Ade Hassan - Nubian Skin Founder | Humans of Business Ep4

“My heritage bleeds into everything, it’s who I am and where I come from.”

Ade Hassan named fashion entrepreneur of the year and awarded an MBE for services to fashion. Born of Nigerian descent Ade became frustrated when she couldn’t find any lingerie and hoisery for her skin tone, this is where Nubian Skin was born. Rising out of a dissatisfaction with the way the fashion industry represented women of colour.

Ade tells Charlotte, how she’s gone from being anxious about the popularity of her first viral campaign to serving clients including Beyoncé.

Charlotte gets under the skin and straight to the heart of this Human of Business.

Humans of Business goes beyond a typical business video series, focusing not on the what, but the who. Through personal and purposeful conversations, Charlotte gets to know the humans behind some of the world’s most successful businesses.

Charlotte leaves the practical business processes and financial successes at the door, and instead, shines a light on the emotional and personal side of these incredible entrepreneurs. They may seem to possess superhero-like drive, determination and power, but behind these perceptions is there a courageous human in pursuit of meaning and purpose? Do they actually want to make an impact on the world?

In this episode of Humans of Business Ade tells Charlotte how living in Nigeria as a child gave her a deep sense of pride in her heritage, and confidence being a woman of colour throughout all of her ventures in life, as Ade says “I never saw race as a restrictive factor because it just wasn’t an issue."

Charlotte and Ade, share their love for Oprah and how she has inspired them both, in day to day life and work alike.

Hear how her family is the centre of her world and how this has influenced Ade from childhood, right up to the world of work and starting her business. Ade says her faith allows her to see the bigger picture and remind her of how much she has to be grateful for.

And she tells the tale of the most important birthday card she’s ever received.