A disturbing issue has been raised about Ghana’s fashion sector and if it is genuinely as lucrative as the tremendous online attention and splendor with which it has been connected.
Van Calebs, a Ghanaian event organizer, issued a statement today portraying fashion shows in Ghana as settings for scouting’sex partners’ rather than for the sale or advertisement of apparel. In an interview in Accra, he was replying to a question about fashion as the next vibrant business for many young Ghanaians.
Van Calebs is adamant that when it comes to fashion events, the models with the most sexual appeal make it on the runway. He claims that fashion show organizers have shifted their focus away from garments and onto a more ready and far more lucrative market.
“Now, it’s no more about the clothes but about the one wearing them… I mean this in a negative way. During the show, rich guys, who are usually the friends of the organizers, attend and look at the beautiful models on the runway. After the show, they ask the organizers for the numbers of some of the ladies; and even some of the male models too.
“Then, they meet up and offer them some money or opportunities in exchange for a sexual relationship with them. So, these rich guys also sponsor the fashion shows with money and so, this is in a way their benefit because, most fashion shows don’t make money through either ticket sales or even designer participation fees; it’s just a pathetic situation”, he explained.
Van Calebs stated that practically all of Ghana’s very popular fashion events underpay models that walk their runways, emphasizing the terrible circumstances many fashion shows are in.
“In Ghana today, almost all of these fashion shows will use a model for 3 or more days of fashion shows and pay them Ghc400 to Ghc500. And yes, they don’t have cash sponsors and they don’t sell enough tickets, so where does the money come from?”, he said.
Finally, Van Calebs stated that the Fashion Designers, the backbone of the fashion business, are in crisis.
“In Ghana, many fashion designers are like social media bloggers. They are seasonal and then they fade out never to be remembered again. Just look at our most celebrated fashion icon, the late Kofi Ansah. His ‘Art Dress’ company and collections are now in some garage instead of a fashion studio or a boutique. Also, Joyce Ababio who was once a vibrant fashion designer is now focused on running her fashion school …
“I guess that one pays far more than her being a fashion designer. I can go on and on because there are many fashion designers on Instagram doing a lot of photoshoots but, how many are selling and have records to show it?”, he said.
Nonetheless, fashion has become an important part of Ghana’s lifestyle and entertainment calender. A good fashion show on a weekend can attract both local and foreign visitors to Accra. Furthermore, the survival of several fashion schools and even Universities with ‘Fashion Degree Programmes’ such as ‘Radford University’ and ‘Blue Crest University,’ with an increasing number of students each year, lends promise to Ghana’s fashion sector.
