Weaving Under a Tree
A conversation on sustainability and African Fashion with AAKS founder, Akousa Afriyie-Kumi
Photo Courtesy: AAKS.
Akousa Afriyie-Kumi is the woman behind luxury brand AAKS. Crazy to imagine that the brand, which can now be found in places like Bloomingdales and Anthropology started out with three women just weaving under a tree in the North of Ghana.
Founded in 2014, the sole purpose of Akousa was to introduce to the world weaving techniques done by the women of Ghana while creating sustainable jobs in Africa. Six years later, AAKS is now considered a luxury hand-made brand with stockists in every major city around the globe.
Akousa talked to us about the fashion scene in Ghana, the boost on African fashion, building a sustainable business and the initiatives she created within her brand to support her community and those affected by the circumstances of the world we are living in today.
What did you study in London and what was it like going back to Ghana to set up your business?
Ghana is my home, a beautiful expanse of land, people and culture. It's also where my family lives and of which I am very fond of. My main aim of studies in the UK was to broadened my mind in my field, gain a wealth of experience and finally come back to Ghana to support the creative arts and design industry and build a luxury African brand. This happened quickly after seeing a gap in the market for beautifully handcrafted luxury bags that will utilize locally sourced materials such as raffia coupled with traditional art of weaving, I knew I had something great to work towards and made the big move to fulfil my ultimate dream of owning my own fashion brand A A K S and igniting sustainable jobs in Ghana.
What can you tell us about the fashion scene in Ghana?
Ghana is a burgeoning creative hub. There are great skill sets here which hasn't been explored fully and artistically, traditional techniques such a tie dye, weaving, batik making are being revived on an international level by many and its appealing to the new African person who cares about where they products are made. The fashion scene is growing rapidly which I am excited about.
Have you noticed any changes in the last couple of years within the industry with the boost that has been given to African fashion?
There is a lot of interest for African art and design and with the talks around Black owned businesses there is a spotlight on Africa or African brands in the diaspora so this has giving the industry the needed boost.
What would you say are the key elements in building a sustainable business?
I love the freedom of creativity which comes with being a designer and running my own strong sustainable brand in Africa. There is a great kaleidoscope of influences and inspiration that I feel is unique to Africa especially and of which I can tap into on my doorstep so that is a massive positive of being an entrepreneur here. Words such as empowerment, passion and lasting is what I feel weavers and I bring to each creation.I hope that my brand will go someway in contributing to the revival and sustenance of weaving as a thriving art to meet international standards of design and hence compete with the best in the world and also ensure the continuity of weaving as a pride and major income earner for many in the cooperative.
How was the experience of building those relationships with all the women and locals of North Ghana? Was it challenging gaining their trust and creating a clear vision together?
Building a fully African-made luxury brand presents challenges which my team and I are overcoming everyday. The main challenge for us is logistics and costs of importing and exporting in and out of Africa. Sourcing of trims and hard wear can sometimes be a struggle as most suppliers here are limited. However, despite all these setbacks we are persevering and making the best out of everything and taking a competitive advantage when the need arises.
Photo Courtesy: AAKS.
What are your main sources of inspiration when designing a new collection?
I seek inspiration from everything around me be it nature, photography or people. There is so much ideas that I get through observation and travelling around Africa and Europe which influences my design aesthetic.
What’s the future looking like for AAKS? I know you will be releasing a home goods line soon. Any other projects or collaborations that we should be looking forward to?
Our home Decor line plus designing our main bag collections is our focus for 2020 and beyond and we would love to expand into other areas of design in the near future.
Tell us about your project Weaving for a Change and the idea behind creating an initiative to help build a sustainable business for refugees.
I love working on our core designs which is our hand woven AAKS bags our brand DNA. The home interior space has always appealed to me since I begun, hence moving into creating woven lamps in collaboration with Made51. I am positive I will delve deeper into the home decor / lifestyle space area a little bit. We have to wait to see what the future holds but surely lots of colour and new fresh ideas!
I would also like to ask about the initiative you took to fight racism by raffling handwoven baskets. What was the outcome of it and the support from other businesses?
It was a fantastic way of raising awareness and we finished the raffle and our customers donated 1640 GBP which we shared towards Black Lives Matters affiliated charities around the world. The movement has generally been great to raise awareness and I gained 10,000 followers in less than a month from people sharing black owned brands on their social media pages.
Finally, I would love to see Ghana through your eyes. Tell us about your favorite places, food and what you love the most!
Sleep: Kempinski Hotel for the wow factor or for a homely vibe I head to Crystal Home serviced apartments.
Eat: For authentic Ghanaian food and drinks I head to Buka or Chez Clarisse
Do : Visit the biggest single market Kejetia in Kumasi for sourcing of unique beads and African print fabrics and when in Accra head to the Labadi beach hotel Spa after a long day in the sun.
Shop: You can buy everything hand made and authentic at the Art Centre and for clothes and unique African inspired accessories I will head to Elle Lokko, Woodin for fabrics.
Dance: Republic Bar for the music and atmosphere.
Photo Courtesy: AAKS.
Follow her on Instagram @a.a.k.s