Ghanaian fashion designer Ophelia Akweley Okyere-Darko (née Crossland) speaks the language of style, elegance, and luxury fluently. Her designs have adorned the bodies of first ladies, celebrities, and influential figures in Africa and beyond. For her, fashion was not merely a career choice but in her blood. Her grandmother, a former Miss Ghana, was a designer, and her mother was a fabric seller. Thus, long before she became self-aware, fashion had become an integral part of her life.
“It started based on the fact that I grew up in a family that has both grandparents in fashion. One of my grandmothers actually won Miss Greater Accra in 1936, and she was a fashion designer subsequently. My maternal grandmother was also a fashion designer. My mother sells fabrics and owns one of Ghana’s leading outlets. So, my whole life has been just waking up and seeing fashion around me.” – She told Ghana Web.
She experimented with fabrics as a child, sewing for herself and her friends. Eventually, she wanted mastery, leading her to the Vogue Style School of Fashion and Design. Graduating top of her class in 2004, she wasted no time launching her brand – Ophelia Crossland Designs Ltd.
Building a fashion empire in Ghana
Ophelia Crossland experienced many hurdles in growing her business, as it was hard to find skilled artisans to help with production. People also assumed she ran a plus-size brand because many of her early clients were plus-sized. But she was determined and fought through those tough times, proving that Ophelia Crossland was for every woman who wanted to wear luxury and confidence.
In 2009, she expanded her empire with Ohemaa Kids Klub, a children’s fashion line inspired by her daughter, Ohemaa. Today, Crossland doesn’t just design clothes, she dresses some of Africa’s most powerful women.
In 2014, she designed costumes for Love or Something Like That, a Shirley Frimpong-Manso film that gained critical acclaim. And when Akpene Diata Hoggar, Miss Universe Ghana 2018, walked onto the grand finale stage in Thailand wearing a gown by Ophelia Crossland, it was proof that Ghanaian fashion could stand on any global stage.
In 2017, Swarovski named her their West African Ambassador, a role that took her to Dubai to represent Ghana at the prestigious Swarovski Fashion Exhibition. In 2019, she was selected as Africa’s sole representative at the China National Silk Museum Global Qipao Exhibition. The impact of her design at the exhibition was so profound that her design became a permanent exhibit in the museum, making her the first African designer to be showcased there. Ophelia Crossland has earned numerous awards to her name.
