Gambian fashion brand brings African style to London

Record ID: 1110297

  • Title: Gambian fashion brand brings African style to London
  • Date: 29th March 2018
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF STORE ASSISTANT JOSEPH LAHAI TALKING TO CUSTOMER CUSTOMER TRYING ON SHIRT (SOUNDBITE) (English) JEKKAH STORE ASSISTANT JOSEPH LAHAI SAYING: "To be fair, I am sure when the business kicked off first, we were thinking it was going to be a specific crowd. But when we started first, we started seeing different people from all around the world. We are based in Camden, it's a tourist environment. So you see Chinese people, Americans, Africans. So mainly there is not really a target, we just want to expand, we want to grow. We want to be something that people can be like, oh yeah remember Jekkah? stuff like that. It kinda gave us the hint that this is a good time to start this." BANJUL, GAMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VIEW OF TEXTILE WAREHOUSE WHERE JEKKAH BUYER SAFFY SANKAREH IS SELECTING FABRIC VARIOUS OF SAFY AND SHOP ASSISTANT UNFOLDING FABRIC FABRIC ON DISPLAY VARIOUS OF SAFY LOOKING AT FABRIC (SOUNDBITE) (English) BUYER AT JEKKAH, SAFFY SANKAREH, SAYING: "Traditionally African outfits like the one I am wearing currently are usually very starched and hard. Our clientele in Europe, specifically England, are looking for a much softer fabric. A fabric that is flowy. When I look for fabrics I take into account the needs of our customers and also the style, the design that we're trying to create." SEREKUNDA, GAMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS FO TAILOR CUTTING FABRIC VIEW OF TAILORS IN WAREHOUSE SEWING MACHINE VARIOUS OF OUSAINOU MENDY, MANAGER TAILORING WORKSHOP SUPERVISING TAILORS TAILOR USING SEWING MACHINE OUSAINOU SUPERVISING WORKERS VARIOUS OF WORKERS IRONING FABRIC (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGER TAILORING WORKSHOP, OUSAINOU MENDY, SAYING: "We are a lot of youths involved in the tailoring sector right now, so Gambia is expected to produce a lot of clothes in a year. So we will be able to ship more to the outside world. Where Gambia is located in the world, we are at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and we are closer to everywhere." VARIOUS OF TAILOR WORKING ON SEWING MACHINE
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2018 17:55
  • Keywords: African wax print fashion Jekkah textile
  • Location: BANJUL AND SEREKUNDA, GAMBIA/ LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
  • City: BANJUL AND SEREKUNDA, GAMBIA/ LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
  • Country: Gambia
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Fashion
  • Reuters ID: LVA003896JOEV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: London's Camden district is the home of Jekkah Fashion, a street wear brand inspired and created from African wax print sourced in the Gambia.
    With a combination of bold traditional design and modern contemporary cuts, the brand's popularity is growing here.
    Founded in Gambia in 2013 by Gambian Kamil Farage and Petros Solomou, Jekkah means 'to be beautiful or elegant' in Wolof, a language widely spoken in Gambia and Senegal.
    Makers say they set out to recreate street-wear.
    The brand has a men's and women's collection featuring bright shirts, trousers and jackets, as well as elegant pencil skirts and crops tops.
    Although the brand creators initially targeted the diverse and large African diaspora community in London, the store's location in one of the city's busiest and trendiest districts has attracted people from all walks of life.
    "To be fair, I am sure when the business kicked off first, we were thinking it was going to be a specific crowd. But when we started first, we started seeing different people from all around the world. We are based in Camden, it's a tourist environment. So you see Chinese people, Americans, Africans. So mainly there is not really a target, we just want to expand, we want to grow. We want to be something that people can be like, oh yeah remember Jekkah? stuff like that. It kinda gave us the hint that this is a good time to start this," said Jekkah store assistant Joseph Lahai.
    All of Jekkah's products are designed and produced in Gambia - nation of 1.9 million people whose economy depends on peanut sales and tourism.
    Saffy Sankareh is the company's buyer - in charge of sourcing the fabric for Jekkah.
    She says not all West African fabrics are suited for their designs so her work takes time.
    "Traditionally African outfits like the one I am wearing currently are usually very starched and hard. Our clientele in Europe, specifically England, are looking for a much softer fabric. A fabric that is flowy. When I look for fabrics I take into account the needs of our customers and also the style, the design that we're trying to create," she said.
    Once the fabrics are selected, they go to a large tailoring space in Gambia's largest city Serekunda. Here the fabrics get cut and sewn.
    Ousainou Mendy and his father, who come from a family that has been tailoring for generations, run and own the workshop.
    "We are a lot of youths involved in the tailoring sector right now, so Gambia is expected to produce a lot of clothes in a year. So we will be able to ship more to the outside world. Where Gambia is located in the world, we are at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and we are closer to everywhere," Ousainou said.
    Mendy has also been training new tailors and plans to expand his work floor.
    Although there are many people with the skill to make fine clothes, the potential for apparel manufacturing in Gambia is not fully realized.
    Jekkah is one of the success stories, bouyed by a ready market abroad with money to spend.
    Buying power amongst Gambians remains relatively low, forcing many designers to seek opportunities elsewhere.
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