One of the names that has become synonymous with Ghanaian luxury fashion, is Aisha Ayensu. She isn’t just a designer but a storyteller, a cultural curator, and a visionary who has redefined African fashion on the global stage. From Accra, her brand – Christie Brown, has dressed some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Tina Knowles. She went from a young psychology graduate with no sewing experience to leading one of Africa’s most celebrated fashion houses.
Ayensu’s leap of faith
Aisha Ayensu was born into a family that nurtured creativity. Her grandmother, Christie Brown, was a skillful dressmaker who made beautiful masterpieces. However, fashion wasn’t Ayensu’s first career choice as she studied Psychology at the university. Passion, they say, always has a way of pulling us back to where we truly belong and this was the case with the fashion designer. Even without formal training in fashion, she knew she wanted to create something. So, in a bold move, she enrolled at the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design.
“All those years growing up in my grandmother’s house, I didn’t have machines. I would pick up pieces of fabrics and use it to make all kinds of knick knacks. That sparked my love for fashion.” Aisha Ayensu shared.
The birth of Christie Brown
In March 2008, fresh out of university, Aisha Ayensu launched her own brand, Christie Brown.
“The name Christie Brown was my grandmother’s. She was a seamstress but she never had any fashion brand. In starting this, I wanted to honour her legacy,” she said.
This wasn’t just another fashion label but a love letter to Ghanaian heritage. Ayensu wanted Christie Brown to celebrate African craftsmanship, including the market women selling vibrant fabrics, the artisans weaving intricate patterns, the seamstresses cutting patterns freehand.
The world was talking about the “rise of Africa,” and Ayensu wanted to be part of that movement. So, she intentionally made every garment with a touch of African tradition and modern elegance.
Ayensu leverages social media as a runway
Building a fashion brand in Ghana wasn’t easy as the global fashion industry wasn’t looking to Africa for inspiration yet. But social media changed everything. In the early days, Ayensu used Facebook as a runway to showcase her designs beyond Ghana. She jumped on Instagram too and used it to reach new audiences.
Even the COVID-19 pandemic, which crippled many businesses, became an opportunity for her. Instead of waiting for fashion shows to return, she moved online using IG Live and IGTV as her fashion showroom, and the world was watching. With all the global attention, production remained in Ghana.
“We’ve kept production in Ghana because this is the heart of it all. This is really where it started. This is really where the inspiration comes from so no matter how we grow, we will still have a hub here.” – Aisha Ayensu, noted.
In 2009, she won Emerging Designer of the Year at Arise Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg. A year later, she was the only Ghanaian designer chosen to showcase at Paris Fashion Week. By 2016, Forbes had taken notice, naming her one of Africa’s Most Promising Entrepreneurs. And the awards kept coming including Best Fashion Designer at the Africa Prestigious Awards (2018) and African Designer of the Year at the Glitz Style Awards (2018 & 2019).
