A K W I Y A H

| You Don't Need Sparkle to Shine on NYE |

2016 is almost here and right now all I'm thinking about is my New Years outfit. Last year, my New Years Eve outfit was a departure from the usual sparkly dress. This year, I spotted this beautiful fabric at the mall and got this dress custom made after seeing Zendaya rock a similar creation by Christian Siriano. My outfit arrived just in time for end of the year celebrations!

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Dress: Forever21 (old) | Head Wrap: Courtesy of Vlisco

I took a trip to White Sands Beach Resort in Ghana during the holidays. It was my first time going to White Sands and it was absolutely gorgeous. I'm so grateful there is such beauty right here in my country.

I wore this burgundy lace dress during one of our lazy days at the resort. I wanted to eat, be merry and still look fabulous with my lace dress and Vlisco head wrap.

I hope everyone is enjoying positive vibes with loved ones during this break at the end of the year!

Blue Top: Vlisco | Belt: Asos (old) | Pants: H&M (old) | Bag: Alexander Wang (Old)

Peplums tops are one of my favorite things to mix with a button up shirt and wear to work. My workplace does not have a strict dress code so I can have fun with printed tops like this one.

Check out Vlisco to see the full feature of my collab with them!

I designed this peplum top with the new blue Dashiki fabric from Vlisco. I paired it with my fave white culotte jumpsuit. This is my idea of effortless cocktail attire. It is sophisticated, different and totally easy to put together.

Don't forget to check out my Instgram @Akwiyah for more updates!

A big Thank You to Vlisco for partnering with me on this collaboration!

I was beyond excited to have the opportunity to work with Vlisco fabrics. Vlisco is the premier African fabric producer so this is obviously beyond major!

The Dashiki is so popular now and as an African, that makes me proud. But first just a little history about the original design that all began with Vlisco.

The Dashiki design, also known as Angelina, was inspired by 19th century Ethiopian tunics. The design was created 50 years by Toon van de Manakker for Vlisco; it is a true Original Vlisco design.

Vlisco just launched the Dashiki in a brand new colors and I got to design three outfits using the new light blue hue. This was such an exciting process especially with an iconic design. Over the next week I will be uploading different looks.

I'm beyond excited to share the first look with you! This is a sexy outfit that I will definitely be wearing to parties this festive season. Check out Vlisco for my interview with them!

Black Jumpsuit: Forever21 | Necklace: Forever21 | Shoes: GoJane

This was a shoot I did a couple weeks ago. It almost did not make it. I was so conflicted with my poses for this shoot. It is definitely one of those - you're not a model you're a blogger - internal conflicts. Like - what am I doing with my face in these shots ?!

But any way if I've got to be able to laugh at myself so enjoy the shots! :)

Detachable Bow

I've also been sick for a while which has led me to neglect my blog - but I am back!

I originally made a post with this dress when I wore it to a wedding sometime during summer. It is to date one of my favorites I've designed.


Enjoy these new shots :)

This dress is one of the first five pieces of clothing I designed and uploaded on Instagram. That was almost 6 months ago. It was never my intention to start a fashion blog where I designed my own clothes. Everyone in Ghana takes their clothes to a seamstress or tailor to sew something for them. Starting my own blog and sharing my ideas on here gave me the excuse to explore and  create. It is as simple as that ... I just enjoy creating. Whether it is custom made or purchased from a retailer...I just love putting different ideas together.

In a short six months it has opened up a well of happiness and joy ... I'm allowed to wander fearlessly when it comes to my style.

And I appreciate every single view I get on here - It's amazing to see people from Israel, Canada, Italy, Kenya, Brazil, UK, Netherlands, etc...

To All of you -Hi - Thank you for the support! Every time I see views from a new country it honestly makes my heart smile. Please stick around because there are bigger and better things on the horizon.

So here's a cheers to taking a 'Plunge' into the deep ;) (Yes I'm Cheesy)

Follow me on Instagram at Akwiyah for constant updates!

Sometimes when things in life get hard I just want to throw in the towel. My passion for what I do on Akwiyah and the way I choose to do it is what keeps me going. I constantly remind myself: The bridge between reality and the dream is hard work - consistent, unrelenting hard work. I read the the words below and they struck are definitely words to live by. Nothing great comes easy. I will continue to strive even harder to make this blog better for myself and every single viewer that visits this little space of mine. 

“There is something in our culture that says your dream or the thing you’re pursuing has to happen immediately and all at once, and that is destructive to the creative spirit. I just embraced the idea that this was going to be a gradual exploration of the thing I was interested in...American Culture is the overnight success and "right now" mentality it's just destructive, and we should resist it and go our own way" -  Ava Duvernay

“A lot of times young girls are impatient and they want it to happen so quickly… 

They try it and if it’s not happening fast enough they move on to something else. But that something else that they move on to isn’t necessarily their passion. They couldn’t be patient anymore and obviously we all need money and you want something stable, but I always say ride it out because when you’re doing something that you actually love, you’re going to enjoy going to work every day.”

- Kahlana Barfield, InStyle Editor

xx Akwiyah

Designed by Akwiyah | Necklace purchased locally in Ghana |

No my legs are not wide, purple or blue - but my pants are! I told my seamstress to make them as wide and as long as possible - and she did not disappoint. I remember when I first put these on I made a mental note to chill with the wide pants for a while. I cannot promise that I will stick to this - but what I can promise is that I will not deny myself from indulging in wide leg heaven :)