Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – Madam Gertrude Kunde Kwallinjam, founder of Smokyworld, has called for the need to promote indigenous brands like smocks in the fashion world.
According to the “fashionpreneur” the only way Ghana’s fashion designs could become global brands was by locally patronising the rich fashion designs.
In an interview with the GNA Entertainment, she urged the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Arts as well as Non-Governmental Organisations to support local brands by using them for their programmes to help them get the needed capital investments to expand their businesses.
“Fabrics have existed for a very long time. They have deep connotations and relevance in our culture and heritage. One way we can maintain the integrity of our culture through our clothes is by patronizing them and not changing them so much from their original state even with our contemporary designs,” she said.
When asked about the highlights and challenges of producing smocks in Ghana, Madam Kwallinjam said, “Smocks have become well known, accepted and are more appreciated these days as seen in their usage in the modern fashion space. One also gets to learn about the heritage and stories behind the production of every unique fabric.
“One typical challenge in smock production is dealing with the different colours running into each other as well as fabrics fading when sent to the laundry. This discourages some people from patronising these products because they feel it would stain other piece of clothes or attire,’’ she said.
She added that another challenge was that due to the historical significance of the smock patterns, it was always difficult to get the traditional weavers to change to new contemporary patterns but her outfit has addressed that challenge by getting customers the colours they prefer.
She explained that, “Wearing a smock goes beyond the fabric, it is also about the Northern heritage it preserves and the historical relevance it provides.
“Each smock has its own story as they were uniquely made for Chiefs (the ruling class/elite). Again, each smock has both cultural and historical symbolism attached to it. Therefore when one wears a smock it is worth knowing a little bit about its history; for instance, to whom it was made for and why it was made.
“Our smocks are handmade, giving them an authentic feel. Wearing a smock also means that you are supporting the source of living a lot of people who weave them and all those down the value chain from the colour mixers and separators to those who weave or sew, who are mostly low-income earners hence the higher the production the more they earn to take care after their families especially in the rural areas.”
GNA