Afua Sam Owner of Studio D'Maxsi and The A Concept

Embark on an inspiring odyssey with Afua Sam, the self-taught Ghanaian fashion maven who transformed personal hardships into a canvas for creativity and compassion. From the rich landscapes of her childhood to the sophisticated runways where her reversible jackets and adaptable accessories challenge the status quo, Afua's tale is one of resilience and innovation. Her passion for design, rooted in the vibrant interplay between nature and architecture, has led to the birth of Studio D'Maxsi and The A Concept, brands that mirror her own journey of growth and self-discovery. As Afua recounts the evolution of her craft and the heartfelt mission behind her philanthropic runway events, listeners will experience the profound connection between life's tribulations and the artistry that can emerge from them.

This episode unfurls the fabric of a designer's trajectory marked by notable achievements, including the honor of dressing award-winner Abba and the recognition from fashion elites. Studio D'Maxsi doesn’t just create clothing; it weaves stories of empowerment, echoing Afua’s dedication to combatting domestic violence through charity fashion shows. We share in her behind-the-scenes world, from guiding runway models to subtle collaborations with celebrity stylists, all while maintaining a humble stance away from the limelight. At the confluence of faith, talent, and generosity, we explore how Afua's story illustrates that success isn't just about what you achieve, but also about the lives you touch along the way.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:31

My name is Efoa Siam and I'm originally from Ghana and I have two beautiful fashion brands, which is Studio Dimaxi, which I started probably about 17 years ago, and I have the Air Concept, which is five years ago.

Speaker 2: 0:52

Okay, and then can you tell me specifically what you offer your clients with each individual business? You got the fashion designer, you design clothes, and then for the other business, tell me the name again the Air Concept.

Speaker 1: 1:04

The Air Concept. Okay, the Air Concept by Efoa Siam. Okay, I created the Air Concept because I normally, every time I go somewhere, I'm wearing some flashy tops and stuff, and so they ask me where can I get this, where can I get this? And so naturally, I decided to do something to make sure that people can purchase it easily. So that's why I created the Air Concept, so that people can easily purchase some of these kind of cool stuff, like it's like accessories, like what my assistant is wearing. Okay, it's like you can just wear it with jeans. You see what she's wearing an arm, you can put it on any top, any top.

Speaker 2: 1:53

I love that.

Speaker 1: 1:54

Are you wearing?

Speaker 2: 1:55

any of your current designs right now, tell us about it.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Yes, this is a concept jacket and this is actually reversible. Oh, I can open it and wear the other side. I love that, so you could wear multiple times. You can wear jeans skirt, like I'm wearing. This is African print at the bottom. This one this is African print, but when you turn the outside is totally solid colors. Wow, so that can you know. You can wear with other solid colors, so it kind of match perfectly.

Speaker 2: 2:27

That's amazing. I love that you have it for all the occasions the reversible side there, Thank you. How do you come up with your concepts and your ideas?

Speaker 1: 2:36

You know, this talent is a natural talent. I didn't go to school for it, so everything comes naturally. But I love, I love the environment, I love things that are natural architecture so you can see how the sleeves looks like. Oh yes, I love architecture and I also love like. I think I get inspiration from everything around me People, places when I travel, you know. So that's my inspiration. It's everything about people surroundings nature.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Love that. Tell me what's your story like back, going back to when you were a child up until now?

Speaker 1: 3:19

Oh, wow, do we have time for this. Yes, we do. My childhood, so I was born in Ghana and it's we are a six family, like dad, mom, two brothers ahead of me and me and my little sister. Actually, I was born, she was born when I was maybe ten years. You know, I was the only girl and you know I was enjoying all the moments. And then she showed up. I was a little bit not happy but, you know, I embraced her and everything, and unfortunately my dad died when we were all very young. My little sister, I think. At that time she was probably only three years old, I think. So everything changed, everything changed.

Speaker 1: 4:07

I did not know that things can change so quickly, you know, like you are all together as family and all of a sudden everything is dispersed, and I was so young I didn't understand. But my mom did her best, what she can do, to take care of us, and somewhere along the line, when I finished school, I got married. I was probably eighteen or something, I'm not sure what time and so I had two children, one boy, one girl, and the marriage didn't work out. So, long story short, it was dissolved in fashion, erupted Like it. Just you know how I'm a believer. I grew up in a Christian home, and so my faith is really strong, and I felt like what happened after that was purely a divine connection or something that God wanted me to have, and so this thing just started.

Speaker 1: 5:15

I just started creating stuff from nowhere, just to keep myself and my mind from all the stuff that was happening, and I didn't have money at that time, so I had to go get materials that are very like unconventional from the market, and I'll come home and wash it and and dye it and, you know, doing all kinds of things to make it look the way I wanted it to look. And and honestly, I didn't know if it's the fashion designer. It wasn't, it wasn't in the plan, but I think my dad was a musician. He played instruments and bass guitar, so I think that's where the creative was naturally in me. Yeah, yeah, it's a long story. I cannot like say everything, but whatever you ask me, I'll be able to explain the best that I know.

Speaker 2: 6:10

How Perfect, yeah and I know you said that the pieces that you would find that were unconventional. You had to dye it and do all that stuff to make it how you envisioned it. Did you learn or teach yourself how to sew and do all of that stuff?

Speaker 1: 6:24

Yes, I literally. Because in Ghana every family like when you're going to get married and sewing machine is one of the diaries that comes with the marriage. You know they just give it to you, even if you don't know how to sew, so sometimes you have to practice. So I remember I actually saw an outfit for my son, my my first born, the first outfit he wore at the hospital. I made it and I did the blanket and everything and it's still unconventional because some of the things I used, you know, every time I see the picture I smell so big it's unique and one of a kind piece that you have a special memory of.

Speaker 2: 7:05

I'm going to make this for my first born son you know, yeah, it was, you know.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Now that I think about it, I don't even wow. How did I even think about it?

Speaker 2: 7:15

It was in you to make something, create it right. You're a designer. It must have just always been in you and in the cards for you.

Speaker 1: 7:23

I believe. So, yeah, that is a true statement. Yes, yeah, so, oh, what was the question? Again, I think you asked me about sewing and, like, I taught myself how to sew. So I always envision things. Everything is vision to me and I'm not the type that will sketch, but visually I visualize it in my head. And I always visualize like if I see a dress in a magazine I remember I used to see air boni and all these things and so I look at the dress. I'm like, how do I cut this dress, the shape on a fabric? Because I don't use pattern to do stuff, I cut straight to the fabric. So the vision comes from the head. And then I put it on the fabric and put measurement to it, like like you're sitting there. If I know your measurement, I can literally sew this in your measurement to fit you like.

Speaker 2: 8:23

You're like a little AI human.

Speaker 1: 8:27

You calculate in your head like yes, that's everything in calculation and in Ghana, that's how we, we study, we, we don't use calculations. I mean, those days, everything is your mind, you, you do multiple times and all these things minus with your head. So amazing, I guess that's how you know and I thought myself how to sew literally, and this is like, probably maybe before YouTube okay, that's a skill in itself, though, to self teach yourself without all these resources that we now have.

Speaker 2: 8:58

That make things so much easier, and the machine was just manual.

Speaker 1: 9:03

This is not electric. You, know so you, you have to paddle it with that the one where you step with your foot. Maybe some of them you step with your foot, but this one is a table top, and so you just use your hand. And then there's the thing that you press on it, or if it doesn't have that, you just use your hands and manual it like go like cool, okay it's it's really amazing, you know, but I'm.

Speaker 1: 9:26

I really think that my belief and my faith also took part, because I was. I was at my lowest point young, have two kids and everything dissolved. And I was sitting there and I said, what am I gonna do now? I have never worked at that time before. You know, just stop doing my mom's desk, I would be helping, but just having a job, I had not done that and any money for myself, and so I got my first dollar when there was an event in my country at the trade fair called PanaFest, and so I did all these pieces and I used to do like pillows, throw pillows and pocket books with this tie and that thing that I do, and I put it together, and so when people come and see, they'll be like, wow, this is so cool, how do you do these things? So that's how I started and started making small, small money too. So I went to the PanaFest and I got my first dollar from there and that's where I knew this is something that is going to take care of me, and it changed everything.

Speaker 1: 10:41

I got the opportunity to come to America and, if I tell you my story, landing in American soil was crazy. I lost my luggage. Oh man, because it was a transit from Ghana to London and then from London. We take the American airline and when we got to JFK my luggage just didn't come. So I had to wait like four hours to exit. They keep telling me, wait, wait. Finally it didn't show up and I was with a group. We came together and I didn't know like a family member or anything. So that was how I started. And when I got to Maryland one of my friends told one of her friends that can you help my friend? And that's how it happened. So I started a fair job. I got I was babysitting. I was babysitting, doing like a living or something and so I saved money and I gathered myself, got my own apartment, I think after two years, got my sewing machine and the rest is history.

Speaker 2: 11:55

Wow, I'm so proud of you and how far you've come. Thank you, I love that for you. I love the design. I'm just looking at all the color and girl you got style. Thank you so much. You're welcome. And now, as far as for your businesses, how do you market them? Do you have any tips? Or are you on social media? What are you? Word of mouth, billboards, anything like that.

Speaker 1: 12:18

I normally everything I've done is unconventional, tell me about it and I always say that my faith really like how you have something inside you that tells you pushes you to do stuff and do all kinds of things. So I normally collaborate with people. When I first started, I told myself I want to show people what I can do. So I started just creating stuff and I remember sometimes I'll be walking summertime. People will stop me on the street and ask me where did you get this from? Nostrum, bloomingdale, all these things. So that's what kept me.

Speaker 1: 12:57

And then I decided to work as a seamstress behind all these other time they were doing all this hip hop stuff, sweatshirts and stuff. So I was behind a lot of people's designs and creative and sketches, just making constructives, and then they're out there. And then when people keep asking me questions, I said, man, I can do this. If this is what you know, I'm behind people that are in the Washington Post. They are designs. Meanwhile I did the design. You know they have their idea, but I put it together and sometimes I put my spin on it. So when I saw these things in the Washington Post, I realized I would do this. So that's why I decided to register my business.

Speaker 1: 13:43

I love that and to talk about. You know how do I market stuff? Everything I've done so far is wet of mouth, a lot of wet of mouth. And I would say my first big break was a gentleman called Glenn Jackson and he was doing the Golden Scissors at the time at the convention center and Constitution Hall and stuff like that. So he met me at one of the places I was doing sewing behind their store and that's how one day he just told me oh, can you design for the opening for Golden Scissors? And so from there I started connecting.

Speaker 2: 14:25

Networking.

Speaker 1: 14:26

Networking and you know, through him people would call me to do stuff like proms and all those things. But most importantly, I think it's because I also love to be in the community. I have always, from day one, supported a lot of local nonprofits that support education, breast cancers, mentoring, all kinds of things that will benefit someone, that will make somebody smile. So I think that is one of the things that have also helped me. You know, doing it without thinking about the money, but knowing that somebody will smile or it will make somebody's life better.

Speaker 1: 15:16

And for the past four years, actually, in the pandemic where I just lost my mom, one of my friends just called me and she said that she's doing something for domestic violence and at that time I was so down in the pandemic I didn't even know how to think. Processing, yeah. And so she called me, just shifted everything and I said, oh, I could be doing this and keep my mind off. And we've done it for four years now and I'm the designer only designer there and we create. I create beautiful pieces for them, for the runway, to raise money for, and you know there are a lot of people who support that, but my portion is the fashion and prepare the ladies to get on the runway. So yeah, those things have really expanded.

Speaker 2: 16:12

Yes, help get the word out there as far as marketing.

Speaker 2: 16:16

I'm just gonna offer a little just advice, non-sense advice. I think you should put yourself more out there too, and maybe like online, you know, to also get that audience, cause it's already word of mouth, so you're good on that. But you could expand that even more with doing some videos or just even showing your process of you making it. Okay, I think that would be good, and maybe she can help you too. Yeah, she's always with me whenever I go Filming you, exactly, so if she's always there, she can just get her phone and just film you. I think you would do so well in that People would be interested in the process of seeing how you make this come to life.

Speaker 1: 16:56

Thank you for saying that I've been a shy person. I'm very shy and I like behind the scenes. I'm like that too. But here I am. I know right, me and you both. So thank you for saying that I often this is I'm trying.

Speaker 1: 17:12

You know, I often don't like talking about myself, about my achievements and stuff, but I've been so blessed to work with a lot of celebrity stylists, celebrities, amazing. I've been on TV. Even yesterday I was on Fox 5, atlanta Girl. Thank you for coming here. Yes, I was doing, I did. I was part of this show called Bruna Brothers. They're 77 years of existing in Atlanta. It's a big event. It's like a hair show, but we're doing the fashion part through the same gentleman. I mentioned his name, glenn Jackson, and so the lady from Fox 5, her name is Portia. She wore one of my pieces for the opening. Nice congratulations, thank you. And after that she did the show Portia show and she was wearing one of my pieces and some other pieces in there.

Speaker 2: 18:12

Amazing. And then just a couple more questions here for you. What are some celebrities that you've worked with? Please share that.

Speaker 1: 18:18

Oh, you know, these things are hard for me, Like I don't like doing that because I don't feel like you know you want to tell, but I've dressed Bozoma St John's. I'm not familiar.

Speaker 2: 18:33

Forgive me for that.

Speaker 1: 18:34

She is wow. I cannot even start to talk about her credentials. I will Google her. What is the name? Bozoma St.

Speaker 2: 18:44

John, I'm going to ask you the spelling, because I'm terrible with spelling afterwards. Ok, I'll spell it afterwards.

Speaker 1: 18:51

Yeah, she's an icon, she's Superstar, she has so many things. She's in the marketing world Amazing. She works with Apple and Netflix, Pepsi Cola like the length is really long, I can't say everything. She's also a Hall of Famer, Wow, okay really I need to get schooled up on this?

Speaker 1: 19:16

Yeah, you should. She's really in. And also I've worked with a lot of stylist who also style celebrities. So through them, you know, we do collaborations for their clients and stuff like that, and I've worked behind a lot of this, metropolitan designers behind them their names are plenty. I don't want to be saying no, that's okay that's totally respectable.

Speaker 1: 19:46

I did dress one lady. She's an actress, her name is Abba and she was in the Black Panther. She was one of the actresses and she was also in the Colour Purple. They actually won an Image Award two days I think. Last weekend I saw her holding her.

Speaker 2: 20:12

Congratulations. These are great opportunities for you. I'm happy that you're out there living your dream of fashion and making all of that. Thank you for sharing that. And now my final question for you is, if you could leave one message for our listeners, what would that message be? What can it be in regards to life, coming out of your comfort zone, from coming to one country to another in the fashion industry? Anything.

Speaker 1: 20:38

Wow. If I had to say something, I would say have faith. If you're a religious person, no, if you are somebody who is a spiritual person or you believe in God, have faith, because faith is really important. But you also have to work hard. Don't sit there and don't do anything. Always utilize your time. And also I believe in giving. Always, whatever you do along the way, give something, and giving is not money or sometimes it's just your time to mentor someone. I work with a lot of models and I always mentor them for them to have confidence and be prayerful, because I feel like some of the things I've been through.

Speaker 1: 21:38

I told you we are a family of six. Now we are only two. My mom, my dad, is gone. My dad, my mom, that I've known most of my life. She passed away four years ago. I'm so sorry, thank you. And so for the, I've lost my other brother and my younger sister.

Speaker 1: 21:57

So for me to survive, it was the talents that I have that kept me in prayer and also believing, and so the final thing I would say is God gave all of us talent, all of us, everybody has it. It's inside you. Look for it, because I found mine at my lowest point, that I never thought that I would even lift my head up, but I did, because I had this talent that I did not know. It just showed up and so look for it, believe in it, and most of the time those things, it doesn't require too much money. You could do it, like if you can sing, you can write like a writer or you can anything, dancing, all these things you don't have to pay, but you can do it. That is a stat and I'll guarantee you it will take you to the places that you never thought of, because it did that for me.

Speaker 2: 23:01

Amazing. Thank you so, so, so much for sharing that with us and giving us your wisdom and your knowledge and experience. Thank you, yeah, so much.