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Approaching Ten Years with AAKS

ACCRA, Ghana — With almost a decade under its belt, AAKS has been steadily building its accessories brand one bag at a time. Founder and creative director Akosua Afriyie-Kumi started her label by pulling vibrant hues and shapes from architecture and contemporary art for her growing collection of woven fringed raffia bags. We check in with Afriyie-Kumi on approaching ten years in business and spy out her plans for a physical shop — take a look!

SCALING A BUSINESS

“Ideally slowly. On our side at AAKS, all our bags are made by hand, so our growth has been slow, organic, and sustainable. Depending on your craft, one can scale by increasing your orders, which then allows you to increase your team. I see so many businesses scaling fast, which is exciting. For me, it’s a marathon, so it’s manageable and has longevity.”

FINDING STOCKISTS

“Grateful to say a lot of our stockists found AAKS through our social media channels, press listings, blog posts, or word of mouth. Someone reads about us or buys a bag and tells someone who tells someone. But I did reach out to stores via email as well and having a good website is key!”

GIVING UP & PUSHING THROUGH

“Oh gosh! Many times sadly. My family has been my biggest support, pushing me to not give up. I have said this before, but my mum told me at the time ‘if I fail, at least I tried’ and that stuck with me. So if and when I am going through a hard time, I remind myself [of] this mantra and keep going. It’s been tough along this crazy journey, but when you do something you love, it’s really difficult to give up.”

OPENING A SHOP IN GHANA

“If you asked me this eight years ago, I would have said no, but now I will say yes. We hope to have our own little store in Accra one day!”

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Read about Ghana’s burgeoning creative class HERE and HERE.