This HBCU Grad left the US to build a successful clothing factory in Ghana
|
Posted By: S. Moore on January 09, 2023 Kwabs Asamoah and his family left Ghana for the US when he was only nine years old. He got to America at a time when many thought Africans were savages and primitive in their way of thinking. As a result, he he had a difficult time fitting in. “I had a tough upbringing. It was challenging. The only equal I had was education,” he told Face2Face Africa in a recent interview for “The Returnee Project.” According to Asamoah, what even compounded his integration was the fact that he didn’t speak a word of English. Despite his challenging years in the US, his parents never compromised on education. They gave him two options: “sink or swim.” And according to him, the admonishing gave him some level of fortitude in his adult life and business career. An HBCU graduate with a degree in physics and engineering, Asamoah would later find passion for fashion and abandon engineering. Although he developed an interest in fashion as a STEM student, he had no formal training in his newfound love. Nonetheless, college taught him the principle of educating himself in any subject matter. “When I was going to college, I wasn’t an engineer, he said. “It was after college that I became an engineer.” “I could take that to fashion because I knew how to learn,” he added. “And if I could apply those same principles I learned in engineering, I could also be successful in fashion.” As he got into the fashion industry, he soon realized that there were few people that looked like him. He had great ambition to open a giant factory. However, it started with a small factory shop called Kustom Looks Clothier “that was doing so well,” according to Asamoah. “It was my long-time expansion and projection. I felt that having a factory was a better set-up for me. There weren’t too many successful labels in America that I knew of were 10, 15 and 20 years in the game,” he said. Powerful black-owned brands like Cross Colours and Fubu ‘had come and gone’ when Asamoah started Kustoms Looks. He, therefore, entered the fashion industry with a plan to remain permanently. And the only thing he saw as a permanent structure to remain relevant was to have a manufacturing wing. Asamoah returned to Ghana, a country he left when he was only nine years old, to start his fashion business. “The labels will come and go but the manufacturer was pretty solid. So that became my logic and I could not set up a manufacturing operation in the United State. “So whenever I came to Ghana, I would always see hundreds of tailors all over the place. I knew we could sew her but it was the ability to put them in a factory environment that I thought I could bring and that is what we want to work on,” Asamoah said. Since returning home and establishing his business, Asamoah says he has encountered a lot of challenges, chief amongst them being cultural differences. He came from an environment where credit determines his value and wealth and ability to accomplish things. However, in Ghana, he had to adjust to ‘dealing with a cash society.’ Another challenge for him is the work culture, salary structure, communication, human resources and work ethics and marching with success. In America, Asamoah said he made $100,000 a year and had two houses and five cars but he didn’t have time. Despite his challenges, one thing he has come to appreciate about working in Ghana is flexibility and time. Chech out Asamoah’s full interview below: SOURCE Face2Face Africa If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest Blogs
 |
FREE Valentine's Day E-Cards Available! ♥️Happy Valentine's Day! ♥️
♥️ Free Valentine's Day E-Cards Link: https://www.pinterest.com/shykerialifleur/valentines-day-greetings
♥️ What to Write In Va ...more
Shykeria Lifleur • 129 Views • February 11th, 2026 |
 |
BLACK OWNED BEAUTY SUPPLY ASSOCIATION (BOBSA) AND JUNIQUES AD SERVICE CREATES DFY 30 SEC DISTRIBUTION SERVICEANNOUNCEMENT
Juniques Ad Service, a proud Juniques Company, is excited to share a powerful new collaboration with the Black Owned Beauty Supply Organization. Through this collaboration, members and s ...more
rickey johnson • 106 Views • February 11th, 2026 |
 |
MEDIA ALERT! USA -Call for Submissions- Gumbo for the Soul: Women of Honor with PowerMEDIA ALERT! USA
-Call for Submissions-
Gumbo for the Soul: Women of Honor with Power is currently under development by the visionary team of Gumbo for the Soul International®.
This a ...more
Beverly Johnson • 108 Views • February 10th, 2026 |
 |
Keeping the Faith!!!! 10 Videos, MindMap, CheetSheet, and so much more to discuss FAITH!!!!https://learners.juniquesadservice.com/courses/offers/21e32619-5774-44e2-93d9-a3df7d93a778
Welcome to the course for You!!! Keep The Faith
Video 0- Introduction
Video 1 Why Faith is So Import ...more
rickey johnson • 282 Views • February 9th, 2026 |
 |
RON CARTER & RICKY DILLARD Is Taking Church To The Jazz Club With New Single "Open My Eyes"@RONCARTER #RONCARTER@RICKYDILLARD #RICKYDILLARDLegendary in the genres of Jazz and Gospel music, the "Maestro" Ron Carter and the "Choirmaster" Ricky Dillard are taking church to the Jazz club with t ...more
LaMarr Blackmon • 152 Views • February 9th, 2026 |
Popular Blogs
 |
Divorce in America in 2009 – What’s love got to do, got to do with it?
Join Brother Marcus and the cast and the crew of the Brother Marcus Show live this Sunday evening on February 1, 2009 @ 8:00 p.m. for another hot topic in our community! “Divorce in America in 2009 ...more
Brother Marcus! • 70,796,574 Views • January 27th, 2009 |
 |
VISINE ALERT!!!Seemingly innocent medication such as Visine eyedrops are used by people to concoct a mixture with similar effects as a date-rape drug.
When mixed with alcohol and taken orally, the eyedrops can l ...more
Siebra Muhammad • 118,227 Views • May 23rd, 2009 |
 |
"Chain Hang Low" check out the real meaning of the Lyrics!Recently there is a new artist out of Saint Louis that goes by the name JIBBS. Jibbs debut single "Chain hang low" has a history that most people are not aware of. The particular nursery rhyme that th ...more
Tyhesha Judge-Fogle • 75,050 Views • November 9th, 2006 |
 |
HBCU Marketplace Gifts: Divine 9 Premium Fraternity / Sorority Playing CardsVendor: Charles Jones
Item Price: $20.00
Price Includes Shipping: Yes - Shipping Included
Item Description:
Pantheon Series - Divine 9 - Premium Playing Cards (choose Gold Series or Silve ...more
How May I Help You NC • 61,511 Views • December 2nd, 2018 |
