Ghanaian fashion designer Mabel Simpson soaring high above the skies

Ghanaian fashion designer Mabel Simpson soaring high above the skies

The fashion and design world continues to welcome new players. In Africa especially, the number of creative heads who have taken to mainstream fashion and design, has been encouraging.       

                              

Africa’s established and budding names in the trade are not only adding up to the numbers, but they’ve been able to carve niches of their own, each one of them, selling a unique brand identity.

Young, Ghanaian fashion designer Mabel Simpson of the mSimps brand, is a great example of how Africa’s young people, when given a chance, can chart successful paths.

This August marked some three years after she quit a good ‘white collar’ job to follow her heart – fashion.

Simpson had a great background to follow her fashion dreams after she studied visual arts at Wesley Girls' High School, Cape Coast and majored in Graphic Design at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

She told Ghana Biz Media, "In August 2010, with a seed capital of GH¢200, I resigned from my job to promote African fabrics. I did not have a huge capital to start with but I believed that you start small and grow.

"I started with just GH¢200, borrowed my grandmother's sewing machine, used my parent's porch and with one employee, I was in business. I made sure that every money I made was re-invested it into the business. That is what has helped me build the business to this stage."



The early days were difficult, however due to grit and clever marketing mSimps came to be.

From word of mouth to peer-to-peer endorsements, and making use of social media, she managed to sell her brand to a fair number of early ‘loyalists’. They formed the base of what is today, a solid mSimps customer base.

The mSimps brand is known for hand-made, customized accessories. From clutch purses, tote bags, laptop bags/sleeves, iPad/Tablet cases, hair and dress brooches, to ladies handbags, loafers, wallets and belts, it has become a must-have.



Simpson’s mission for her brand she says “is to provide African, trendy, quality and affordable products in Africa and beyond.”

“mSimps believes in elegance in simplicity.  mSimps designs are inspired by African fashion and Ethnic prints especially its colours and patterns.

“All mSimps bags are one-offs. Two people do not own the same bag.”

Simpson has often spoken of how branding has played a unique role in getting mSimps thus far. Informed by the need to clearly define her brand from that of others, she’s managed to put together a team who also share in her dream of taking mSimps to dizzying heights.