00:04Let's check out how Nigeria's DIY queen turns old car tires into stylish lounge furniture.
00:12One day someone reached out to me and said, I want to make a chair.
00:15I'm like, okay, no problem, I'll make it for you.
00:17And now I got over 30 million views on TikTok and I'm like,
00:20I think I'm now with Kapeita because,
00:23because tell me how I've been putting out my fashion content and modeling all along
00:27and it's not going this viral.
00:30So that was how it started actually.
00:35Over 2 million tires are discarded yearly in Nigeria and the number keeps climbing.
00:41With dumped tires making such a high percentage of Nigeria's huge waste problem,
00:45Queen Achala's unique idea of turning them into lounge chairs
00:49does not only keep humble households but also the environment.
00:54I get my tires basically from vulcanizers.
00:57So I'm not just making beautiful upholstery and lounge chairs.
01:01I'm also helping the environment reduce waste by recycling the tires.
01:05The first thing is your eyes.
01:06Once you train your mind and your eyes to see things differently.
01:10I was aided when I was in my secondary school.
01:12I joined the club, Junior Achievement, and the basic essence of the club was waste to wealth.
01:16Becoming an adult, you need to make money.
01:18But in everyday life, people like things that are functional.
01:21So now if I'm turning this to something, it should be very functional.
01:24It should be something that you actually want to put and you can make good use of it.
01:28So once you're offering value to people, I think that's enough for you to be able to turn it to a success story.
01:33So after I get my tires from the vulcanizers, I wash it.
01:36Then after washing it, I take it to my studio where I'm ready to work.
01:40Then I place my woods.
01:42These are strong pallet woods.
01:44All two by two, depends, right inside the tires.
01:47Then after that, I put a board over it.
01:50Most likely a marion board because it's inside.
01:52Then the foam comes and the fiber and then the fabric.
01:56Even if these tires no longer roll on the road, they've set Queen's life in motion.
02:02She's started a good business with upcycling.
02:05Let's see exactly how she transforms an old tire into a royal armchair.
02:10I like to pre-cut all my material like a day before.
02:13And then when I come to make a chair or to shoot whatever it is, it takes me nothing less than two to three hours.
02:18Although there are approaches to recycling old tires in Nigeria,
02:22there's a lack of comprehensive infrastructure for proper disposal.
02:26However, improper disposal can lead to considerable environmental pollution
02:31as used tires contain various substances that can be harmful to humans, animals and the environment.
02:37Upcycling itself is an intensive and physically challenging process.
02:42What exactly is the message of Queen's transformed tires?
02:47Before the whole furniture thing came up, I basically do make costumes from scrap.
02:53I made a costume from pure-tan nylon.
02:55I made costumes from plywood and different materials.
02:58So I used to say something like, anything is possible with Achala.
03:02So on this faithful day, someone reached out to me from Abuja and she was like,
03:05oh, I need a center table for this.
03:07And I'm like, in my head, I actually didn't tell her.
03:10I was like, I have not made a center table before.
03:12But I mean, everything is possible with Achala.
03:14So, and then I filmed the whole process because I recently just started my content creation journey.
03:19I filmed it with nothing in mind.
03:20I didn't know it was going to blow up.
03:22Right after I made that, it made, it got over 3 million views on TikTok and different blogs
03:27and people took it out like, ah, is it that, is it that serious?
03:31I mean, it's nothing.
03:32From that moment, hence what I'm like, we have to, we have to go deep into this thing.
03:37We have to start knowing how to make money and how to improve this thing and make it much more better.
03:42So literally that's, is it.
03:44How does Queen Achala's work inspire a new generation of creators and change makers?
03:49I'm so excited to be one of the voices, one of the few voices that show that you don't have to, what's it called, expose your body or you don't have to like do the basic thing that other people are doing to like be a content creator.
04:03You can think differently, you can show your craft and it's still going to be on point.
04:08It's still going to be what it's supposed to be.
04:10And I encourage you so much because it's not just, you're not just being myopic.
04:13You're not just trying to do whatever that person is.
04:15You're trying to be you.
04:17She doesn't just make chairs, she builds possibility.
04:21Queen Achala shows us that with vision, even the forgotten can become the foundation of something beautiful.
04:28She's very special because it's painful, even the forgotten is where she needs to be.
04:46She's very solid and good.
04:48The need for Sarah's work marketing isub deniersis�bble.
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