Ophelia Crossland is the only African designer showcasing at the global Qipao fashion exhibition in China

Ophelia Crossland is the only African designer showcasing at the global Qipao fashion exhibition in China

Ophelia Crossland represents Ghana at Global fashion exhibition
  • Ophelia Crossland is one of Ghana’s renowned designers.
  • She was the only African to take part in the 2019 Qipao Invitational Exhibition.
  • The exhibition was held at the National Silk Museum in China.

Ghanaian fashion designer Ophelia Crossland featured some of her collections in the 2019 Qipao Invitational Exhibition at the National Silk Museum, Hangzhou City, China.

She was the only African designer selected to take part in the exhibition.

The event which is under the theme “weddings” was held under the auspices of the China National Silk Museum.

 

Commenting on her selection, Ophelia Okyere-Darko, Creative Director of Ophelia Crossland said this is a proud moment for her and the African continent. 

“I’m excited to have been given the opportunity to showcase Ghana on this international platform. I believe this is a matter of pride and honor for myself and the continent as a whole.”

Mrs Okyere-Darko was selected at a time when African fashion is experiencing a major boost in the global fashion industry.

The Qipao gown, a formal gown worn on special occasions by Asian women
The Qipao gown, a formal gown worn on special occasions by Asian women

She was selected together with 9 other designers from the UK, France, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Japan to showcase at the event.

Her initial sketch was selected out of close to 5,000 sketches that were submitted to the jury this year.

She used Ghana’s iconic Kente and other indigenous fabrics sourced from Africa to create the Qipao gown. This is a formal gown worn on special occasions by Asian women. 

The Qipao gown, a formal gown worn on special occasions by Asian women

She was selected together with 9 other designers from the UK, France, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Japan to showcase at the event.

Her initial sketch was selected out of close to 5,000 sketches that were submitted to the jury this year.

She used Ghana’s iconic Kente and other indigenous fabrics sourced from Africa to create the Qipao gown. This is a formal gown worn on special occasions by Asian women. 

The Qipao gown
The Qipao gown

“For me, Kente represents the country best and so when we were asked to take up the Qipao challenge, I had no option than to use the intricately woven Kente and it kept really well,” she said.

Ophelia Crossland is an award-winning designer with 16 years of experience. She has made outfits for high ranking officials in Ghana including the country’s female Chief Justice and a former First Lady.

The Global Qipao Invitational Exhibition started on September 29 and will last for a month. The main aim of the exhibition is to provide cross-boundary interactions between culture and tourism, tradition, fashion, art, and life. 

The Global Qipao is the only institution with a permanent fashion gallery in the world where you will find a collection of over 40,000 pieces of Western and Chinese textile productions spanning over 4000 years of human creativity.

 

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