Prominent fashion designers use Ghana's kente and 'ahenema' without giving us credit - KOD

Ghana fashion designer and broadcaster, Kofi Okyere Darko chiefly known as KOD has charged Ghanaians and all other Africans to own whatever comes from the continent at a time when major western fashion brands are bitting into their rich culture.

KOD in an interview with Face2Face Africa lamented how foreign brands are bitting into Ghana's rich kente cloth without giving credit to the origin of the handwoven cloth which symbolizes royalty.

He added that the country's signature 'ahenema' footwear is also being replicated and sold at higher prices by some foreign brands in the diaspora.

"People from the West are bitting from our Africa. I am sure by now you've seen our kente being replicated. Major fashion designers are using our 'ahenema' as well without giving us credit and they are charging so much," he said.

The founder of Ghanaian fashion brand Nineteen57 also charged creatives to own the narrative and sell their culture in their unique designs.

"There is no patent for some of these things but who do you blame? It is up to us Africans and people in the African creative space to go all out and own what is ours proudly otherwise other people are going to bite from here and it's always been like that," he added.





OPD/BB