When it comes to Ghanaian fashion, a few names always stand out on the list. Nana Akua Addo, a German-born Ghanaian fashion icon, is one name that never fails to make an impression.
Her outfits are always in the news, and she always makes an impeccable statement when she walks the red carpet or attends events or interviews.
Her transformation from a ‘failed’ actress and film producer to a global fashion icon. This is Nana Akua Addo’s untold story.
Her appearance on the Miss Malaika platform was her first taste of fame. She finished as the second runner-up in the highly competitive competition.
“I had the chance to work with 4syte TV. I had another exposure there. I went to Germany. Back to school. Then I won Miss Ghana Germany. Then I came back to Ghana. Miss Ghana Germany brought me back to Ghana for some few charity works. Ghana was the best place to relocate, then I relocated to Ghana.”
She decided to pursue a career in film after relocating to Ghana. However, acting roles were scarce, and those that were available to her were minor. As a result, her acting abilities suffered. Because of these shortcomings, she decided to pursue a career in film production.
‘Wanna Be,’ a popular film, was produced by her. However, shortly after the film’s production began, renowned Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson was barred from filming. Because Yvonne was a main character in the film, production was slowed. As a result of this setback, many marketers were unable to promote the film when it was released. Nana Akua Addo stated that she has lost interest in movies as a result of this.
Nana Akua Addo started somewhere, from being on the cover of fashion websites and newspapers to being the topic of fashion trends discussions. It has not been an easy journey. She has, however, created a phenomenal and timeless brand for herself through determination, hard work, and consistency.
As the saying goes, bad things must happen before good things can happen. After failing in the film industry, Nana Akua Addo decided to try her luck in the fashion industry.
“I have stylists, one in India, one in Philippines, and I have two main ones based in the US. I met all of them when I was in New York Film School. I took their contacts, and they built a theme around my fashion and experiment with what I do with fashion.
She stated that her various stylists around the world are not competing with her personal brand or who is the best dressed. However, she stated that she has no idea how she appears to be competing to be the best dressed.
She explained that putting effort into her style is to pave the way for women, in African fashion, and to be able to put Ghana on the map. He admitted that whenever the names of Ghanaian fashion icons were mentioned, her name would always come up.
Her team’s and her own visions are in sync, with the goal of advancing African fashion, particularly Ghanaian fashion. In order to make that vision a reality, the costumes and outfits she wears do not have to be commonplace.
“If I’m always looking the same way everybody else is looking, at the end of the day, you’re not communicating, you’re not pushing barriers. That would be the reason I would also shop where Beyonce would shop, to get the same leverage. So that you have news outlets like, Shade Room, Fashion Bomb, etc. They would post you just because of the effort that you’re making. When it happens, it is a win for mothers, and Ghana as well.”
Being recognized by international fashion blogs and companies has nothing to do with being the best in fashion. However, she emphasized that her thought process when designing her outfits is about pushing women and putting Ghana on the map.
“If I really wanted to be the best, I could stay locally, use my local designers and would still be good. We have amazing designers. I still use Yartel. Yartel is fantastic. Sima Brew is amazing. Pistis. We have amazing designers in Africa”
Mrs Addo believes the fashion industry can follow in the footsteps of other industries in the country, such as music and film. She bemoaned how many designers in the country rely on a copy-and-paste mechanism that isn’t helping the industry. This, she claims, reduces Ghanaian designers’ leverage in the international market.
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She explained that many of the country’s designers haven’t made it internationally because they don’t have their own couture lines. This means they cannot be uniquely identified with the work they produce. She cited Duaba Serwa as one of the country’s few designers with her own clothing line which is Duaba Serwa registered.
She noted that being caught for copyright infringements at the international level is one of the major setbacks for designers in the country due to the frequent copy and pasting of designs, highlighting some loopholes in the Ghanaian fashion space.
Another harsh reality she revealed was that international fashion labels do not recognize African fashion.
She went on to say that African fashion is undervalued in the international market. She explained that the foreign fashion industry does not pay attention to African fashion and would not want to see an African designer or fashion show.
She hinted that designers in other countries add value to their custom designs based on the celebrities for whom they work. She stated that celebrities wear outfits worth millions of dollars, which increases the value of these designers. As a result, copyright claims are taken seriously, raising the value of the fashion industry.
“If Rihanna wears something, and Beyonce also does a replica of it, Rihanna’s team is definitely going to sue Beyonce’s designer. But if me, Nana Akua, I do it, they wouldn’t pay attention to me. Because it’s like, who is Nana Akua.”
She also emphasized the distinction between fashion and costume. She defined costumes as outfits that ordinary people cannot wear on a regular basis.
“Some of the things Lady Gaga wears, these are costumes. These are the things the normal person can’t even rock it. She even takes months to learn how to rock them. Maybe they were created just for stage performances or for photoshoots and video shoots. It is not something comfortable you can wear.”
All of this success requires a certain level of discipline. She acknowledged that having prayerful parents and a husband intercede for her on her path to success was a blessing.
She stated that being humble and listening to God has greatly aided her in life. She also advised that in order to achieve success, one must be mindful of their alcohol consumption and how they are influenced by casual intercourse.
She also implied that spiritual grounding is important and that if one does not allow God to direct their path, they will become lost.
“If you think just photo shoots is enough, no, it is not enough. Spiritually, you need to pray a lot. You need guidance. Over two, three million mouths talking about you. That is crazy.”
Meanwhile, Nana Akua Addo appeared as a guest panelist on United Showbiz and stunned viewers with her appearance.
Nana Akua Addo turned heads on the show in a yellow haute couture gown by award-winning designer Yartel Clothing.
This came as no surprise given Nana Akua Addo’s rise to prominence in the world of style and fashion over the years.
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