Building a brand doesn’t happen overnight. Many successful brands have built their brands through hard work, commitment, and value creation. The story of one of Ghana’s fashion sensation, Yartel is no different.
Ezekiel Yartel began his fashion career about six years ago by sewing for friends and family from home. He recounts that building a fashion brand has been possible through hard work and consistency.
“When I started, I wanted to do my business devoid of social media but I was encouraged to share my work on social media due to the kind of designs I made. So that was how it started. Through this, I was able to build a reputable brand. That’s when I realized the power of social media which has contributed to the growth of the Yartel brand,” he narrated.
For Ezekiel, he is inspired by the absolute satisfaction he gets knowing that he is able to satisfy the needs of his clients while maintaining simplicity and sophistication. He indicated that the needs of his clients are his utmost priority and this inspires him to keep creating.
Unlike some brands that designs for specific women, the Yartel brand caters for the needs of every woman. “I make clothes for everybody; provided I’m able to bring your desires to life. The Yartel woman is simply a woman who dresses for herself and isn’t afraid to stand out,” he explained.
Speaking on his latest collection, ‘Storm’, Ezekiel stated that he was inspired by the storms and obstacles we face in our lives and how we can make the best out of such situations. The launch of this collection is also timely as the world deals with COVID-19.
He describes his brand design as edgy, sharp, fascinating, avant-garde red carpet looks that exudes strength. He added that collective effort, attention to detail, and the ability to make the best out of every situation has helped them to build a sustainable brand. ‘’To us, client satisfaction is everything so we go the whole nine yards to make sure our clients get their money’s worth.”
Yartel is one of the ‘go-to’ brands for many top celebrities and other high-profile personalities in Ghana. The likes of Claudia Lumor, Jackie Appiah, Menaye Donkor, Nikki Samonas, Yvonne Okoro, Selly Galley, Sika Osei amongst others have all been spotted in a Yartel design.
One of the most significant moments in his career was getting the opportunity to style the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Samira Bawumia. In 2019, he was also recognized as the Designer of the Year at the Glitz Style Awards 2019.
On his thoughts about the Ghanaian fashion industry, Ezekiel acknowledged the growth of the fashion industry over the years, however, he called for more efforts by all stakeholders in the fashion industry. He also noted that the rise of collaborations and partnerships between various fashion brands will contribute immensely to the growth of the industry.
He also lamented about his challenges as a fashion entrepreneur in Ghana. “Honestly running a fashion business in Ghana comes with so many challenges. One major challenge is with distribution and acceptance of the brand. Most people find it difficult to associate themselves with a brand at the initial stage. There’s this notion that clothes made in Ghana are not of the best quality but I can confidently say that isn’t true.
With the increasing number of dressmakers out there, pricing has become a major concern because people assume that what they can get for a 100 cedis from a designer, they can equally get the same thing at their seamstress at a lesser price without considering the amount of work put into the final outcome by the designer. This really puts a lot of strain on the business.”
Looking into the future, Ezekiel envisages making his brand a household name across the continent and venturing into other international markets. He also indicated that he had plans of opening a Ready-to-wear RTW outlet to cater to clients who just want to quickly pick something off the rack.
You can find and shop Yartel in Abelenkpe. Accra and can also make your purchases via their social media pages.
