Renowned Ghanaian fashion designer and CEO of Savile Row, Nana Sarfo, has opened up about the origins of his business empire, revealing how he traded his watch and ring to fund his first bulk purchase.
Speaking in an interview with ZionFelix, Sarfo explained that during his time in Germany, unable to secure formal employment, he had turned to buying secondhand shoes with his spare money and reselling them back in Ghana.
But things changed when the owner of the store he usually bought from took notice.
"The store owner, having observed me, asked me what job I did," Sarfo recalled. "I explained to him that I sell second-hand shoes in Ghana."
Sarfo narrated how the owner told him he had the specific type of shoes he was looking for stored in his basement.
He reluctantly followed only to be be stopped in his tracks by what he saw.
"When I got there, I saw that he had over 500 pairs of shoes. And they were of even better quality than most of the shoes being sold in stores in Ghana," he said.
But Sarfo had only intended to pick up one or two pairs that day, and the owner required a bulk purchase.
Sarfo shared how he then looked down at his wrist. Then at his hand.
"I was wearing a gold wristwatch, 18 karats, and a gold ring, also 18 karats. And I had about 2,000 marks on me," he said.
Without hesitation, he traded the watch, the ring and 1,000 marks on the spot to secure 100 pairs of shoes.
The remaining 1,000 marks covered transportation, packing 50 pairs onto a train back to Hamburg, and then the journey home to Ghana.
"That's how the business started," he said simply.
Today, Nana Sarfo has built his brand as a go-to destination for quality products in Accra and beyond.
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