This seems to be the point, though, as the Oak Room tends to draw decidedly upscale clientele.

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In the 1980s, after studying fashion design in England, she founded Supreme Stitches, a Nigerian fashion label that catered to upscale clientele.

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The 33 year-old Amosu, whose company Amosu Luxury designs customized gem-studded apparel, electronics and accessories for upscale clientele, revealed the Amosu Black Diamond Blackberry last week .

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But pawnshop owners say more upscale clientele are responding to a different kind of economic pressure: With credit tight, even the rich can't always get a traditional loan on short notice.

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She started as a secretary at an investment bank in the 1970s, launched a fashion label for upscale clientele in the 1980s and her Famfa Oil company was awarded an oil prospecting license in 1993.

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