It started out as a month volunteering in a school in Ghana and led one Wexford woman to set up a slow-fashion business “with an ambition and a purpose”.
That business is Akoma Mór – or “Big Heart”– and that woman is 26-year-old Hayley Murphy.
Hayley, a psychology graduate who lives just outside Gorey, explains that in January 2022, she left her marketing role in order to travel, having spent the previous years in COVID lockdown.
“I was ready to go and experience a completely different world,” she says of her decision to volunteer in Ghana, initially for just one month.
Head over heels
Her feet had hardly hit the ground, however, when Hayley found herself falling head over heels for the coastal town of Kokrobite and its people.
“It’s another place to call home now at this stage,” she smiles. “It’s overwhelming at the start and it’s not for everyone… [but] I feel like once you step into it, it’s always going to be a part of your heart.”
Hayley ended up working in a local school for 10 weeks under the umbrella of an NGO (non-governmental organization), but after coming home to Ireland for a short stint, made the return trip to Ghana, this time as a solo volunteer.
Akoma Mór Saa Ona trousers €54.99 and blazer €65.
Cultural cloth
One aspect of Ghanaian life that caught her eye early on was the colourful attire made by local tailors using Anakara (African wax print) cotton.
“They’re so vibrant and versatile,” says Hayley, who explains that many of the fabrics and prints would have a particular cultural or heritage meaning.
“If there’s a funeral on, everybody will get something done up with that fabric; if there’s a wedding, they’ll decide what fabric will be worn. It’s the connectiveness of the idea of the fabric.”
Hayley herself got to know some of the local tailors by having clothes made up to her own style preference; but having returned home for the second time, she began to wonder if there might be a market for such unique clothes in Ireland.
“In my head constantly I was thinking, ‘Oh that would be so nice in this style!’” she recalls thinking.
“There’s so much potential, and people with so much talent. I just felt like there’s just so much that can be done.”
Unable to get the thought out of her head, Hayley contacted some of the tailors that she had met in Kokrobite, and asked if they would be willing to work with her to make some of the contemporary garments.
Akoma Mór Chale cotton quilted gilet €75.99.
Road less travelled
This involved drawing up her own patterns – a steep learning curve with the added factor that Anakara fabric has no give/stretch to it – as well as learning how to deal with the logistics of getting samples manufactured in Ghana and shipped to Ireland.
“It’s not a common route, to travel from Ireland to Ghana,” acknowledges Hayley.
And while it’s early days, Hayley has just launched her second collection for autumn/winter, having completed a design course at the Grafton Academy in Dublin. She is currently working with five female-owned tailor shops in Kokrobite, giving consistent orders at a mutually agreed rate of fair pay. Sustainability is also a factor – cut-offs, for example, are used to make “scrunchie” hair accessories or for patchwork – while Hayley has committed to giving 5% of profits to the school she previously volunteered with in Kokrobite.
Akoma Mór Sika bomber jacket €64.99.
To date, Hayley has financed her start-up using savings, but is hopeful that Akoma Mór can become a sustainable business in the long-term. “I’m so passionate about it, I don’t even want to go to bed at night! That’s what’s driving me on. I enjoy it, I’m excited about it. In my head, I’m like, ‘This could have a massive potential to make a massive difference.’
“You just have to believe in it and see where it does take you,” she says.
Check out https://akomamor.com/
Read more
Style file with Kelly O'Rourke
'Adults started asking could I print pieces in their size; it just took off'
It started out as a month volunteering in a school in Ghana and led one Wexford woman to set up a slow-fashion business “with an ambition and a purpose”.
That business is Akoma Mór – or “Big Heart”– and that woman is 26-year-old Hayley Murphy.
Hayley, a psychology graduate who lives just outside Gorey, explains that in January 2022, she left her marketing role in order to travel, having spent the previous years in COVID lockdown.
“I was ready to go and experience a completely different world,” she says of her decision to volunteer in Ghana, initially for just one month.
Head over heels
Her feet had hardly hit the ground, however, when Hayley found herself falling head over heels for the coastal town of Kokrobite and its people.
“It’s another place to call home now at this stage,” she smiles. “It’s overwhelming at the start and it’s not for everyone… [but] I feel like once you step into it, it’s always going to be a part of your heart.”
Hayley ended up working in a local school for 10 weeks under the umbrella of an NGO (non-governmental organization), but after coming home to Ireland for a short stint, made the return trip to Ghana, this time as a solo volunteer.
Akoma Mór Saa Ona trousers €54.99 and blazer €65.
Cultural cloth
One aspect of Ghanaian life that caught her eye early on was the colourful attire made by local tailors using Anakara (African wax print) cotton.
“They’re so vibrant and versatile,” says Hayley, who explains that many of the fabrics and prints would have a particular cultural or heritage meaning.
“If there’s a funeral on, everybody will get something done up with that fabric; if there’s a wedding, they’ll decide what fabric will be worn. It’s the connectiveness of the idea of the fabric.”
Hayley herself got to know some of the local tailors by having clothes made up to her own style preference; but having returned home for the second time, she began to wonder if there might be a market for such unique clothes in Ireland.
“In my head constantly I was thinking, ‘Oh that would be so nice in this style!’” she recalls thinking.
“There’s so much potential, and people with so much talent. I just felt like there’s just so much that can be done.”
Unable to get the thought out of her head, Hayley contacted some of the tailors that she had met in Kokrobite, and asked if they would be willing to work with her to make some of the contemporary garments.
Akoma Mór Chale cotton quilted gilet €75.99.
Road less travelled
This involved drawing up her own patterns – a steep learning curve with the added factor that Anakara fabric has no give/stretch to it – as well as learning how to deal with the logistics of getting samples manufactured in Ghana and shipped to Ireland.
“It’s not a common route, to travel from Ireland to Ghana,” acknowledges Hayley.
And while it’s early days, Hayley has just launched her second collection for autumn/winter, having completed a design course at the Grafton Academy in Dublin. She is currently working with five female-owned tailor shops in Kokrobite, giving consistent orders at a mutually agreed rate of fair pay. Sustainability is also a factor – cut-offs, for example, are used to make “scrunchie” hair accessories or for patchwork – while Hayley has committed to giving 5% of profits to the school she previously volunteered with in Kokrobite.
Akoma Mór Sika bomber jacket €64.99.
To date, Hayley has financed her start-up using savings, but is hopeful that Akoma Mór can become a sustainable business in the long-term. “I’m so passionate about it, I don’t even want to go to bed at night! That’s what’s driving me on. I enjoy it, I’m excited about it. In my head, I’m like, ‘This could have a massive potential to make a massive difference.’
“You just have to believe in it and see where it does take you,” she says.
Check out https://akomamor.com/
Read more
Style file with Kelly O'Rourke
'Adults started asking could I print pieces in their size; it just took off'
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