Reclaiming heritage fabrics is sparking a boom in African fashion
Growing up in Ghana, it’s impossible not to find yourself immersed in fashion. An endless stream of colours and fabrics is a constant presence; there’s a palpable affinity for design and style. Every day, on my way to primary school in Cape Coast, I’d walk through the city’s market, which was like wandering through the world’s most beautiful textile museum. There were the shops and stalls, yes, but also living exhibits: the stylish women who worked on their stalls wearing kaba and the wide-eyed patrons who perused the latest prints and photo catalogues for inspiration on what to wear for an impending event or church service on Sunday. These sensorial memories stay with you.
After graduating in economics and statistics from university in 2006, I returned to these experiences, tinkering with screen-printed T-shirts, before finding my way to embroidery. Almost a decade later, I aspired towards a more challenging career and left for South Africa to study fashion design. Unbeknown to me, I had enrolled in a fashion-merchandising programme, which would later lead to an MA in fashion design. Perhaps stimulated by my background in economics, I found the unintended pathway piqued my interest in fashion’s global supply chain. I realised quite quickly I wanted to immerse myself in the rich tapestry of African fashion and support the next wave of designers to impact their respective economies, rather than just making clothes of my own.
