Evolution Of Friday Wear

Sept 29. Accra, Ghana, Pass through almost any office or corner in Ghana on a Friday and you would see people elegantly dressed in the local prints/fabrics going about their daily duties.

The 'National Friday Wear Program', which was launched by the government back in 2004 has taken positive strides towards the promotion of wearing made-in-Ghana clothing. The initiative came about as a result of government's aim at promoting a unique Ghanaian identity through wearing locally made fabrics to work, both in the public and private sectors. The success of this initiative gave government the urge to recently launch a 'batakari' designated National Friday wear, which is to be worn on the first Friday of every month. This initiative is meant to promote the patronage of locally made goods especially beyond the shores of Ghana.

The demand for locally made clothing has taken a significant surge since the inception of this initiative and thus, has not become just a Friday phenomenon. One significant impact it has had is job creation for both small and large scale enterprises.  Adjoa Yeboah, a fashion designer and owner of Adjoa Yeboah Clothing attributed to the demand for African wear to some factors. She mentioned that they are very comfortable to be in and very easy to accessorize: and as such, one can always improvise to fit the occasion. She added that with 'kaba and slit' for example, you can wear it to Church or work and also wear just the 'kaba' with jeans for any casual outing or to work. On the kind of designs customers usually requested for, she said people were delving into more cosmopolitan looks so as to blend their outfits with current trends and easily improvise to fit any occasion. She further on said that the increase in demand has caused her to expand her business by listing her 'already made' designs on online shopping platforms such as Kaymu which receive significant patronage.

Generally, this initiative has gone a long way towards making Ghanaians embrace and accept their culture by creating some sort of a positive conformity where they definitely feel left out if they don't wear made in Ghana fabric on a Friday or to any indigenous gathering as a whole. The word 'Friday Wear' itself has become a Ghanaian jargon referring to locally made fabrics!

Be it Woodin, GTP, tie and dye, batakari or any local print, make sure you wear it with confidence and let people know how proud you are of your culture.