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Project OKURASE Launches PoWEARful, African Inspired Clothing and Accessories
September 25, 2008
On September 6, 2008 a team from Project OKURASE launched PoWEARful, African Inspired Clothing and Accessories at the Power to the Peaceful festival in San Francisco, California. The line featured yoga pants, skirts, recyclable grocery sacks, and natural shea butter. All items featured are fair trade AND all profits go back to Ghana to build the Nkabom Centre.
The yoga pants and skirts were designed by Project OKURASE's Rhion Magee from Los Angeles, California. The sewing took place by Ghanaian tailors at a sewing centre in Accra, Ghana under the guidance of Manager Joe Quagraine. The dying and batiking of the clothing was conducted at the Arts Centre by Bra Acquah. Each piece of clothing features a West African adinkra symbol, which has a specific meaning. The symbols chosen for the line include those expressing hope, unity, strength and persistence, endurance, and that God is everywhere. The line of shea butter, called Powerful Shea Butter, was hand made in Ghana and is 100% natural. Shea butter, made from the shea nut, is known in Africa for its healing properties. The recyclable grocery sacks, on the outside, are made from recycled grain bags, and on the inside, from recycled flour bags. The bags were hand sewn by sewers in Ghana.
In addition to the launching of the PoWEARful line, the team met with recording and performing artist Michael Franti whose values around unity and caring for the environment are consistent with Project OKURASE. He received a djembe drum made by Powerful. We hope to develop a partnership with Michael Franti.
Check out the photo album from the Power to the Peaceful festival!
PoWEARful Partner Profiles:
"Bra Acquah"
Winfred Kwao Degbortse
Textile Design Artist
Bra Acquah grew up in Ada Foa village in Accra, Ghana. He was raised by his grandmother and later his aunt. Much of his life has been a struggle due to poverty. His uncle was a batiker and inspired him to learn the craft at age 22. His uncle sent him to Ghana Polytech to learn color separating, blending, and matching. When his uncle left Ghana, Bra Acquah continued the textile design business. He later met Powerful and became a part of the African NGO that is leading Project OKURASE, Nkabom Artist and Craftspeople Association. Project OKURASE is building the Nkabom Centre that offers skills training and formal education for vulnerable youth. Bra Acquah will be a textile design teacher at the Nkabom Centre. Your purchase supports the building of this Centre and the empowerment of people in need to overcome poverty. He says, "I am inspired by God. When I'm sleeping, I dream of the work and am always thinking of new ideas."
Joe Quagraine
Sewing Centre Manager
Joe manages Global Traders, a sewing centre in Accra, Ghana. The centre is fully Ghanaian owned and staffed. Joe offers a two-to-five week training program for future tailors. He grew up in Cape Coast, Ghana. He states, "The passion that drives me is to help develop people, to bring them up so they can be self sufficient". Joe's philosophy of empowerment is consistent with Project OKURASE and that is why we chose Joe as a partner. We hope to see Joe involved with the training of future tailors in Okurase.
More on PoWEARful Products:
Our Process
1. Fabric is purchased from small shop owners in Accra.
2. Yoga pants and skirts (made from 100% cotton) are sewn by the tailors at Global Traders, a sewing center in Accra.
3. After the sewing is finished, the pants and skirts are taken to the textile designer, Bra Acquah, at his shop at the Arts Centre in Accra.
4. Bra Acquah dyes and hand batiks each article of clothing in large pots with the greatest care. At the Arts Centre where Bra works, there are many street children who attend a Street Children's Academy nearby. The children who watch this batiking will some day learn textile design and be recipients of Project OKURASE services.
PoWEARful Recycled Bags
The outside of the bags are made from recycled grain bags used in Ghana. The grain bags can be seen in open market places filled with palm nuts, corn, rice, or other grains. They were originally found in the village of Okurase. The inside of the bags are made from recycled flour bags used in Ghana. The sewing of the bags is done by artists in Nkabom. By coincidence, the grain bags carry the message 'Unity is Strength', which is the motto statement for the Nkabom Artist and Craftspeople Association.
Powerful Shea Butter
Shea butter has been used for centuries for its unsurpassed ability to protect and regenerate the skin. It enhances cell regeneration and capillary circulation and is extremely high in Vitamins A, E, and F. Shea butter can be used therapeutically for the following skin conditions: dry skin, stretch mark prevention and minimization, eczema, psoriasis, arthritis and rheumatism, wrinkle prevention, diaper rash, scar minimization, dry hair and scalp and skin discolorations.
