Happy Birthday Ghana!

Happy birthday Ghana !

Today marks the 62nd birthday of Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast.
We have plenty of reasons to celebrate this anniversary and those are not only fashion-related.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important export products we should be thankful for.

Gold Coast

As mentioned above, the West African country has not always been called ‘Ghana’. During Portuguese colonisation in the 15th century, the region was called the Gold Coast, because of the huge amounts of gold that were found in the country. Many other European countries followed the Portuguese to have a say in the Gold Coast, until Kwame Nkrumah stepped up. On the 6th of March, 1957 Ghana became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence, and Kwame Nkrumah became the first president.
Nowadays, Ghana still contributes a lot to the gold market, being the 10th most gold producing country in the world, making sure you get that beautiful piece of jewellery for your birthday.

Chocolate

Another thing that is everywhere to be found in Ghana are cocoa beans, resulting in chocolate. After Ivory Coast, Ghana has the world’s largest production of cocoa per year. The country is responsible for the production of 20 percent of cocoa beans worldwide, leaving countries like Cameroun and Ecuador far behind.
So next time you are enjoying that delicious brownie, let’s have a quick thought about Ghana and thank them for this precious gift.

Kente

Last but definitely not least, we should thank Ghana for Kente.

Kente cloth originated with the Ashanti people of Ghana. It dates back 375 years, conceived in a village called Bonwire, where two brothers came across a spider spinning a web while hunting. This process gave them the inspiration for weaving clothes. The word Kente derives from the Akan word Ke-ente meaning “whatever happens to it, it will not tear”.

Kente clothing was a very prestigious garment, which was only worn during special encounters and it represented royalty and the power of the kingdom. 
The production was an entire process of everyone working together, which signifies the importance of cooperation, even between different communities.

“When exploring our encounter with process and production it is important that we remember that the two go hand in hand; paying attention to the intricate aspects in the process of whatever we cultivate is just as important as the end goal”.

Daolondon

‘Born’ from a small spider web, Kente has grown to inspire and dress millions of people worldwide and we at Daolondon are part of those people. It has been our biggest source of inspiration since the start of the brand and we also feel deeply connected through our roots in Ivory Coast, which neighbours Ghana. For our newest piece, we transferred the Kente print to mesh fabrics and we turned it into a dynamic, modern skirt for everyone to wear.

We make garments that have meaning and represent African heritage in a trendy and fashionable way. Through our clothes, we want to give our clients a way of expressing who they are and to stand out.
Our Barbie models show children and women that they can be anything they aspire to be, as long as they believe in it, regardless their race or background.
Dreams should allow us to stretch our limits even further instead of limiting us.

This is how Kente inspires us every day to create something unique for each of our clients, for you. And we are grateful for that.

Therefore, one more time: Happy birthday Ghana!