VOA常速英语:加纳服装品牌Selina Beb突破时尚界界限

That’s out to be a lawyer.
So I studied law in the UK, but I didn’t like it.
After my degree, I abandoned the law team,
and went into the media and did another degree in Communication.
So I was working in the media, and in Ghana I moved there from England in 2008.
Yeah, working on radio specifically and doing some radios shows and music shows.
And when I moved back to Ghana in 2008, I noticed the African print accessories in every household.

Everyone was using African prints for all sorts of things, you know, for bags or jewelry, not just for clothes.
You know, initially or in the past African prints we just use for clothes.
So I thought, wow, that’s interesting, especially their bags.
It interested me because I wasn’t used to seeing bags being made with African prints,
and too adorable as well and stylish and nice,
so I started using that lots of those African bags, and people always complimented me,
and say: They’re really nice, can I buy from you?
Do you make them yourself?
I need them because I was always good enough when you bring back, like what I’m wearing today is quite shiny,
like with my elbow and you can see me with accessories.
You make these accessories yourself?
Yes. Very good.
So you know you accessorize your clothes and then all of a sudden they become interesting.
They go from boring into interesting.
How has it been?
I started very small.
When I started, I can’t afford to get rent for shops.
So I was working on radio saving money and then buy raw material to produce the bags,
and then I used the stuff on my car, boots.
I’ve put the products on my back, in my boots,
then after my radio show I’ll go of meet up clients to sell to them.
So I started with very small capital
and it was more like a hobby,
but with time the business starts growing.
There was more interests.
I was already in market and then I expanded
and a year later I rented my first shop.
This is where we are right now.
It is actually my second shop.
I just moved here last year.
I used to have a smaller shop for six years.
What has it taken to get to this level?
A lot of hard work, lots work, lots of challenges, with taking lots of money as well.
It’s not been easy, it’s been very challenging,
because finding skillful workers is my biggest challenge to actually produce the kind of quality I want.
Yes, but with perseverance and determination, this is quite we are now…
How our customers are responding to someone by using the incredible designs that I see around here?
There is what has been good.
Yes, just like any business, there are times of seasons where business is really good,
and then sometimes it’s a bit slow, but most of the time its good.
I used to be just accessories, like I mentioned,
I started with just the bags and then I introduced footwear and jewelry.
So for six years it was just an accessories brand.
I was just being mainly accessories, and people love them.
But my customers sometimes ask for clothes,
because they said we wanted to shop in a one-stop shop,
where we come and we come fine clothes and accessories to go with them.
So last year when I moved into this shop I decided to add a clothing line.
It’s already included a line to my range.
What has been your single most selling item for example?
It’s not the bags, yeah, first one I used to sell is a beb making clothes,
so…yeah…gradually catching on and liking the clothes.
But most people come here with the mindset I’m great for bags and accessories.
As we’re talking earlier you talked about you had a personal reason why you went to into fashion,
you wanted something that fits you, something that looks good on you.
That’s why you decided to do this kind of fashion level, right?
So maybe talk to me about that.
My clothing line, the reason I started a clothing line was not just because my customers were asking for it,
but I had a challenge as the classic size woman finding clothes in my size,
and a lot of people want my size as well,
tell me they find it difficult finding clothes size.
So that was another inspiration or reason I started a clothing line.
And so because of that my clothes come up in big sizes as well,
you know, we do UK size 8 to 22,
so women who own the like sizes as well can also find clothes from our shop.
That’s inspiring to a lot of women,
because I’ve run into women who almost go crazy because they can’t find what to wear.
There are very few shops that cater for them.
Because I also get annoyed when I go into a shop and I can’t find my size,
because I feel like women come in all shapes and sizes.
Why must it be only for those on the thin size?
You know we the plus-size, we may also deserve to get nice clothes,
not just big sizes about actually nice stylish clothes.
because most of the time you find out as a big woman when close in your size, they are boring.
You know, so I make sure I do interesting clothes for we the plus-size women as well,
so we can also look stylish.