Oyateru, Others Highlight Secrets to Building Beloved African Brands at GTCO Fashion Weekend
Jade Oyateru, co-founder of the fast-rising African beauty brand Uncover, has shared powerful insights on how storytelling can transform ordinary ventures into thriving, emotionally resonant brands.
Speaking at the 8th edition of the GTCO Fashion Weekend Masterclass in Lagos, she dissected the theme “Power of Story: Building Brands People Believe In”, offering a compelling blueprint for brand growth, authenticity, and community connection.
Oyateru explained that storytelling remains one of the most potent tools for entrepreneurs seeking to create brands that transcend transactional relationships.
She revealed how she used narrative-driven branding to elevate Uncover from an emerging startup into a pan-African success story—one that merges advanced Korean skincare science with African botanicals to celebrate and nurture melanin-rich skin.
According to her, successful brands must craft relatable narratives that allow audiences to see themselves in the brand’s journey, values, and messaging.
This emotional resonance, she said, fosters trust, loyalty, and ultimately turns customers into passionate advocates. “A strong brand story moves people from awareness to trust, from trust to purchase, and from purchase to advocacy,” Oyateru noted, adding that brands should navigate their storytelling around four key pillars: truth, enemy, promise, and proof.
She urged African entrepreneurs to embrace innovation and adopt customer-centric business models capable of driving sustainable retail growth across the continent.
Drawing from her experience leading Uncover’s expansion across eight African countries and securing multimillion-dollar investment, Oyateru highlighted how authenticity and community engagement remain critical to scaling in the modern marketplace.
Her achievements have earned Uncover recognition from Bloomberg and Vogue Business as one of Africa’s top startups redefining beauty standards and entrepreneurship. Before launching her own venture, Oyateru held senior roles at Unilever, Nestlé, and Jumia, and holds an MBA from Imperial College London. She continues to champion women in business and the rise of globally competitive African brands.
Other notable speakers at the two-day Masterclass series included Bianca Saunders and Melissa Butler, who each brought distinctive perspectives on innovation and brand identity at the day-one.
The GTCO Fashion Weekend, now in its 8th edition, opened on Saturday with a vibrant celebration of creativity, culture, and commerce. This year’s theme, “Fashion Is Freedom,” underscored fashion’s power as a vehicle for self-expression, identity, and economic empowerment.
The runway dazzled with collections from top designers including Ituen Basi, The Bam Collective, Sevon Dejana, Mmuso Maxwell, Mowalola, and Priya Ahluwalia—each merging African heritage with contemporary design, sustainability, and bold artistry.
Across the bustling retail marketplace, thousands of visitors explored apparel, accessories, and ready-to-wear pieces from both emerging and established designers, reaffirming GTCO Fashion Weekend’s place as Africa’s leading showcase of enterprise, innovation, and style.
