THE CREATORS
WHO MAKES YOUR CLOTHES?
Ashanti Empress works with a number of micro enterprises and highly skilled people in Ghana to make outrageously colourful African print clothing especially for you! These are the amazing people who make up Ashanti Empress - Find out who made your clothes...
Ruby Maya
Ruby designs all Ashanti Empress clothing, hand selects the prints and works in collaboration with Ghanaian craftspeople to make the Ashanti dreams a reality! She founded Ashanti Empress after many years of visiting and working in Ghana and being inspired by the beautiful coloured West African fabrics.
Eric
Eric has been tailoring for Ashanti Empress since the beginning, 8 years ago! He started out in a rented wooden shack container shop, teaching his cousin Prince how to sew. After 2 years of working with Ashanti Empress Eric was able to buy his own shop and industrial machines. He is always busy making our hoodies, bomber jackets and Jokoto Jokers.
Yaw & Mama Ester
Yaw is the King of Patchwork! Alongside his wife Ester he collects scraps of waste fabric from tailors and then sews the pieces together to create amazing patchwork material. He works from the porch of his house with a hand-powered sewing machine as tragically he lost his leg in a car accident. This year Yaw has sewn over 2000 yards of patchwork for Ashanti Empress!
Boatemma
Boatemaa always knew she wanted to do a practical job and taught herself to sew. She has been a seamstress for 14 years and runs her own shop in Kromuase. Boatemaa is a single mother with 4 children so the bulk orders from Ashanti Empress have helped her with school fees and renting their home and her shop.She sews most of our womenswear.
Linda
Linda has been a seamstress for 15 years and is very passionate about her trade. She has been working with Ashanti Empress since the beginning and the regular income has enabled Linda to expand her business, buying her own container shop and industrial sewing machines. She has recently returned to University to study a course in fashion design. Linda makes our amazing dungarees.
Francis Opoku
Francis is the main man when it comes to Ashanti Empress shirts! He has been working with Ashanti Empress for 5 years and hopes to continue in the future. He uses the regular income he receives from Ashanti Empress to pay the school fees of his 5 children and also put his eldest son through higher education.
Sophia
Sophia works with her niece Gladys and apprentice Mary in her roadside shop. She is single handedly raising her daughter Efia who often hangs out in the shop after school. Sophia has used the income from Ashanti Empress to buy land and start building a house. Sophia sews our trousers, culottes and some womenswear.
Francis Owosu
Francis is a friend of Boatemaa and works in a village nearby. He has been a tailor for 10 years now and has a small shop. He is disabled and has difficulty walking so he relies solely on tailoring to support his family. He has recently saved up his income from Ashanti Empress to buy land and has started building a house. He makes all of the Ashanti tracksuit trousers.
Gloria
Gloria works alongside her brother Kweku and mum Sabina to make all of the Ashanti Empress accessories. She is currently studying at Cape Coast University and sews our backpacks and bucket hats in her spare time.
Kweku
Kweku is the man behind the Ashanti caps. He is from the sleepy seaside town of Cape Coast and works in business with his mother Sabina, sister Gloria and brother Albert. Sabina has taught her children well and they are all great creators of the Ashanti accessories.
Bernard
Bernard is the newest member to our team. He is a very skilled young tailor who makes our kimono's. He has been using the money he earns from Ashanti Empress to build his own tailoring shop. He also models for us, so you may recognise him from the website!
Abou
Abou is an art dealer from Niger who has lived in Ghana for the past 10 years. He does a lot of bead work, making beautiful jewellery and he also makes our amazing African print sneakers, upcycling shoes with vibrant West African materials.