Osei-Duro

Founded in 2011 by Maryanne Mathias and Molly Keogh, Osei Duro is a contemporary ready-to-wear brand based between Los Angeles, Vancouver and Accra. The founders met in high school, and their shared interests took them both to fashion school, before the pair teamed up to launch their brand.

Osei Duro prioritizes social responsibility and transparency, collaborating with artisans, local artists, and designers. For each of their easy-to-wear collections—recognised for their silk and rayon hand-batiked pieces in ultra-feminine silhouettes—the designers employ local artisans and garment-makers who apply meticulous traditional techniques, from batiking and tie-dying, to crocheting and other hand-weaving practices. Fabric waste reduction is also a core priority of the brand: they don’t discard any fabric scraps, but rather use them to make patchworks or give them as gifts to artists, schools or quilters who might have a productive use for them.

Mathias and Keogh’s ultimate goal is to support the local Ghanaian apparel industry, on both a large and small scale in becoming sustainable, as they believe that economic and environmental sustainability are intrinsically linked. The brand has been spotlighted in many international fashion and news publications, from Vogue to NBC News.