aphia created a new unique piece for the v&a show, inspired by the ghana s first prime minister and president, kwame nkrumah. so the kwame nkrumah piece was inspired by the straws and then the mask. with the mask, you see a face, which represents kwame nkrumah, and the star, which represents the star of africa. so the straws are black, which represents the black race. so putting this together represents african unity. retail outlets such as the lotte in accra have become showcases for this new breed of creative stars. stocking the great and the good of contemporary fashion from across africa, both local clientele and tourists serve to promote design excellence. so i started the lot in 2019, and at the time, there was a lot going on in the african fashion luxury space but there wasn t a space where people could actually come in a one stop sort of shop to experience african
african heritage. there was an interesting period in african history, when you think about it, in like 2008, around that time there was all this talk of the continent rising, there was a sense of optimism, and everyone was, you know, just in a certain spirit of seeing the continent in the best light, portraying the content in the best light and i needed to be a part of that movement. so that is why decided to start a fashion brand that spoke so that is why i decided to start a fashion brand that spoke to that, that spoke to the new africa it s not clothes, but bold accessories that have defined the success of another ghanaian creative, aphia sakyi. on a mission to inspire the next generation of artisans and keep her craft alive, she has trained 50 young apprentices at her creative design school based at her studio in accra.
international ideal of what that day might be, or what beauty is. what is your beauty, what is your heritage. so i m excited to share that. the v%a honour the late kofi ansah with a showcase featuring the designer s garments in the vanguard section of the exhibition. kofi ansah is known as the person that propelled ghana onto the international fashion stage. he studies at chelsea art school, created his first collections while working for other people in london, really kind of finessing his skill. but all the while knowing that he wanted to go back to accra, to have his own brand. i remember speaking to one of his sons, ryan ansah, and ryan said that he remembers his father s work being that piece that will get you noticed at a party, that it would be unforgettable. of course that meant you could probably only wear the thing once, it was unforgettable. he was renowned as the enfant terrible of ghanaian
when you think about it, in like 2008, around that time there was all this talk of the continent rising, there was a sense of optimism, and everyone was, you know, just in a certain spirit of seeing the continent in the best light, portraying the content in the best light and i needed to be a part of that movement. so that is why i decided to start a fashion brand that spoke to that, that spoke to the new africa or the africa that i knew. it s not clothes but hold accessories that have defined the success of another ghanaian creative, aphia sakyi. on a mission to inspire the next generation of artisans and keep her craft alive, she has trained 50 young apprentices at her creative design school based at her studio in accra. her work has graced catwalks, been
what is your beauty, what is your heritage. so i m excited to share that. the v&a honour the late kofi ansah with a showcase featuring the designer s garments in the vanguard section of the exhibition. kofi ansah is known as the person that propelled ghana onto the international fashion stage. he studied at chelsea art school, created his first collections while working for other people in london, really kind of finessing his skill. but all the while knowing that he wanted to go back to accra, to have his own brand. i remember speaking to one of his sons, ryan ansah, and ryan said that he remembers his father s work being that piece that would get you noticed at a party, that it would be unforgettable. of course that meant you could probably only wear the thing once, it was unforgettable. he was renowned as the enfant terrible of ghanaian fashion, wasn t he? why was that? i think because he wasn t frightened