Today we’d like to introduce you to Mapate Diop.
Hi Mapate, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in New York City. My Mom is from Nigeria and came over to the states in her early 20s. While I was growing up, she would travel to Nigeria and come back with fabric to have clothes made for me in NYC. The most common was a shirt that fit me really well and had beautiful prints and bold patterns. It was a really rich part of my childhood, a low-lift way to keep in touch with our culture, and a way to express myself. However, this happened less and less when I went off to college and was almost non-existent after I graduated.
In the summer of 2017, I was with my now co-founder, Evan, at a friend’s cookout. I was wearing one of my custom shirts that had a bold green and white pattern. He asked me where it was from and I told him the story I just told you. He asked why we couldn’t make the clothes ourselves, and that’s how we got started.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Starting a business is difficult, and at DIOP, we are aware that we don’t have to be in business, but that we get to be in business. From our point of view, the two most difficult challenges in a viable business are the financial strain of getting started and finding sustainable means to sell the product. In most cases, you don’t see any real income for the first three years. We were very fortunate to have had money saved from our previous jobs, a large network of mentors, and supportive families. We’re aware that isn’t the reality for many entrepreneurs and are extremely grateful.
We work diligently to validate our product, understand our customers, identify their needs, and overcome their objections. Our approach is to move in stages and slowly expand by applying risk accordingly. We’re currently an e-commerce business, so for the first three months we asked ourselves, “Can we get people to come to our website and part with $59 after only reading text and seeing some pictures?” When that was successful, we launched our second collection and asked, “Can we get existing customers to come back and buy a new collection of clothing?”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about DIOP?
We make ready-to-wear apparel inspired by the African diaspora. Using bright colors and bold patterns, we offer a wide range of products, including tops, shorts, accessories, outerwear, and more.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The two people that come to mind are Amy Nelson, former CEO of Venture For America, and Evan’s grandfather Paul Fried.
Amy sets a superlative example. She and the VFA team took us and our ideas seriously from the start. They work hard to put fellows and alumni in a position to succeed in accordance with the organization’s values.
Evan’s grandfather, Paul Fried, is an inspiration because as well as he’s done for himself, he’s always prioritized his family and friends. He always talks about people he came up with in Detroit who became wealthier than he could ever imagine but were miserable because they forgoed so much to get there. We apply that value to our business every day, our friends and family will never not come first.
Contact Info:
- Website: weardiop.com
- Instagram: weardiop
- Facebook: facebook.com/weardiop
Image Credits
DIOP
