Facts and Figures
- DDF Project Title
- Production of Embroidered & Branded Materials
- DDF Fellow Reference Number
- DDF 16
- Partner in The Gambia
- Facil Clothing Limited
- Geographical Coverage
- Urban-Rural
- Period
- 2022 – 2022
- DDF Grant
- D300,000
- Cash Contribution
- D222,300
- In-kind Contribution
- Nil
Challenges and Opportunities
Having done well in its market niche, Facil is looking to scale up into the mass makret areas including uniform tailoring (school and corporate), and embroidery. The whole country can boast of only one medium sized embroidery company to service schools, government and business. The sector is woefully underserved, while the client base has been expanding; school going population, government offices, private security companies, corporations, etcetera. Facil Clothing is in a good place to tap into this market.
Elizabeth Gomez (Sweden)
DDF 16
Elizabeth is a financial executive and Senior Actuary in the employment of Swedbank AB in Sweden, where she resides. Back home in The Gambia, she owns a clothing business that she started in 2017. Facil Clothing is a small business that manufactures underwear and undergarments for children, men, and women, employing youths from low income communities. ‘’Facil’’ is a well established one-of-a-kind brand among the professional crowd. The company enjoyed steady growth over the years, setting up a skills-training and production facility along the way.
‘’Up to this point, we are a totally self-financed business. Without funding support however, we will fail to capitalise on our current run and expand the business. Already, we have tried the commercial banks and a few other funding programmes without success.’’
~ Elizabeth Gomez, CEO.
About The Project
The expansion project into embroidery enables the brand to add value to the products facil is already making, and will open new opportunities in corporate apparel, such as uniforms and personalized embroidered gifts. Also, the business will create more jobs in a neglected sector of the unemployed youth; the underpriviledged.
DDF Results and Impact
- Hardware: The grant secured a single head embroidery machine, serving as strong base from which a new embroidery line has already launched.
- Training: Skilled staff on pattern making for standard school uniforms; shirts, shorts, skirts, and trousers. Facil now has patterns for all kid’s sizes. The same applies to medical scrubs and security uniforms. Already, an order was received for 24 pieces of school uniforms from the top private international school in the country.
- New business: There has been an increase in workwear sampling inquiries. Presently, the business is participating in two ongoing tenders for security uniforms, underscoring the growing interest in the corporate sector.
- New hires: Business to Business (B2B) Sales Manager and Head Tailor for the school uniform and workwear line.
- Software and Other Materials: Ordered embroidery threads, spare parts, and design software for the embroidery machine.
| Specialty sewing kits | Topping material | Bobbins | Needles |
| Embroidery thread | Hooping Boards | Stock designs | Backing |
