This label looks up to a handful of women in West Africa called the “NANAS BENZ”.
A heroic tale of female entrepreneurs who made their way up from the 50’s through the 80’s by selling popular colourful fabrics at the market.
Using a technique descendant of the Indonesian batik, they created double-sided printed wax fabrics, fitting in perfectly with the wrapped fashion style of the West African coast.
Embracing the features of the colourful patterned fabric, these women gave each print local and cultural significance. The wax became a medium to communicate information about the person who wore it.
Each pattern is encoded with layers of specific meaning, which is publicly known and used as expression.
These incredible women created a fashion phenomenon. Women from all regions were travelling across Africa to acquire their pricey wax prints.
Their designs grew to be considered as a unique luxury item, today seen as the “Chanel of Africa”.
It’s a happy ending for these innovative women. Starting from nothing to rise to be among the country’s richest.
Due to their great fortune, these women became known as Nanas Benz, because in the mid-50’s through 80’s they had made so much money that they were the only people who could afford to buy Mercedes Benz. So much so that the government used to hire their Mercedes Benz for important guests and state functions.
The phrase ‘Nana Benz’ or "Mama Benz" came to symbolise the freedom, ingenuity, creativity, pride, achievement, success, and courage of these women.
A woman did not become a Mana Benz through inheritance, or society’s choice, but through ingenuity and hustle.
