Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian Lawyer, Entrepreneur and Make-up artist, who is seen as one of the pioneer of the make-up industry in Nigeria. Tara Fela- Durotoye is not just your usual entrepreneur who joins in an already established industry, but a trailblazer who sees opportunities where others do not.
The beautiful entrepreneur was born on the 6th of March 1977 at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. She was born to John Ejegi Sagay, a commissioner at the Federal Civil Service, Nigeria and Felicia Omaghomi. The marriage between her parents broke when Tara was just 8 months old, and Tara had to live with her step mother Modupe Agnes Sagay.
Even though she was not Tara’s biological mother, Modupe Agnes Sagay, who used to work at the Ministry of Culture and also studied Fine Arts, was Tara’s biggest inspiration while growing up. The greatest inspiration Tara drew from her step mother was her fashion sense. Tara loved the way her step mother always loved to dress up, and she looked exceptionally beautiful whenever she had her make-up done.
Tara Fela-Durotoye grew up in Lagos and started her education at Command Children School, Victoria Island. After her primary school education, she proceeded to Nigeria Navy Secondary School, Ojo as a boarding student. Tara graduated from Lagos State University with a degree in law, and she is also an alumnus of Lagos Business School, one of the best Business schools in Africa. Tara’s entrepreneurial ideas were formed years before she even started her venture into the make-up business. As far back as when she was in secondary school, she developed an interest in business when a man talked to her and her peers about entrepreneurship. “I was in secondary school many years ago and a man came to speak to us, and he spoke to us as an entrepreneur, that is, as a businessman. He was in advertising and because he was creative, I found him interesting. He made me interested in business…”, Tara recalls of the encounter.
Due to the inspiration, she drew from her step mother, Tara Fela-Durotoye learned the art of make-up at a make-up outfit before her admission into the university. The skills she learned would later prove to be useful to her during her university days. She would practice on her friends’ faces and also apply make-up for people who wanted to attend various occasions. Seeing how far she had progressed; Tara got her first professional make-up kit for NGN 15,000.
Tara Fela-Durotoye was only 20 years old, and still a Lagos State University undergraduate when she started House of Tara in 1998. She combined her make-up business with education and through recommendations made by friends, her clientele began to grow. Her big break came when she featured in the popular ovation magazine as the make-up artist for Jumobi Adegbesan’s marriage to Richard Mofe-Damijo; a glamorous wedding which was the “talk of the town”.
Speaking of her rise as an entrepreneur in an industry where nobody expected to be a gold mine, Tara said “I started at a time when it wasn’t even popular for people generally to be entrepreneurs, unlike what obtains now. Many people who were my peers didn’t even fully understand the concept. Even for me, I didn’t wake up one morning to be an entrepreneur. The focus was on doing what I loved, which is making women beautiful. This passion started when I was studying Law at Lagos State University. From bridal make-up, the clientele began to expand, and slowly, it dawned on me that this was a big deal, and it could go far beyond a few random weddings and become a pioneering movement. I haven’t looked back ever since.”
If you called Tara Fela-Durotoye the pioneer of make-up business in Nigeria, you would be absolutely correct. Tara Fela- Durotoye launched Nigeria’s first bridal directory in 1999; and also hosted the first series of bridal seminars in the country a year after. In 2004, she established the first make-up school and make-up studio in Nigeria. She also organized Nigeria’s first ever make-up conference, the Makeup in Nigeria Conference (MINC) in 2014.
House of Tara currently employs over 100 staff and has more than 8000 representatives across the country. She has also set up more than 26 make-up studios in several states in Nigeria, and her make-up school has graduated over 1500 students who have gone on to become make-up artists, bloggers and workers for international cosmetics companies. Her brand also has presence in other African countries including Ghana, Senegal and Benin Republic.
House of Tara is not Tara Fela-Durotoye’s only venture as a ‘beautypreneur’; she also owns Tara Orekelewa Beauty range, Inspired Perfume, and the H.I.P. Beauty range. Apart from her entrepreneurship moves, Tara has also been involved in philanthropy. She has the passion to inspire and empower young women across the country, helping them become independent in their different occupations.
Tara Fela-Durotoye’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally. Some of her awards and recognitions include:
• Award for Excellence in the Beauty Sector by City People in 2006
• Pioneer Award for Beauty by Fashion and Style Award in 2006
• Young Person of the Year by the Future Awards in 2007
• Africa SMME Award and Entrepreneur Award held in South Africa in 2007
• Wedding Planner Honorary Award for Mentoring in 2008
• Creative Business Award of the Year, Success Digest in 2008
• Best Innovative Idea by Nigerian Event Awards in 2011
• Forbes List: 20 Young Power Women in Africa in 2013
• Nominated as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013
• YNaija Power List: 10 most powerful Under-40s in Business in Nigeria in 2014
• Leadership Award for Entrepreneurship by Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria in 2016
• Most Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year 2018 by the African Economy Business Awards
