boutique is committed to bridging the gap between global luxury and Africa.
What were the initial challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges we faced was convincing luxury brands to work with us.
Most brands didn’t understand the African market and assumed that if people wanted luxury goods, they should travel to Europe to buy them. So to secure brand partnerships, we had to design a model where we entered wholesale agreements with the brands.
Essentially, if a product cost £100, we would agree to buy it for £50 and sell it for £100, so our customers would get the same pricing as if they were walking into a shop in Europe.
But the biggest hurdle was convincing brands that there was a market for luxury goods locally. Most African territories don’t have luxury brand stores, and only a few countries in Africa have luxury brands. That was a major challenge for us at the start.
What of the Lux Afrique Polo Day?
The concept behind that was more of how can we celebrate African Polo across the world? My first time coming to Nigeria, I was ignorant like everybody else. I went to the Polo Club and I’m like waoh! I didn’t know that people black people play Polo, not alone Nigerians play Polo, and everyone was like me. In Europe, they’ve never seen it before. So I wanted to bring that element to the world and we are actually showcasing that, that actually we do play Polo, and we play it on a very high professional level. And the Lux Afrique Polo was an opportunity to do that. We started with 600 people, and last year we had 4,500 people in attendance. So it has grown tremendously, the show is the importance of why we should celebrate each other and our culture.
Are you planning to stage it in Africa, Nigeria to be precise?
Absolutely! That’s the plan for the future. It would be in Africa soon; I can’t tell you when but it’s definitely on the card for sure.
Let’s talk about entertainment. You were once a DJ and you staged events. Are you still much into music?
I’m very much into music, I can’t do a day without listening to music. I’m definitely into music.
Can you share with us your current Afrobeats playlist and your top 5 Afrobeats songs/artistes?
Oh God! I’m going to refuse to say and I will tell you why. I’m a friend to a few of them and if I now list one above another one it will start some kind of wahala I don’t want. What I will say is, I’m a fan of the Davidos, the Wizkids, Burna Boys, Tiwa Savage, the Remas. Those are my favourites, and all of them I listen to on a regular basis. In fact, I can’t go without listening to them.
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could only listen to one album for the rest of my life, it would definitely be a Michael Jackson album. His music is timeless and always filled with energy.
I could listen to his songs over and over again, and they would never get old. Michael Jackson’s music is something that stays with you forever.
What is your business philosophy?
My business philosophy has always been to do whatever you want to do with all excellence. Go above and beyond. It’s not always about trying to look for the money, it’s about how you can please the customer to be above and beyond anybody else. Because I guarantee you, if you do that for that customer, you have that customer for life. And that in return will bring the money. But the mistake people make is, they follow the money all the time but they don’t give the customer the value they deserve and then you lose and you’re only making money on the short term and not on the long term. My philosophy is to always do everything with excellence. If you do it with excellence, nobody can fall you.
My business philosophy has always been to do whatever you want to do with all excellence. Go above and beyond. It’s not always about trying to look for the money, it’s about how you can please the customer to be above and beyond anybody else. Because I guarantee you, if you do that for that customer, you have that customer for life. And that in return will bring the money. But the mistake people make is, they follow the money all the time but they don’t give the customer the value they deserve and then you lose and you’re only making money on the short term and not on the long term.
Your advice for young people out there planning to go into the business world.
I think it’s for you to dream big. Don’t be scared to fail. When you have an idea, 99% of the people are going to tell you the idea is going to fail, but I think you owe it to yourself to find out for yourself. Don’t listen to the naysayers, always believe in your abilities. Whatever you do, be the best at it.
Your favourite Nigerian food.
Jollof Rice of course! There’s no argument there.
Jollof Rice and what?
Well, Chicken, and you can’t have Jollof Rice without plantain for sure. I love that. When I landed, the first thing I ate was Amala and Egusi, and some Goat meat. So I’m really a fan of Naija foods.
How are you helping in changing the perspective of foreigners about Nigeria because it’s all about the negative news most times?
I think we are all playing our contributions. Mine is Lux Afrique by showcasing Africa to them, through that they get to understand the essence of who we are. The Polo is a classic example, people don’t realise that we play Polo, but when they come they are like, waoh, they play it up to professional level. This is beautiful, this is the high level that we are. Our job is to showcase the best and the more we showcase that they will actually understand us better.
And Polo is actually luxurious and I’m always dazed about the fashion, style and glamour part of the events.
Yes, it’s a luxurious sport and we dress very high standardly.
When you are not working or making money, how do you relax and unwind?
For me, it’s family time, going on holiday and restaurants. Do things with the family and spend quality time with them. That’s what I do to unwind.
Thanks so much for your time and the audience.
You are most welcome.
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