How a Ghanaian brand became a pioneer in streetwear

DW (English)

Christopher Akpo is committed to innovative streetwear and the local production of clothing. His designs are inspired by architecture, art and the Ghanaian landscape and are now known beyond the continent.

Transcript

00:00How is everyday life reflected in streetwear fashion in Ghana?

00:06Let's explore how Christopher Akpo, a local creator, gets inspired by the energy of the street

00:12and the environment around him into making statements of style with his clothes.

00:16My parents and the environment influenced me a lot to become a creative now

00:22because growing up, my mom was a tailor. She used to sew for schools.

00:28My dad also used to trade with traditional homes to sell chief regalias for chiefs

00:34and I used to go to these festivals and visit these chiefs with him.

00:39Our church was very brutalist jungle, like uncompleted.

00:43We had to be there and my whole environment, there was not a lot to play around with.

00:48Christopher began his journey in streetwear fashion in 2018 and is now working on his fourth collection.

00:55But what drove him to choose a career as a streetwear fashion designer?

00:59The way I communicate the clothes and my choice of models,

01:04now I wouldn't classify the brand as a streetwear but a ready-to-wear brand.

01:09My journey into fashion began during high school.

01:13We used to go to streetwear parties, art shows and a whole lot of things.

01:21I used to have a group of friends who danced in high school.

01:24So that was how my love for fashion grew up.

01:28I had to just expand it more as a business in general.

01:35Streetwear fashion emerged in Ghana in the 1980s,

01:39significantly influenced by the global rise of hip-hop culture.

01:43Today, streetwear in Ghana is particularly popular among youth and urban populations

01:49representing a fusion of local culture and global fashion trends.

01:53But how does Christopher's brand manage to strike a chord with young Ghanaians?

01:59My creative process for it in particular started from researching to sketching

02:07to brainstorming on how to find good quality fabrics.

02:13After making samples with our tailor,

02:16I bring them to the studio to actually try them on somebody

02:21because we always make samples according to our model sizing.

02:27Sometimes we don't find a large quantity of fabric with that piece,

02:31so we have to make just a few exclusively for our audience.

02:36The end of the process with releasing our collection,

02:40we shoot the lookbook, we shoot e-comments for our websites,

02:44the looks from 1 to 10 or 1 to 20.

02:47That is what we are going to use to market or to actually broadcast the collection to our audience.

02:56Christopher is on a journey to launch his new collection, themed F,

03:00accompanied by a lookbook.

03:02But what elements from his environment inspired him this time?

03:07I have different tailors with specialized designs that they are really good at,

03:13so I know what to take to who.

03:15I mostly just move to one store to another to find what exactly fits into the aesthetic of the collection

03:24or what piece I'm trying to produce.

03:27The unique thing about our Ramped Earth collection is mainly the cuts, the shapes,

03:35the color palettes of the pieces.

03:38So I paid attention to these things more than the graphics or the logos.

03:45With a touch of Ghanaian culture, Christopher has celebrated clients like Jules,

03:50Kojo Radical, Gabriel Moses, among others,

03:53and what really motivates him to continue creating and innovating in the fashion industry?

04:00I want to keep telling stories that I found around my community.

04:05People are really looking to Africa to buy or to invest or to encourage brands here.

04:12So my motivation to keep creating collections from time to time is

04:18because of me collaborating with these artisans or these creatives in my community

04:26to keep empowering them and also improving the awareness for local craftsmanship.

04:34From the bustling streets of Accra to the creative studios of Christopher,

04:38we've seen how local stories, culture and global influences come together to create a unique fashion sense.

04:48For more stories, visit nyseagrant.org

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