Selasi Fashion Show will encourage Young Talented Designers – Fashion Enterpreneur, Patience Saha

Founder Selasi Fashion Show, Mrs PATIENCE SAHA in this chat with our Managing Editor, VICTOR OROYI disclosed that fashion is much more than physical covering, it involves love and compassion for humanity.

What is the philosophy behind the Selasi Fashion show?

Well, I am fashion designer and looking at the fashion industry, the magazines we had before now was expected to be used for relaxation but this is very difficult to get. I used to read Genevieve and True Love suddenly they disappeared from the market. So I started publishing the Amazing Look magazine which was truly amazing.

But due to the poor reading culture of our people, it was difficult for people to read and so I decided to add the Selasi Fashion Show to it.

Selasi is a Ghanaian name meaning your dreams have come true or ‘God has heard your prayer’. This is our 4^th season with the theme ‘‘Embrace Africa’’ Basically we want our people to appreciate our African designs and fabrics, this is the philosophy and ideal behind this fashion show.

What is the impact on the Fashion industry?

Well, Selasi Fashion show is about embracing Africa because I tell people that you do not need to look English to appear on red carpet, we can still wear our African attire and still look good.

Presently, I am wearing African and I look good on the red carpet. So I urge Africans out there to be part of the African fashion industry. To be a fashion designer is not about the dresses and showcase yourself, it is about reaching out to the people. Selasi Fashion show is not just a show but we care for the people, speak to love and life for the people.

Can you tell us more about the “love and life for the people”?

Selasi Fashion show has been visiting orphanage homes, old people’s home and lot of other things, it is not just a show.

I remember, when I wanted to start all over, I prayed and told God that I want to do something that will reach out to people through this platform. Presently we are picking children from the street and send them back to school, train some, empower others; It is not just a show but fashion for charity.

Fashion as a creative industry is faced with challenges, how can we overcome them to foster unity and cultural ties?

Some years ago, I remember people say if you are a fashion designer, you are not educated and they are called a tailor.

Most times, when I am going out somebody might say, ‘this is my tailor’ and I respond to such persons, I am not your tailor but your designer because I design clothes. I have a tailor and I design to give the person.

I want to tell young people out there that to become a fashion designer you must be educated and well spoken, the industry is no longer for school drop outs our lazy people. In the western world most designers are well read and we are duplicating that in Africa. If you decided to go into fashion industry then you must educate yourself or loose respect.

The challenges are very difficult but I tell people that before you can achieve anything you need to have patience. Patience is the key and my name is patience, I believe and I don’t want to be proud of it but I know that I have that patience.

What will it take to invest in the Fashion industry like you are doing especially by government?

Government is trying especially in empowering women but to the individual, don’t loss hope, don’t backslide and focus on what they are doing and you shall be great.

What was the criterion for selection, we had eight designers in this edition?

In the industry, we have up-coming designers and big time designers, the upcoming designers are very good and they create very nice designs but most of the time they relegate themselves to the background because they are afraid to come out because the big designers have dominated the industry.

We have a lot of designers, who live in suburbs doing great and amazing works,

that was our criteria for selection, we brought this designer and you will discover that they have great collection. If they can come out, it will be good and it will boost the industry.

My fashion show is not focused on the big designers but looking out for the ones that are trying to find their feet, so we can encourage them to be hopeful that they can be like the great designers.

What are the designs you anticipate for the next edition?

For the next edition, we are going to expect unique designs.

Any future plan beyond the fashion show?

I really want to give more back to the society, I visited a clinic in the IDP where I saw children, about 2,000 standing and looking at them, more of them were still arriving and we had no idea of where they were coming from.

A lot of women and children, when you look at their faces, they are not happy and I started shading tears. The health centre we saw was like a container, and as we tried to enter somebody fell but thank God the person is safe. I asked, if the place is part of Abuja because it is about an hour drive from Apo ShopRite because the people staying there needs us.

I visit orphanage alot where the oldest child is six months and below, I asked myself, what I can do for this people. So I will use this opportunity to solicit for support from the public to do more and improve on what we have already started. We will visit the IDP camp during this festive season to show them love we hope and believe that well-meaning Africans will support this vision.