Sally Torpey, the designer behind the Sally Torpey brands Ohemaa and the JAK Gentile Giant Collection which is in honor of former President of Ghana John A. Kufuor has called on Fashion Designers across the world to see fashion as a means to touch lives and impact society.

She says fashion is not just about the glitz, glamour, and elegance but a means to give back to the deprived in society.

Sally made this known at the ‘Adoma’s Year of Return‘ fashion show held at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (US) to commemorate eight years since the loss of Akua Adoma who passed away on July 24, 2011, in Pennsylvania after a prolonged battle with brain cancer. The event was to help raise funds for medical assistance for individuals, especially children in Ghana in need of critical healthcare.

The event organized by Juliana Oates — CEO of Aba Designs — herself a fashion designer saw Africans from various US states like New York, Maryland, Washington DC, New Jersey and Virginia attending.

Sally Torpey used the occasion to display some clothes from her latest collection and to help raise funds and said: “We are trying to support Adoma’s Year of Return and the Adoma Hope Memorial Foundation, so they can support other kids in Ghana. We all know diseases and deprivation is what steals away joy so we want to help other people stay alive and stay strong.”

She also explained that though the fashion industry in Ghana is rapidly growing, there was a need for Fashion Designers to pay attention to their standards of production to help position them well on the global market, because 2019 is about to go on record for Ghana as the year the country received the most visitors and tourists, majority of whom are from the African diaspora.

She expressed concern over the low investor confidence in the Ghanaian fashion sector and appealed for more partnerships to enable it to build strong brands.

“Sometimes it is about getting the correct contacts that propel you and our industry which is why I commend jazz guitarist and technologist Nathan Pryce for being among the folks who made purchases tonight to support and Juliana Oates for putting together this event,” she reiterated.

Sally creates and produces simple, elegant, and sophisticated indigenous textiles and clothing for both men and women and is the African Ambassador for the Fashion Business Association of America, where she dedicates her time to helping promote the Africa Fashion industry.

In the following link is a video recap from the event which also featured traditional Ghanaian drumming and dancing, food and cultural interactions: