Ep 6 Akosua Afriyie-Kumi | Tracing the journey of turning an idea into a globally stocked ethical fashion brand

Behind The Design

English - October 10, 2019 11:00 - 38 minutes - 52.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings
Entrepreneurship Business Arts Design africa design entrepreneurship business creative entrepreneur Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Previous Episode: Ep 5 Eva Sonaike | Reflecting on 10 years and what it takes to build a luxury African textiles brand

Next Episode: Ep 7 Kwabena Oppong Boateng | A masterclass in marketing your brand beyond social media and why having your own platform matters

This is episode 6 where I am joined by fashion accessories designer Akosua Afriyie-Kumi.

ABOUT AKOSUA:

You are listening to episode #6. And joining me on the show is Akosua Afriyie-Kumi the founder of A A K S, a fashion accessories brand that tells an exciting story of Ghana, and offers a different perspective of Africa as a whole. A A K S’s raffia bags are handmade by a women’s cooperative in Northern Ghana, and uses ethical processes inspired by old-age craft traditions. Through her brand Akosua wants the world to see how luxury and quality can grow from traditional designs and is using AAKS bags to change perceptions of Africa through fashion. She has been shortlisted as an emerging designer from Africa by Vogue Italia and has been featured in leading press titles and the A A K S collections are stocked in 20 countries and 70 stores worldwide.

We talk about:

Moving from the UK back to Ghana to explore her idea and start her business

Her desire to build on traditional crafts and give them a place in the modern world

Finding weavers to work with and overcoming communication barriers to develop her design ideas

The process from concept to getting her first saleable bag, and how she plans and develops a collection

Building an authentic brand in a content noisy world

How she retains her ethical values whilst meeting commercial demands

The challenges of business in balancing passion and purpose with making a living

Her big break and her experiences of working with stockists

Creating a brand and developing her brand aesthetic

The relevance of having a website to attract stockists

Links and resources mentioned in this episode