From Kumasi, a young Ghanaian woman is stitching a new future for African fashion

Inside a fashion workshop in Sawaba, a suburb of Kumasi, sewing machines hum as young women work on different garments. Some carefully cut fabric, others operate sewing machines, while a few concentrate on decorating dresses with beads, pearls and stones. For some, this is the beginning of a journey into fashion design. For others, it is an opportunity to develop skills they hope will provide an alternative source of income. At the centre of this activity is Bilkis Zulkarnain, a graduate of Kumasi Technical University with a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in Fashion Design. She wants to make her school a centre for developing female talent beyond Ghana’s borders. Her journey into fashion began with a childhood passion. At social gatherings and other events, people often admired how she dressed. As a Muslim woman, she developed a particular interest in clothing that combined elegance with modesty, which eventually led her to study fashion. She initially launched her own fashion brand, but her industry experience led her to identify what she sees as a missed opportunity for African designers. Despite the continent’s creative talent, many consumers still rely on modest clothing imported from countries such as Turkey, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. Bilkis believes African designers can produce equally attractive garments and compete in the international market. “When I looked at the modest fashion industry, I realised that although Africa has many talented designers, we still depend heavily on imported modest clothing. I began asking myself why African designers could not produce equally beautiful and competitive designs,” she says. In response, she established Alkiss Fashion School, with the broader ambition of helping African designers move beyond being consumers of international fashion. “I want Africa to become part of the global modest fashion conversation, not just as a consumer, but as a continent that designs, produces, educates and leads. That is one of the reasons I established Alkis Fashion School,” she says. Training women beyond the classroom Bilkis’s ambition also stems from her understanding of the difficulties young women face after university as they struggle to find employment. She believes many graduates become discouraged when formal employment, particularly government jobs, proves difficult to secure, often overlooking the opportunities that practical skills can provide. Having experienced the limitations of academic qualifications without continuous practical development, she wants to help other women build alternative paths to economic independence. “I am passionate about training young women because I am also a young woman. I understand the challenges many of us face, particularly after university when finding a job becomes difficult,” she says. “Some graduates believe that without a government job or formal employment, there is very little they can achieve. I want them to understand that practical skills can also create opportunities,” she added. Since 2023, Bilkis says, she has trained about 120 women in fashion design and garment production. The intention is not just to teach them how to operate sewing machines, but to equip them with the knowledge and confidence to become independent designers and entrepreneurs. For Khadimatullah Suleiman Ishaq, one of the school’s graduates, that opportunity has been life-changing. She says the skills she learned at Alkiss helped her open her own fashion shop, where she now produces garments and trains other aspiring designers. “I am grateful to Allah, and I also want to thank Alkiss Fashion School for everything it has done for me,” she says. “I have benefited tremendously from the training I received at Alkiss. With the knowledge and skills I acquired, and by the grace of Allah, I have been able to establish my own fashion shop. I can now also teach others with confidence,” she further stated. Khadimatullah says she had long wanted to pursue fashion but did not know how to turn that ambition into a business. She credits Bilkis with encouraging her to start small instead of waiting until she had all the resources she thought she needed. “I never imagined I could achieve this much. Fashion had always been my dream, but knowing how to get started was a major challenge,” she says. “She taught me that I did not need to have everything before starting. She encouraged me to begin with just one sewing machine and explained that what mattered most was the effort I put into it.” Khadimatullah says she followed the advice and gradually built her business. She currently has seven students, including two who attend weekend classes. One works with Ghana Water Company, while another works at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). Most of her weekday students, she says, enrolled with little or no garment-making experience. “Some had never handled fabric or even used a pair of scissors before. Alhamdulillah, they have now made significant progress. They can independently cut and sew their own dresses and create their own designs without needing my supervision or assistance,” she says. For Bilkis, these experiences reflect the multiplier effect she hopes to achieve: ensuring women acquire skills, establish businesses, and create opportunities for others. A degree is only the beginning Bilkis knows entering the fashion industry requires more than an academic qualification. Her university education provided the foundation, including opportunities to gain additional experience through industrial attachments. However, she says she discovered she needed much more to become fully established in the industry. “My university education gave me the foundation and basic knowledge I needed. We also had industrial attachments where we learnt practical skills. But after completing school, I realised there was still so much more to learn,” she says. “In fashion, you cannot stop learning. The industry keeps evolving, new designs and techniques emerge, and you have to keep upgrading your skills.” She further said. She believes continuous learning is essential for designers who want to stay relevant in an industry where styles, techniques, and customer preferences constantly change. From Togo and The Gambia to Kumasi The school’s ambitions are also attracting students from beyond Ghana. Four women from Mali, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia are currently undertaking fashion training at Alkis Fashion School in Kumasi. Among them are 24-year-old Kambara Houda from Togo and Isatou Mamansa Sanko from The Gambia, who describe their experiences as an opportunity to acquire practical skills they hope to use in their respective countries. For Kambara, the decision to travel from Togo to Ghana was influenced by what she considers the school’s emphasis on practical training. “I believe that learning without putting your knowledge into practice cannot make you a good fashion designer,” she says. She says fashion training in Togo takes longer and offers fewer practical sessions compared with her experience at Alkiss Fashion School. At the Kumasi-based institution, she says, students learn both the theory and practice of fashion design, with opportunities to work on different garments. Her training has included making abaya dresses, including Dubai-style designs, and decorating them with stones, beads, pearls and decorative trims. She has also learnt to cut fabric and make trousers, blazers, hijabs and kimonos. She says the experience has given her skills she hopes to share with other women when she returns home. “I do not want to keep this knowledge to myself. I want to share what I have learnt by teaching other girls and women who are interested in becoming fashion designers,” she says. Isatou Mamansa Sanko, who comes from The Gambia, is also undertaking her first formal fashion design training. She says the six-month programme has provided opportunities to learn different aspects of garment production through practical sessions. Her experience includes making abaya dresses, cutting fabric, and using decorative materials such as pearls, stones, and trims. She has also learnt to make trousers, blazers, hijabs and kimonos. Like Kambara, Isatou hopes to pass on the knowledge she has acquired. “I do not want to keep everything I have learnt to myself. I want to share this knowledge and teach other girls and women who want to become fashion designers. I want them to have the opportunity to learn these skills and develop their abilities,” she says. Their experiences illustrate the potential of practical skills training to create opportunities beyond the country in which the training takes place. For Bilkis, this is an important part of the school’s purpose to equip women who can eventually establish businesses, employ others and transfer their knowledge to their communities. An ambition beyond fashion training The initiative comes at a time when many African countries are grappling with youth unemployment and the challenge of creating economic opportunities for young people. Although fashion training cannot solve these wider problems, Bilkis believes it can open another path for women who struggle to enter the formal job market. Her ambitions for Alkis Fashion School extend beyond Kumasi. She hopes to expand it into a regional training centre that attracts aspiring designers from countries such as Senegal, Nigeria and Liberia, equipping them with the skills to contribute to Africa’s modest fashion industry. Turning that vision into reality, however, will require access to sewing equipment, finance, affordable materials, and reliable markets if graduates are to build businesses that can survive and grow. Bilkis is determined to help create those opportunities. “I want to build a bigger fashion training centre where women from across Africa can come to learn, develop their talents and become independent designers and entrepreneurs,” she says. “I want someone to be able to say that she came to Kumasi, learnt at Alkis Fashion School and returned home to build something of her own. That is the legacy I want to leave,” she adds. For now, that vision is taking shape in a Kumasi workshop, where women from across West Africa are learning to turn fabric into finished garments, with the potential to build livelihoods from the skills they gain.