Ghanaian fashion designer and CEO of Le Bon Collections, Bridget Osei Nyarko, is a designer of good reputation and with many enviable records, including designing for Ghana’s First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
Her designs are most sought after by fashionistas, especially mature women.
Her collections take one on a creative journey and are not only inspired by things around her but also borne out of her own creativity. Mixing vintage styles with current cultural obsessions is one of her major strengths on the Ghanaian runway.
She told NEWS-ONE in an exclusive interview that several years ago, she was called a ‘crazy’ woman because of her decision to start a fashion career in Ghana.
Bridget who graduated from the Middlesex University in the UK with a degree in Marketing gave up her fine and paying job in a UK marketing firm to come to Ghana to pursue fashion.
That left many of her friends to think she was crazy. But she said she hasn’t regretted because she is currently enjoying that ‘crazy’ entrepreneurial decision she took.
“People were like are you crazy? Because I mean I just had my British passport and people asked what, is she going to do in Ghana after going through all this hassle. But I thought there was a lot to do here.”
“People also thought why would I spend all this money to educate myself abroad and come back and say I am going to fashion school. They thought I was crazy, ” the fashion designer narrated.
“I like to encourage young designers that hard work pays. With hard work and determination they will get there. They should be focused. Some of us never believed we will get here but we are here because of hard work and by the grace of God. Pray as well,” she added.
Bridget is happy today fashion designing is considered one of the lucrative and glamorous career options in Ghana and encouraged government to devote some interest to the industry.
“Before people used to look down on people that they are dump and they are not intelligent and that’s when they would say you should go to fashion school or go and learn how to sew. But I think it’s different now. Government should pay attention to the industry,” she disclosed.
From a small corner in her home with just two clients who believed in her designs, Bridget Osei Nyarko has gone through all odds and five years on, she now owns one of the best fashion outlets, which is Le Bon Collections.
Located at Dzorwulu opposite the Mediferm Hospital, not far from Sid Theatre, Le Bon Collections is not just being celebrated as one of the favourite and finest female clothing lines, but it also makes clothing with an exceptional taste.
She established the fashion brand in 2012 when she came out of Joyce Ababio College of Creative Designs.
Her first professional job for a friend who is always particular about her outfit and looks gave her the motivation to establish her own brand.
It wasn’t an easy task for her but she had to learn a lot on her own. She went the extra mile to hire a professional tailor to work with her and understudy him to learn more about fashion designing in addition to what she had learnt in school.
“It is not easy. The journey has been very tough. I mean it is not a thing you just get up and do. Especially working with people, they frustrate you a lot. I am a perfectionist when it comes to finishing. I want things perfectly done.
“..If you want to be a good designer, go to fashion school and after fashion school there is a lot that you need to learn. May be you have to be attached to somebody and understudy the person,” she said.
“People pass by Le Bon Collections and they see our cloths and fall in love with us. Sometimes people come in and they see our things and they feel they are designs that we have imported from outside. They don’t know we make them here because of the good finishing we do,” she recounted her success story.
Le Bon Collections are predominantly silk and soft fabrics and also have special stones in them. The brand is also known for its bespoke services. Bridget combines pattern drafting and free-hand-cutting techniques in making the designs to suit her comprehensive style.
“All of our clothes we have stones in them. The stone is like our signature so we put a little bit in everything we do. But some people don’t like it so we just ignore it when a client doesn’t like it. Apart from that we put stone in every design we do.”
Le Bon is not just affordable but also has different levels of clienteles. One of its most celebrated clients is Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
“Considering the efforts we put in our clothes especially with the stones, I think our collections are affordable. We want to satisfy our clients and not really about the money though we need money. When we make clothes for clients who are happy, to me it is a big achievement. Most of our clients are mature women because our focus is like do a shift-silhouette- not very fitted- because the grown up women usually don’t like the fitting stuff.”
Le Bon Collections has been one of the influential fashion brands on Ghana’s runways. The most recent events it showcased at were the ‘Rhythms On Da Runway’ and another by the American Embassy in Accra.
“Our target is to expand beyond the shores of Ghana and enter European market after we are done with Africa,” Bridget indicated.
Bridget left the shores of Ghana 1999 to the UK to read Marketing at the Middlesex University after she completed St Louis Secondary School.
She believes fashion is her calling, hence after working in the UK for two years in a marketing firm, she moved to Ghana, where she also did ticketing before finally going to fashion school.
“Fashion was a childhood dream and I prayed about it. I am a spiritual person so I said to myself let me pray about it and see where I stand. I just decided to do marketing but it is something that is helping me with my business now,” she said.
Bridget looks up to Joyce Ababio as her role model because she is a big influence on her.
Source: Daily Guide
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This has nothing to do with politics pls. Let's call a spade by its name. I luv lady Rebecca but it has to be said, some of her styles ain't flattering koraaaa. Take the Inauguration Day for instance, some of us in uk were glued to the screens of our laptops & co waiting for the grand entrance of our First Lady;🙉🙈 only to be grazed with blinding colours and excruciatingly bizarre frills and comininis eeeeiiii? Adi3n as3m nie? Aaaahhh my heart sunk. The silence in my home was deafening. U could hear a pin drop. Then my fon started going off the hook with friends on the line asking if I saw what they just saw on 📺... nokr3 y3 baako p3. Its was too bad especially when samira had given us some classy chic gorg look. We were disappointed to say the least. We talked about it for wks on end on the street of London since First Lady used to live here and we luv her. So madam designer, u really need to up the stakes or better still, First Lady should look for another alternative cos u are doing her a lot of disservice. She deserves better than what Uve been serving her. 3nko yie koraaaa.
Ruby Please relax. Don't give yourself a heart attack over this. This is fashion not politics. Don't kill yourself. Her dresses for the first lady are not so appealing.
Bridget, I don't think you are doing so well with the First Lady. She is not a slim person, so cut out all the frills, especially at the sleeves. Help her look slimmer, trimmer and chic. No offense meant, just expressing an opinion. Thanks
Adwoa and Dede are being real. Bootlicking maggot, Just get real. Does the truth hurt??? OAF!!!!
Dede and so called Adjoa you are miserable souls this your attitude puts me off the ndc. Ndc men and women behave the same way with hate and env*ness that it's unbelievable. How can you use politics to h*te like that? Look at what lordina Mahama was wearing were you happy with those efie kese mu abaawa outfits? when she couldn't even walk properly in her shoes and long outfits? Come on be realistic a little bit for you can't live in a society with this your bad characters and be happy. Look at your defeat in the last elections unprecedented in Ghana for a sitting president who had everything under his control to lose an election with this margin was a disgrace and shameful,but it's like ndc haven't learnt nothing from the dislike the good people of Ghana showed to their party. Lady Rebecca will be the 1st lady for 8 years so you have a lot to say but ndc will never come back to power.After Lady Rebecca Lady Samira will be in charge and who in the ndc can be better than them? The only 1st lady in the ndc who was full of life is Nana Konadu as for Lordina she looked like Nana Konadu's house maid. Nkwas* afuo we are ever ready for your nonse*se.
Ooooooh! So you are the one who makes those horrendous dresses and designs for the first lady! You need a refresher course then! My goodness! Design better things for her. If the things she wears is anything to go by, then i'm sorry, Madam Designer, you have failed! Ah!
My dear designer, so you have been making those combinations for the first lady. No no no . please up our game. your sense of arrangement needs improvement. kindly expand your imagination.
haha i can see the competition between the designers of the First LADY AND SECOND LADY HERE. HAHA AT FIRST IT WAS SAMIRA'S DESIGNER AND NOW THIS HAHAHA. NOW WE HAVE TRIED TO HIDE SAMIRA BECAUSE SHE WAS OVER TAKING THE FIRST LADY SO NOW ITS ALL ABOUT REBECCA HAHAHAA