An expression of the simple yet complex nature of being and becoming...

I have always had a curiosity for how things came to be. At 14, my mum’s closet became my first case study. I would deconstruct her pieces —sorry Mummy— in an effort to understand how they were made and attempt to recreate them. This led me to study everything pertaining to clothing and its construction. I assumed that my knowledge and fascination with clothing automatically placed me in the realm of fashion. At 17, with minimal knowledge of self, the performance began.

I immersed myself in magazines, films, celebrity culture, and books, trying to embody what I thought was expected of me as a “fashion girl.” During this period, I was chasing a standard that was not rooted in my reality. Like most people, I was consumed by an influx of trends until I was humbled by anxiety, fearfully wondering if I had fabricated an identity that now felt like a failed investment. Were my interests, quirks, and rationality truly my own? or selfish desires I had dug too deep into to return from? In simpler terms: imposter syndrome.

Ecclesiastes 2: 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

I realized it’s much more rewarding to translate something I’ve lived and witnessed. Design, to me, is a form of language: a synthesis of experiences, discoveries, metaphors, and references, expressed through concepts and sometimes made tangible. It is a solution. It should be.

The celebratory African diasporic archetype is relatively new to pop culture. I use the word celebratory with caution. Little me, fresh from Ghana, wasn’t getting anything but side-eye for singing Sweetio by Raquel featuring Sarkodie word for word if you know, you know. But as my uncle always says, 'We can’t cry over spilled milk,' and we are now in brighter days. In all seriousness, the intersection of tradition and innovation in both thought and practice guide my work, rooted in a culture of respect and honour, yet sprouting in a world of individuality and rebellion. does it play a factor? Is it as simple as it should be?

What does she wear? How is her home decorated? What hangs on her walls? What does she listen to? When two contradicting worlds collide, what motivates her? How does she represent herself in a world that demands and assumes so much? These are the questions I often explore. With pattern-making as the catalyst of my expression, where will this curiosity lead? I observe the simple yet complex nature of being and becoming a broad statement but one that reflects life itself. Style becomes automatic as truth transcends any trend. <3

Love always,

E

Note to self: When you are, there’s no need to prove. Would I dare ask the sun if it shines? Would it ever try to prove it to me? When something is true, it’s naturally consistent, obvious, and reflects in all that it does and such authenticity requires TIME.