A Journey through Aesthetic Realms
 
Proud to be African: Fabulous Fashion by Ghanaian Designer Issah Al-Hassan      
Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Ewe and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, Ewe, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Spanish.

Halo, vibrant viewers, and welcome to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television. In today’s program, we will visit a unique fashion shop named Majeed Creations in the beautiful country of South Africa and enjoy some traditionally-based designs from Ghanaian couturier, Mr. Issah Al-Hassan.

My name is Issah Al-Hassan from Ghana, but right now I am in South Africa as a fashion designer. I learned my occupation as a professional in fashion design in West Africa, in Nigeria. Then, I went back to Ghana. I decided to move my profession down to South Africa, so that I can show the rest of the Africans the kind of talent that I have in African designs.

I choose to design African clothes because I was born in Africa as an African. I choose to also be a servant who is going to advertise Africa to the rest of the world.

Being very proud of his rich culture, Mr. Al-Hassan is dressed in traditional Ghanaian style.

This one I am wearing here is an open shirt. But it was mixed, both South African and West African material. You can see how it is by the sleeve and the collar. It’s a material from Ghana that we use. For Ghanaian tradition, if you go wherever in Ghana, you can find this kind of designs. It’s a design for Ghana, Ashanti Kingdom. They believe that is the color of their ancestors, that is the color you are supposed to use before you become a really traditional person in West Africa.

African women’s costumes are both fashionable and practical. Mr. Al-Hassan comments on some of his latest designs with traditional motifs.

Here is a South African design. This dress is mostly designed here in South Africa for the people of South Africa and the people of Africa. We design it in this shop, Majeed Creations. All this material is from here in South Africa.

And right here we have a South African design. This is a 3-piece: a dress, a skirt and the slippers, all made by Majeed Creations in this shop. This is a material called “sheshwe,” a South African material, mixed with gold “diano,”

a South African material also. This is a design with a Sotho hat on it. Whoever sees this, you know that it is a Sotho tradition, in South Africa. The hat of a Sotho, their color is brown and mixed with gold “diano.” It is traditional for Sotho and even some of Zulus and other traditions. If you want it in your tradition, bring a symbol of your tradition, then we can put it on it, so it will be yours.

Mr. Al-Hassan next shows us dresses that can be worn by African women of all ages.

This is a straight dress with different kinds of materials to make a dress. And the design, you can see here, is something similar to a Chinese collar. And you can see with the pleat down. Most of the ladies can use it and some people believe that this kind of dress is for elderly persons in Africa, but not at all. A lady also can use it, whenever or wherever she wants it. It’s all for both winter and summer, you can use it.

Are they for special occasions?

It’s not for special occasion. As an African, wherever you want to go, you can wear it. Dinners, parties, weddings, wherever, or meetings.

Tell us what inspires you to make all these different patterns.

As a human being, you have different views and what we like. Someone likes a dress, someone likes a 2-piece, someone likes open shirts, someone likes Afro shirt, so it’s different. You cannot decide what you think for yourself and do it, you must do something that will inspire someone to come into your shop. From that you are also advertising Africa.

After these messages, we will find out more from Mr. Al-Hassan about the traditional concepts behind these brilliant designs. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Radiant viewers, welcome back to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television as we continue our interview with Ghanaian fashion designer Mr. Al-Hassan. African women take great pride in traditional dress styles reflecting their ancestral and regional origins. Their clothing is handmade and tailored to individual needs. Special attention is paid to selecting the fabrics.

The material, we use some from Central Africa, some from West Africa, some from East Africa, and some also from South Africa here. You know that as a fashion designer, if you collaborate this kind of design, this kind of material and this kind of material, you can create something that will represent an African. You don’t just choose any material; you must know that this material is a material that represents Africa.

African clothes are very colorful. Why is that?

That is the color of Africa, that is the color of the tradition, because you go into many traditions, you will see several colors. Even the color that you did not expect, you will see it. For me, what I think is, that is what they choose because wherever you are going you will like to wear something which is going to attract people. So you will make sure that you will find a color which is good for you and definitely is going to be good for someone else. So you mix it, you do something very nice so that someone will know that you wear something beautiful.

That shows the beauty of an African, and it really shows that you are African. Even back in Ghana, there are certain clothes, if you wear it they know that you are from this tribe, or this part of the country. Like if you go to Volta, they have their color; if you come to Ashanti, they have their color; if you go to greater Accra, they have their color, and I know it’s the same in South Africa here. They have different colors. If you go to Zulu tradition, they have their color; you go to Pedi, you go to Xhosa, you get different colors.

The splendid colors of Mr. Al-Hassan’s elegant apparel are a representation of the natural beauty of majestic Africa. He shares with us the meaning of specific hues.

I have this kind of design in my hands here. You can see it’s so many colors. We have blue, we have yellow, we have green. The yellow represents the sun, and the green represents the planet and the forests in Africa. You can see even the design is flowery. In Africa here, you can go to so many places and you will find flowers. This design here represents the sun, the brighter.

That shows truly Africa, and you can see how we design it with a yellow panel that will match with the designs we have here on the neck. As you can see, this is really beautiful. And whoever wears this, you know that it is truly African. You can see it’s very nice. Whenever a customer comes in here, that is the first thing they will look at.

Why do you think Africans like to wear bright colors?

To me as a designer, I think that is what Africans believe in and they are advertising the kind of people they are, the kind of continent they have, because you cannot be proud or be smiling when you are in a dark color. But definitely, if you wear something brighter and beautiful, you will come out so that somebody will see you and then he or she will also like to do the same as that.

But if you believe in yourself, you are very gentle and very respectable and you want people to come closer to you, you will wear something brighter, that will show the kind of person you are and the kind of continent you belong to and the kind of tradition you have.

Can you please tell us about Ghanaian clothes and how it has evolved over time?

Definitely Ghanaian designs have developed for the past years. It has developed to the extent that now it doesn’t matter wherever you go across the world, you will get Ghanaian designs. People across the world, not only Africa, even Europe, Asia, America, people like it.

Mr. Al-Hassan also discusses how the African people’s love of vibrant colors demonstrates their true open-hearted nature.

If you come to Africa, you will see many colors, the color that bring the kind of habit we have in Africa here. The colors that when you see, you will see the sun. The color that will attract you to approach the kind of person you are talking to or the kind of person who is passing by. That shows the habit of a true African, who like to collaborate with any kind of person around the world.

We sincerely thank you, Mr. Al-Hassan, for your wonderful introduction to fabulous African costumes and designs. May the colorful and uplifting traditions of African garments be treasured and bring joy to the lives of many around the world.

For more information on Mr. Al-Hassan’s designs, please contact: Majeed Creations Corner of Troy and Jeppe Street, Johannesburg Shop nr 217, 2nd floor Pan African House South Africa Telephone: +27 73 010 9919 Email:

Delightful viewers, thank you joining us today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television. Up next is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, after Noteworthy News. May peace, beauty, and nobility shine on every moment of your life.

Delightful viewers, thank you joining us today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television. Up next is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, after Noteworthy News. May peace, beauty, and nobility shine on every moment of your life.

“I wish we'd known each other before” I’d like to introduce two famous books written by Supreme Master Ching Hai, “The Birds in My Life” and “The Dogs in My Life.” These two publications are the best sellers in 400 bookstores in Formosa and on Amazon.com. I’d like to recommend these books to you.

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