This Ghanaian designer is Gucci

Ghanaian fashion illustrator and designer Steve French is going places. And fast. He has worked with Vlisco & Co, Studio 189, and Amsterdam’s International Fashion Week. He’s dressed Deborah Vanessa, Lydia Forson, Efya, and global fashion icon Naomi Campbell. In 2019 French won a coveted Gucci Fellowship and is currently working directly with the preeminent label’s design team. We caught up with him in Rome.

Steve French X Vlisco & Co, Model: Julee Djoulde Bocoum, Makeup: Hamid Vijay & Say beauty Makeover, Photography: Ofoe Amegavie 

Your selection for the Gucci Fellowship and the endorsement of Naomi Campbell have pushed you firmly into the limelight. How do you feel about it all?

I feel like I’m in a dream. Every day feels as exciting as when I won it. I’m super happy and extremely grateful for this opportunity. Having people like Naomi - who is so dear to my heart - supporting me is incredible. It’s put me on a platform that I imagined myself on one day, but that I wasn’t expecting any time soon. But this whole experience is not just for me. It’s for every little child who has dreams. I’m doing this is for the dreamers.

What are you enjoying most about the fellowship programme?

It definitely encourages diversity and inclusion. The other fellows and I are part of the Gucci family. We never feel like we are left out. It is what they say it is, and I know we are in the best hands.

Can you give us any hint of what you’re inspired by now, and what your next collection might look like?

Currently, I’m not designing anything for myself because of the fellowship. But I find myself drawing a lot of inspiration from architecture and street art. I’ve spent the last two years documenting a lot of buildings and graffiti. I don’t know which direction it’s going to go in, but that will definitely influence what I do next. You heard it here first!

You’re also a talented fashion illustrator and have a love for cartoons. Do you plan to explore this aspect of your talent more in the future?

Of course, yes! Everything I am now started from cartoons. I still watch cartoons. My favourite one is The Little Mermaid. Nothing beats that, it’s a classic! Some day I would love to do something with animation.

Illustrator - Steve French, Model - Adut Akech Bior

You usually live in Accra. What do you love about the city?

What can you not love about Accra? Accra is everything and anything. The music, the culture, the streets, it’s all beautiful. I even love the traffic moments because you get to pause and see what is happening around you. And there’s always something interesting happening in every corner. It’s a melting pot of surprises.

You’re based in Rome at the moment. What are the most significant contrasts between Rome and Accra?

Honestly, I don’t think there’s much difference. Obviously, there’s a cultural contrast, but one thing I’ve learned from living outside of my own environment is that we as human beings are connected in one way or the other. The food, culture, and the arts are all beautiful here – just like in Accra.

What do you miss most from home?

This will put me in trouble, but the one thing I miss a lot from home is the food! I wake up in the morning and all I want is waakye or Papaye. But home is me and home is wherever I go. I can be in Holland or Paris, but my story is always with me.

If you were taking a guest from Italy to Ghana, what are the top 5 places you would show them?

The first place I’d take them to is Front/Back. It’s an amazing spot for food and art. Bôndai is also a great experience. I would take them to Accra central, around Makola, because that’s the heart of where everything happens. If there’s time, I’d take them to my hometown, Axim. It has the most amazing beaches, people, food, and lots of culture. My fifth stop would either be Gallery 1957 or Nubuke.

Where can our readers shop for your designs?

I’m focusing on the fellowship. So, I have minimised orders for now. But they can purchase some items through my brand’s Instagram page. Two places I would love to stock in Accra in the future are Elle Lokko and The Lotte. 

See @steviefrenchie and @stevefrenchofficial_ on IG to follow Steve’s journey. 

LIGHTVILLE