America-based International designer, Clavon Leonard has revealed that he will be opening up a shop in Ghana.
He made this disclosure in an exclusive interview with The Vaultz Media (TVM), where he posited that he will be collaborating with Nylalo Coutre, a Ghanaian fashion designer, to open up the boutique hopefully by September this year. He further mentioned that he knows it will go very well since, according to him, Ghana’s fashion industry is a thriving one.
“I am I’m going to open a shop in Accra. I’m collaborating with NylaLo couture. We are planning that by the end of this year we should have constructed a boutique that will carry men’s and women’s wear, right in the city of Accra and Osu district. So, I’m very excited about that and excited about everything because I know Ghana. I’ve been to Ghana and I know it’s a great place. Ghana is the next career place for the phase-in fashion. So, I’m excited and I look forward to it”.
Clavon Leonard
The American-Jamaican designer also mentioned that the current shop in Ghana is an online shop and further noted that he has been working with Accra Fashion Week to create garments that are being showcased even for the ‘Wear Ghana’ agenda.
“In Ghana, we are still going online… I have created two garments that I am currently working on to have ready before the end of the month for the wear Ghana month. Some of them are very interesting. Last year, I used traditional woven fabric and created jackets here in the states and we used it for our Black History Month in February”.
Clavon Leonard
When asked how the other branches of his business are faring and which one makes the most income apart from the branch in New York he said: “Outside of the store of New York, there is a boutique in London and there’s Morocco and South Africa. Right now I guess it’ll be between the store in South Africa and the one in London that makes more income”.
RESTRATEGISING IN COVID SEASON
However, Clavon noted that the pandemic caused several limitations for them. That notwithstanding, it didn’t stop the brand from working hard to satisfy its customer’s needs.
“It has been rough during the pandemic and trying to move forward, establish, and trying to take care of everything. Being limited in what we can ship, being limited in what we can do during the pandemic but now things are opening up, I’m very optimistic about what lies ahead”.
Clavon Leonard
Listing some of the strategies he put in place to progress the brand during the pandemic, he emphasized that, he had to re-strategize especially with regards to his marketing strategy and the kind of clothing he was producing.
“During the pandemic, I was stuck in South Africa for 10 months. So, I had to re-strategize. I was mostly into red carpet tuxedos and garments for formal programs like the Grammy’s, Golden Globe, and I tried to change my strategy. So, I had to come up with designs like loungewear, tracksuits things that can be worn around the house. I had to change the strategy in the way I was doing business so that I can stay relevant and then I could also cater to the needs of people. Because, during the pandemic time, people started looking at their finances since they’re not working and some people were laid off. So, people look at what is a necessity and buy.
“I took my marketing to the next level. I started marketing more online like WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, and even Twitter. I also used my website to push the brand and get people to buy from me because people were spending so much time online and on their computers”.
Clavon Leonard
CLAVON LEONARD’S CHARITY PROGRAM
It is worth mentioning that, the brand is into a charity program that helps both designers and models from different African countries to become established as they are given the opportunity to showcase their talents on some great platforms.
“Currently, what we’re doing is a foundation and it’s called the ‘Clavon incubation’. I have people or student designers from all over the African Diaspora and I support them. Helping them with anything fabric, teaching them everything from online marketing, helping them establish their business in their country, and giving them online platforms such as Pinterest. We also provide for them to leave their country of origin, we take care of the airline tickets, hotel, food, and lodging…This coming September, we are trying to bring them to New York fashion week. We have sponsors who assist us. However, it’s not only designers that benefit from this. Clavon models from all the African Diaspora get the opportunity to visit and showcase their talents in other countries. We have models from Switzerland, South Africa, Botswana, as well as designers in Kenya, Morocco, and Algeria”
Clavon Leonard
To sum up, he advised upcoming designers saying: “The one thing I will tell people is that don’t give up on your dream. I had a dream when I was just thirteen years old… I had a dream that people were walking up and down in my clothes on a runway and I remember running down and I told my parents about it and my father told me to just go back to sleep …Then in 2015, my dream became a reality. I tell people that dreams do come true. I tell them not to give up, work hard, get a mentor; find someone you can listen to and take their wisdom and apply the prospect that they’re teaching you and go and make the best life for yourself”.
Read also: CLAVON LEONARD BOOSTS ONLINE SALES AS IT MAKES AFRICA ITS PRIMARY BASE OF EXTENSION
