The Nkasi Scarf Collection

I need to give some background for context to explain where the inspiration for this name, Nkasi, came from. In Ghana, where you come from is not where you were born or raised or have lived the longest. Rather, it is which ethnic group, the associated town or village, and most often the language that is spoken in that area that defines where you are from. Over the years, with migration (internal and external) and western education, the language aspect of identifying where you are from is diminishing as the native languages or dialects are not passed down to the younger generations in an effort to assimilate or conform to the new society or educational system. It takes parents and grandparents being intentional and consistent with speaking their native language with their children to ensure it is not lost in future generations. This is especially important for languages or dialects that are not (fully) written.

Which brings me to my own story. I was born and raised in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. That is where “home” is for me. Where I come from, however, is Abiriw in Akuapem, which is in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The language spoken in Abiriw is Okere (pronunciation). Okere is written in the Latin alphabet, an effort that is recent in history and was aided by the Bible Society of Ghana culminating in the publication of the full Bible in Okere in 2022. Obviously for my parents and their children (including me), when we were growing up in Kumasi, Okere was not written. As such the only way to learn it was by speaking the language.

My parents, my father in particular, were very strict about us speaking Okere with each other at home in Kumasi and when we went out. So, my siblings and any other relatives who grew up with us in our home spoke Okere fluently and still do. Most of us speak at least 3 languages fluently. Okere is a beautiful language that I am glad my parents taught us to speak. The other thing my parents did was to take us to Abiriw often, which reinforced our sense of where we were from. As such for me, Kumasi is my childhood home, but my heart will always be Abiriw because of this deep connection to my identity.

One thing that my dad loved was seeing my mom, his daughters, and nieces looking sharply dressed. He would refer to us as “Abiriw Nkase”, which means Abiriw young ladies or young ladies of Abiriw, whenever we got dressed up. This expression has stayed with me since childhood and it brings fond memories of my dad, who passed away eight years ago, whenever I dress up for any occasion. I will always be an Abiriw Akase ni (singular of Nkase).

To me, Nkase or young ladies does not refer to women of only a certain age because you are as young or old as you feel and believe. You can be older in years but forever young in spirit, body, soul…and style! As a woman, I believe one thing that gets better with age is your sense of self, which includes confidence and style. I tweaked Nkase slightly to Nkasi for this collection to make sure the pronunciation of the word is intact. Either way, what the name/word and collection embody are the same- unique style and confidence at any age.

The pattern for the first three scarves released in the Nkasi collection is based on the beads used to make the Okani handbag charm. I love the way the yellow and blue beautifully complement each other in that bead design and the wonderful abstract patterns the fused glass beads make. So, I made a sketch of the pattern on one of the beads by hand and worked with my talented older sister, Pauline Larbi and my equally talented and patient stepdaughter to digitize it and create the patterns for the scarves. I collaborated with an excellent small business located in New York City to produce these beautiful scarves. It has been a labor of love and creativity which I am happy to see come into fruition. My hope is that it brings you joy, meaning, and reminds you of your fabulousness at any age!