The dress took you four days. You bought the fabric. You hired a tailor for the beading. You transported the dress twice. You spent hours on WhatsApp managing the client.
You charged ₦35,000.
After fabric cost of ₦12,000, transport of ₦3,000, beading labour of ₦5,000, and phone data to manage the order — you made ₦14,000.
For four days of work. That is ₦3,500 per day.
This is not a business. This is a very stressful hobby.
Why Nigerian fashion designers undercharge
The reasons are always the same.
Fear of losing the client to a cheaper competitor. Not knowing what competitors actually charge. Never calculating the real cost of production. Charging based on what the client seems willing to pay. Copying prices from designers with lower overheads.
Every one of these is a business mistake that compounds over time.
The designers who charge properly are not losing clients. They are attracting better ones.
The real cost of making a garment
Before you set a price, you must know your costs. Most designers have never done this calculation properly.
Here is the framework:
Direct material costs: Fabric (including wastage allowance of 15%) Lining Zips, buttons, hooks, thread Embellishments, beads, sequins, lace
Labour costs: Your time (hourly rate × hours spent) Any outsourced work (tailors, embroiderers, beaders) Fitting sessions
Overhead costs per order: Your rent divided by orders per month Equipment maintenance divided by orders per month Electricity and power Internet and phone data Transport for sourcing and delivery Packaging and branding materials
Soft costs: Client communication time Revisions and adjustments Marketing time that brought this client to you
Add all of these up. That is your cost of production.
Your price must be above this number. Not just above it. Significantly above it.
What profit margin looks like in practice
A healthy fashion business runs on a minimum 60 to 80 percent gross margin.
This means if an order costs you ₦20,000 to produce, you should charge a minimum of ₦50,000.
Not ₦25,000. Not ₦30,000. ₦50,000 minimum.
The difference between those numbers is not greed. It is the salary you are not paying yourself, the equipment replacement you are not funding, the slow months you are not preparing for, and the business growth you are not investing in.
Pricing by garment type — 2026 Lagos benchmarks
These are realistic market rates for professional-quality work in Lagos in 2026.
| Garment | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Ankara dress (simple) | ₦35,000 — ₦60,000 |
| Ankara dress (structured/detailed) | ₦60,000 — ₦120,000 |
| Aso-oke complete set | ₦80,000 — ₦200,000 |
| Aso-ebi dress | ₦45,000 — ₦100,000 |
| Lace gown (simple) | ₦60,000 — ₦120,000 |
| Lace gown (heavily beaded) | ₦150,000 — ₦400,000 |
| Agbada complete set | ₦100,000 — ₦300,000 |
| Senator suit | ₦60,000 — ₦150,000 |
| Bridal gown | ₦200,000 — ₦800,000+ |
| Corporate wear (per piece) | ₦40,000 — ₦100,000 |
If your prices are consistently below these ranges, you are either undercharging for your work or your overhead is higher than it should be. Either way, the number needs to change.
How to raise your prices without losing clients
The fear of raising prices is almost always bigger than the actual consequence of raising them.
Here is what actually happens when you raise prices:
Some clients leave. These are almost always the clients who were the most demanding and the slowest to pay.
The clients who stay are the ones who valued your work at your new price already. They were waiting for you to value it yourself.
New clients you attract at higher prices tend to be more respectful of your time, faster with payment, and more likely to refer others like them.
The practical approach:
Do not announce a price increase. Simply charge your new rates to new clients. Grandfathered clients stay at old rates for one more order, then move to new rates. Frame it as investment in quality, not inflation.
Track your costs or you will always undercharge
The single most effective thing you can do for your pricing is to track every expense on every order.
When you can see that an Ankara dress cost you ₦18,000 to produce and you only charged ₦25,000, the undercharging becomes impossible to ignore.
When you can see your monthly expenses, your income, and your profit in one place — you make different decisions.
Corset tracks every payment you receive and every expense you record per order. At the end of every month, a financial statement arrives in your inbox automatically.
For the first time, you see your business clearly. And clarity changes everything.