Alima Bello
Alima Bello
Image: Supplied

Who’s is the person behind the name? Alima Bello. Retail obsessed, lifestyle curator, minimalist encourager and Africa promoter.

Where did it all begin? It all began in 2008 in Kumasi, Ghana. It had become increasingly difficult to find anything I wanted to wear in any of the local shops and retail outlets so I started designing my own pieces. Initially, I started by giving designs to my mother’s seamstress to make for me. During this period, I studied the art of design and pattern making. As my interest grew – I extended the clothing being produced to friends and family. Two years after that, I quit working for our family business, moved to Accra to take a part time course in pattern drafting and now here we are.

Where does the name come from? The brand name Bello Edu is a combination of the two original partners of my business. When I moved to Accra, I linked up with a friend and formalised the business. We later realised our aesthetic tastes and visions for the brand were quite different. I took the name and Bello Edu is now owned and run by me.

Where do you call home? Accra, Ghana. But my roots are wherever my clothing is sold. That’s the beauty of retail: It gives me the opportunity to be every woman at every given time.

Clicks or bricks and mortar? Bricks and mortar.

Do you have global customers? Tell us more. Yes, the Bello Edu womens brand is in different cities across the globe through a variety of touch points (in multi brand stores and through brand specific distributors). We also have a website that allows access to clients who aren’t in Ghana to fit and buy our clothes.

Tell us about summer 2017/8: This summer is all about travel, good food and falling in love. There’s nothing more beautiful than a distinctive, beautifully executed outfit with impeccable fabric, impeccable tailoring – timelessly elegant to fit any and every type of lifestyle. In travelling for inspiration for this new line, I found myself trying to encapsulate the essence of being a nomad. It gave me the opportunity to fall in love – many times over, to be educated and educate everyone I met and, more so, to be fearless. That is what you will see with every item that comes out of the summer 2017/18 resort and prive collection from Bello Edu. An item of clothing you can look back in ten years and still love.

What’s on your feet? No 21 satin bow slippers in dark blue.

What will you be wearing on the beach? An Andrea Iyamah one-piece suit with a silk kimono during the day.

What will you be listening to? Sabrina Claudio. She embodies summer, the Italian countryside with the car top down. Thank me later!

What will you be drinking? Aperol spritz

T or vest? T-shirt

Jeans or chinos? Chinos

Heels or sneakers? Heels

Pink or navy? Navy

Street or countryside? Both

And where to next? The cultivation of cotton! That’s the next story for me. I’ve been excited to engage in this trip. 2018 will see me and my team exploring tropical and subtropical regions around the world (the Americas, Africa, and India), from Mexico all the way back to the African continent.

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