Afropreneurs: This Company Is Bringing Luxury African Fashion Under One Roof Online (OkayAfrica)

Check out the latest edition of OkayAfrica's Afropreneur series featuring new luxury start-up, ONYCHEK (think Net-a-Porter for Africa). You can find the original piece here or scroll for more. 

For 26-year-old health and safety expert turned tech entrepreneur Chekwas Okafor, fashion is a family business. “To a certain extent, I’ve always been running away from fashion,” he explains. “When I was younger, my father imported textiles from China. At the time, I didn’t want to get into the business, which I didn’t think of as fashion—just as something that paid the bills.”

As a biology student at Voorhees College, a historically black institution in South Carolina, Okafor chose practicality over passion. Although his well-tailored, bespoke suits garnered the attention of classmates and led to a short stint in modeling, he cast aside the idea of a career in fashion until a friend introduced him to the work of up-and-coming Nigerian designers.

“I began to wonder about how the fashion industry at home was changing, and how I could leverage that growth to expand opportunities,” he says. “I spent the next two years learning more about the industry, and diving into the world of luxury.”

Okafor’s newly launched e-commerce website, ONYCHEK, is the result of that intensive research period. The site, which stocks a range of clothing and accessories for men and women, aims to foster job creation and cultural preservation in Africa through fashion.

But developing relationships with designers hasn’t been easy. As a new concept, ONYCHEK initially struggled to bring designers on board. Designers protective of their brands were initially hesitant to collaborate, so Okafor adopted a guerrilla approach to making a pitch.

“Because I prefer to show instead of just tell, I bought products from all the prospective brands I was targeting,” he says. “I made an editorial with high-quality images and a mock-up of the company and the website. Based on that, some of them reached out because they were able to visualize what I was building.”

ONYCHEK, which now stocks seven brands including Kenya’s Adele Dejak and South Africa’s MaXhosa by Laduma, focuses exclusively on brands based in Africa. “There are many African designers based in the diaspora who make their products around the world because the continent’s fashion infrastructure is still underdeveloped,” he explains. “However, our focus is on companies that maximize value addition in the region by boosting employment of local suppliers, craftsmen, and manufacturers.”

In 2017, Okafor hopes to expand ONYCHEK’s offerings and has his eye on leading designers like Deola Sagoe and Lisa Folawiyo, favorites among Nigeria’s jet setting elite.

African luxury may be a foreign concept to a fashion industry dominated by western brands, but ONYCHEK hopes to educate consumers on Africa’s diverse cultures and the history behind textiles from batik to adire and imigwegwe through its “African Fashion Dictionary.” The site’s blog, THEINSIGHT, walks customers through traditions around head attire to the new attempts to repurpose the sacred Ankole cow horn.

Through ONYCHEK, Okafor aims to offer consumers something more than just click-to-buy. Through its products, editorials, and social media, the platform hopes to inspire a wave of conscious consumption that inspires consumers to consider the origins of their clothing and accessories.

“In the same way, consumers look to France or Italy for high-quality goods,” Okafor tells OkayAfrica, “I hope they begin to look to Africa.”

Afropreneurs: These Fly Beanies & Hats Help Protect Your Hair In Style (OkayAfrica)

My latest for Okayafrica's Afropreneurs series profiles Grace Eleyae, the Kenyan-American entrepreneur behind new brand Satin-Lined Caps. 

From bonnets to durags, Grace Eleyae tried almost every hair accessory to preserve the moisture in her fine hair. Although satin scarves did the trick at night, she didn’t feel comfortable rocking the look while running errands around town. Struggling to find a functional and fashionable solution, Eleyae launched Satin-Lined Caps in 2014 to empower women to conquer the world while looking good.

Most black women are well acquainted with the nighttime ritual of covering one’s hair. Because cotton pillowcases strip moisture from hair, women of curly textures, particularly black women, have used satin for decades to help reduce breakage. “Because it sucks out that moisture, it causes friction,” Eleyae says, “which causes tangles and breakage as we try to comb it out.”

But day-to-day activities in dry climates can also be hard on hair. After a long trip road trip across Kenya, Eleyae noticed hair breakage after long days traveling in the heat. Frustrated with the lack of stylish protective daytime accessories, she soon broke out her sewing machine to create a prototype of her signature satin-lined cap.

“It was all trial and error,” she tells OkayAfrica. “When I jumped in, I didn’t know what I was doing. At the time, I was working towards a fashion design certificate, so I knew how to sew, sketch, and make patterns.” After cultivating a network of reliable vendors, Eleyae’s vision slowly took shape.

Satin-Lined Caps (affectionately known as SLAPs) are made with a satin interior lining to keep hair moisturized from day to night. They also feature an elastic band to ensure the cap stays in place, and a cotton-knit exterior similar to a beanie, for fashion and comfort. The caps fit a variety of hairstyles from a short crop to waist-length box braids. Eleyae also sells pillowcases, scrunchies, and hats ranging from $7.99 to $45.99.

Although scarves and bonnets are most commonly associated with black women, the SLAP customer base is remarkably diverse. “We’ve seen customers from all different ethnicities and hair textures,” Eleyae says. “In Northern Europe, where the women often have very fine hair, and it’s quite cold and dry, many women will constantly find strands on their pillowcases. The difference is that African-American women see a scarf or the SLAP and immediately understand it; however, women of other ethnicities need to be educated about satin.”

As a much more stylish option than the bulky bonnets found in most beauty store aisles, SLAPs are suitable for everywhere from the grocery store to the gym. Eleyae, who wears her hair natural, favors styling her hair at night and wearing her SLAP while working out to preserve the shape of her twist-out.

Each cap is branded with the founder’s own name—an homage to other female entrepreneurs like Tory Burch and Vera Wang who make products for women. Because Satin-Lined Caps is rooted in Eleyae’s own experience as a woman of color, the company has succeeded in making much-needed products in a traditionally underserved market. As the beauty and apparel industries continue to struggle to cater to women of color, Satin-Lined Caps joins the new spate of brands like Nubian Skin, that are expanding a range of products that empower every woman to look and feel beautiful.

Afropreneurs: Meet the Company Bringing the Best of Drone Technology to Ghana (OkayAfrica)

In my latest for OkayAfrica's Afropreneur series, I chat with Aeroshutter, the creative drone agency looking at Ghana from a new perspective. Check the original story here or read more below.

Once viewed as tools of war, drones are the next frontier of Africa’s digital renaissance. As entrepreneurs across the continent explore the commercial applications of drones, Kwamena Hazel is harnessing drone technology to drive development.

Hazel’s company, Aeroshutter, is a self-described “creative drone agency.” In just under two years, Hazel has amassed an eclectic customer base. Clients include everyone from multinational mining companies to pop stars like hitmakers Mr. Eazi and Kwamz.

Based in Accra, Hazel studied computer science at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, one of Ghana’s top universities. After graduation, he headed into banking, but continued to follow tech trends and got into drones as a hobby. As the technology became more popular in the United States and Europe, Hazel began to consider how to introduce drones in Ghana. Although the high price tag and fear of losing an expensive gadget initially deterred him from making a purchase, drone manufacturer DJI’s introduction of a “return home” function was the green light to launch his company.

“Even before buying the first drone, I had a blueprint for my business,” Hazel says. “In the beginning, because it was a new technology that most Ghanaians hadn’t heard about, I mostly focused on taking pictures from a different perspective.”

When Hazel first flew a drone near his family home, he recalls frightening local people. However, as people have become more accustomed to seeing drones in urban centers, fear was gradually replaced by curiosity and eagerness to try out the new technology. “Initially, people would request aerial shots for weddings and events,” the entrepreneur explains. “But once we started putting pictures on social media, we garnered a lot of buzz, which not only helped us educate Ghanaians about the new technology, but also get the attention of potential corporate clients.”

Aeroshutter offers a wide-range of services for the farming, mining, and construction industries including 3D volumetric image processing, aerial photography, and commercial property surveillance. While the standard surveying process can take between three to five days, Aeroshutter’s drone technology can cut the process down to 24 hours. In construction, the company uses drones to help clients assess building progress.

While Aeroshutter’s growth trajectory looks promising, financing remains difficult. Drone purchases from the United States are expensive. “We buy our stuff in dollars, which means you have to work four times over before you can purchase products,” Hazel explains. “You have to work extra hard to buy things that can be easily obtained in the U.S. People complain sometimes about our prices, but we have to recoup costs, buy new parts, and upgrade our fleet. The highest quality drones can cost as much as $12,000.”

Despite the challenges, Aeroshutter sees many avenues for future growth. In the energy and insurance industries, for example, Hazel hopes that drones can be used to help assess damage to power lines or damage sites. New projects launching in 2017 include Aero Ads, an innovative drone advertising service, and Aero Arcade, a drone-racing series.

“As we build a team that understands the technology, and what it can do for the Ghanaian economy,” he says, “we’re pushing the boundaries of how drones can be used to build the Ghana of the future.”

On The Gambia’s Longing for Change: The World Must Stand with Freedom by Any Means Necessary (OkayAfrica)

I'm half-Gambian and spent many an idyllic childhood summer living on the Smiling Coast, which is now in the midst of an electoral crisis. Read my op-ed for Okayafrica on what's at stake for The Gambia, and why the international community must intervene. 

In July 1961, my grandmother, Rachel Palmer, travelled to Marlborough House in London to attend a Constitutional Conference on The Gambia. She was the only woman to participate in the talks, which led to the signing of The Gambia Independence Agreement.

The delegation, comprised of political parties, unions, and civil society, represented the era’s jubilant spirit of cooperation. For the smallest country in mainland Africa, independence marked a new beginning. In the eyes of my then 27-year-old grandmother, it meant hope.

For three decades, under President Sir Dawda Jawara, The Gambia’s future seemed bright. Despite limited natural resources in comparison to the other oil and mineral-rich nations of West Africa, The Gambia’s economy ranked third in GDP per capita in 1994. A leading tourist destination on the continent, The Gambia earned the nickname “the Smiling Coast”—a testament to its culture of hospitality. Despite the predominance of the ruling party, The Gambia was one of the few early African states to permit a multiparty system.

In 1994, the country that was once a sliver of tranquility in a troubled region changed as Yahya Jammeh, then a junior military officer, seized power in a bloodless coup. In the years since, the president has won four elections as his opponents have been intimidated or tortured.

In 2016, The Gambia was one of the largest per capita sources of migrants making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Those who risk death fleeing across desert and sea not only run from authoritarianism and poverty, but also to escape despair as Jammeh’s incendiary rhetoric reaches new heights.

Last year, he threatened to “slit the throats” of gay men. Earlier this year, he called Mandika, the nation’s largest ethnic group “vermin” and proclaimed, “I will kill you like ants and nothing will come out of it.”

My mother was raised in the Jawara years when the small size of the country bred camaraderie rather than fear. Neighbors were friends rather than suspected spies. Government positions were career boosts rather than possible death sentences. Under Jammeh’s rule, The Gambia of my grandmother’s youth and my mother’s childhood, has been erased through a culture of repression.

Despite the risks of facing off against a despot, the nation’s opposition united under Adama Barrow, who won the Dec. 1 presidential election. While there was initial uncertainty that Jammeh, who once promised he would rule for “a billion years” would respect the results, he appeared on national television to concede. The hope for peaceful transition was short-lived, however, as Jammeh reversed course and demanded a new vote.

Criticism for this shift is widespread at the domestic and international level. Groups including the Gambian Bar Association, The Gambia Teachers Union, and The Gambia Chamber of Commerce have issued calls for Jammeh to step down. The African Union, Senegal, United States, European Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also quickly condemned the move. A delegation of African leaders including Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and Ghana’s own recently ousted President John Mahama recently flew to The Gambia to mediate the dispute.

Yet even in the face of this isolation, Jammeh refuses to step down, no doubt emboldened by his continued control over the country’s security forces. On Dec. 14, the military took over the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Following death threats, Alieu Momar Njai, the 82-year-old IEC chief, has now fled the country.

In the face of these developments, ECOWAS has agreed to uphold the Dec. 1 presidential results, guarantee the safety and protection of President-elect Barrow, and “take all necessary action to enforce the results.”

Although ECOWAS support will be critical to ensuring the smooth and rightful transition of power, West African leaders must be explicit in showing a credible military threat. If Jammeh refuses to step down, he must be forcibly removed like Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo and Liberia’s Charles Taylor.

Ignored due to Gambia’s lack of strategic value, the Gambian people have suffered in silence for decades. My grandmother died in 2000 after witnessing The Gambia that she knew wither into a shell of its former self. Must another generation pass before there is change?

As the world watches Gambians’ courageous efforts to peacefully oust a brutal autocrat, the international community has a responsibility to act to aid their cause through sanctions and military action. To allow murders and disappearances to persist unchecked for over twenty years is an indictment on regional and international bodies.

Now, as Gambians raise their voice, the international community has an obligation to hear it and protect it—by any means necessary.

Afropreneurs: Meet the Home Décor Company Fusing Brooklyn Cool with Afro-Chic (OkayAfrica)

Next up in Okayafrica's Afropreneur series -- home decor company xNasozi. I first came across the brand several years ago via Pinterest (the black hole where I spend far too much time dreaming up recipes and interiors) and fell in love. 

You can check out the profile via this link or read below. 

(Hint hint to those searching my Christmas present -- this apron is on my wish list!)

While other children grew up playing video games, Ugandan-American interior stylist Nasozi Kakembo designed blueprints. After a stint in the human rights and social justice world, Kakembo harkened back to that childhood creativity to launch her home décor company, xNasozi.

Originally launched under the name “Origins Style by Nasozi,” Kakembo’s venture in home décor has come a long way. “It all started with six really badly photographed pillows,” she laughs. Poor images or not, a gradual uptick in interest on Etsy helped the Brooklyn-based designer realize she was on to something. As orders trickled in, Kakembo began to wonder what would happen if she worked full-time on the company. The answer came soon enough when the challenges of juggling her young son’s elementary school schedule with a full-time position increased. In April 2013, Kakembo decided to devote all of her energy to growing the brand, re-named the company xNasozi, and shifted from Etsy to an independent e-commerce store.

Now 4 years old, xNasozi bridges Brooklyn cool with Afro-chic. With a wide variety of minimalist prints and unique textiles sourced from artisan networks across Africa, Kakembo also stands out from the recent wave of African-inspired design with her innovative approaches to mud cloth and indigo. Her e-commerce store is a design addict’s paradise full of everything from a wax print yoga bag to mud cloth Christmas stockings. An indigo butterfly chair, a bestseller among Kakembo’s wholesale clients, is a particular standout.

Based in New York City, Kakembo sources textiles from the wide network of West African businesses in Harlem and Brooklyn. Some of the fair-trade woven products, such as baskets and sisal bags, are imported from Uganda with the help of her supportive family. Kakembo has recently started to design mud-cloth-based textiles with her own original hand-painted work. In addition to a mud-cloth version of her signature butterfly chair, xNasozi also sells an industrial, modern mud-cloth-upholstered bench.

The more unusual takes on modern African design, like the bohemian denim and wax print aprons she sells as part of her kitchen collection, are inspired by Kakembo’s neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. “There’s a very playful juxtaposition in the environment of Bed-Stuy,” she says. “There’s nothing that fits into a box; everything is whimsical and people express themselves fully through their style and interests.”

A quick glance at the xNasozi Instagram shows that the poor photos of the past have been replaced with sleek images of modern, colorful interiors. Kakembo credits these ideas to learning on the job. “xNasozi is more-or-less a one-woman show, so as my brand grew, I had to explore other skills in order to grow my sales,” she says.

Brands and blogs from Travel and Leisure to West Elm’s blog, Front + Main, have taken note of Kakembo’s new-found expertise. In addition to the xNasozi home décor products, she also writes and photographs for a variety of clients including crowd-favorite Apartment Therapy. “In the independent e-commerce world, there’s a lot of competition, so you have to have strong visuals with high-quality photographs of your products as well as lifestyle photos. I taught myself photography by picking the brains of my photographer friends.”

In addition to her hats of designer, writer and photographer, Kakembo has recently added philanthropist. Drawing from her experiences in humanitarian assistance, Kakembo supports Suubi Nursery and Primary School in her father’s native Uganda by donating a portion of Nasozi sales. As a small business, xNasozi’s contributions are small, but Kakembo hopes to scale the impact over the next few years. With a growing network of retailers in over 10 states, xNasozi might just meet its goal and live up to the meaning of Kakembo’s own name—“something to look up in praise of.”

Fields Magazine: The Design Issue + Upcoming "Migrant Talks"

Last year, while living in Accra, I met the dynamic Saran Koly, editor-in-chief of Fields Magazine, a bilingual (French/English) contemporary African publication focused on alternative reflections on international affairs, human rights, arts and social justice. In Saran, I immediately found a kindred spirit. Through Fields, she hopes to build a community of "global daydreamers" stretching across Africa and the diaspora.

I'm honored to be a part of the team of writers contributing to Fields' "Design Issue" which takes readers from Brazil to Colombia via Burkina Faso, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, and the U.S. " to explore the stories of makers who decided to live their life by design and not by default."

You can buy your copy here, and look out for my pieces on Ghanaian architect Joe Osae-Addo, experience curator Tameshia Rudd-Ridge, and entrepreneur Yvette Ansah of Accra's Cafe Kwae.

P.S. Watch this space in the next few weeks for a link to an episode of Fields' "Migrant Talks" series with Nargisse Benbakkou of My Moroccan Food (which I proudly co-produced).