The Fashion Industry Needs Massive Help From Government – Abrantie The Gentleman

Fashion has become a great deal and a massive part of human lives. There are many countries that are benefiting massively from fashion. However, it looks like Ghana is an exception as one of it’s finest designers is crying out for help.

Oheneba Yaw Boamah, popularly known as Abrantie the Gentleman has expressed his worries over the non-involvement of fashion in the Tourism, Arts and Culture industry.

Abrantie the Gentleman is the founder and creative designer of the award-winning Bespoke fashion brand.

According to him, there are no rights whatsoever that protects the rights of fashion designers and their creative work. This he says has given room for other fashion designers to pilfer others’ creative works without facing any punishment.

“Unlike music and movies, the fashion industry which includes the creative designers, tailors and models are not as protected when it comes to the entertainment industry.” Abrantie lamented.

Abrantie took to his Instagram page to share his worries with Ghanaians. He expressed how heartbroken he was after seeing the knockoff and “messed up” versions of his designs. Not only that but also his custom logo being used by other tailors.

To him, these tailors are using his brand to market themselves without giving him any heads up or regard.

Abrantie’s article;

“Imagine someone taking Sarkodie or any other person’s beat or song without his knowledge. Rights reserved to protect his music and the music industry as a whole would find that defaulter guilty and hence promotes creativity and deters others from stealing in that industry. However same can’t be said about ours.”

“We also go through a lot of processes and work hard to produce the designs we come out with so it is very painful to see someone using your hard work without regarding it.” he continued.

According to him, he received the greatest shock at the one week memorial service of the late Ebony. This he explains is because he saw Bullet, Manager of late dancehall artiste Ebony in one of his customized shirt designs. Meanwhile he knows very well that he didn’t design and sew that shirt in particular.

As professional as he is, Abrantie the Gentleman, however, did not blame Bullet for wearing or purchasing a knockoff of his design. Instead he blames the designer who made it.

He called on the media and the Tourism, Arts and Culture industry to throw more light on fashion as a sub of the entertainment industry. He further urged them to make known rights that protect their brands and designs as fashion designers.

“Ghanaians are constantly being compared to Nigerians because of things like this. They protect their fashion designers. Why can’t we do same? Nigerians have done it so we can also do it.” He queried.