#37 - TDA (THE DARE ALIU) : From Poverty to Building One of Nigeria's Biggest Fashion Brands

#37 - TDA (THE DARE ALIU) : From Poverty to Building One of Nigeria's Biggest Fashion Brands

From Thats my Time with Tolu Afilaka by TOLU AFILAKA

June 18, 2026 · 1h 10m · Season 3 · Episode 14

About this episode

Dari Aliyu shares his inspiring journey from poverty to building one of Nigeria's biggest fashion brands, emphasizing the importance of education, discipline, and value creation.

Nigeria needs more people speaking sense, not nonsense. That was one of the first things Engineer Dari Aliyu said in this conversation. And honestly, it set the tone for everything that followed. Most people know Dari Aliyu as the founder of TDA, one of Nigeria's most respected fashion brands. What many don't know is the story behind the success. He lost his father at the age of two. He was raised by an uneducated mother. His older siblings sacrificed everything to keep the family together. He earned a scholarship into King's College, studied engineering in Russia under one of the toughest education systems in the world, and eventually built a brand that thousands admire today. But this conversation is bigger than fashion. It's about education, discipline, faith, value creation, poverty, success, ambition, family, entrepreneurship and the mindset required to build something meaningful from nothing. Dari shares lessons from his childhood, why he believes school is still important, why success is often misunderstood, how Russia shaped his thinking, the sacrifices behind TDA's growth, and why the pursuit of value matters more than the pursuit of money. If you're a student…

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