Bern is the best

Saturday, July 18, 2009 (The Mirror Pg 46)

By Rebecca Kwei
It is a new beginning for 28-year-old, Bern Mensah with the clothing line Jenesus (Genesis - the beginning) who was adjudged the best up-and-coming designer in Ghana.
The competition for amateur designers was held as part of this year’s Fashion Weekend to unearth young creative talents in the fashion.
During the auditioning, the best eight young designers, namely, Klekleli Dzidienyo, Elimens, Quami Wear, Rowena Adjivon, Salimi, Bern Mensah, Doreen Lartey and Miriam Yentumi were selected.
However, Miriam Yentumi dropped out and she was replaced by Rita.
On July 1, which was the first day of the Fashion Weekend, the eight amateur designers showcased their designs which received high marks from the audience at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The number was pruned down to four — Bern, Salimi, Klekleli and Doreen.
The French Embassy which sponsored the competition also selected two young designers namely Atsu and Tei to bring the number of finalists to six.
At the final competition which was held at the residence of the French Ambassador to Ghana, Francis Huatut, on July 14, which also happened to be France National Day, the six designers justified why they were in the finals.
Diva Bibie Brew opened the show when she sang the national anthems of both Ghana and France.
The finalists then showcased a design each which was the product of a one-week workshop held for them under the tutelage of Cameroonian designer, Angi-Haif.
Angi-Haif won a competition for up-and-coming designers two years ago in Niger.
To prove to the judges that they had what it took to be crowned as the best up-and-coming designer,the finalists again exhibited three different outfits of their own.
In the end, it was a ‘close call’ between Bern and Salimi but the judges, Sima Ibrahim, CEO of Exopa Model Agency, organisers of the event, Angi-Haif and Valerie Lesbros of the French Embassy settled on Bern.
“I was elated when I was declared the winner but then it occurred to me that this is where the actual work begins” said Bern in an interview.
For his prize, Bern will be sponsored by the French Embassy to France for two weeks to study under one of the top designers there.
Bern who has a degree in Communication Design from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said when he goes to France, he would not only be an observer but would try and make contacts which would help him in the fashion industry.
He said fashion was not only about the arts but it had a business aspect and he was hopeful the trip would expose him to that side as well.
Aside making clothes, Bern also does accessories such as bags and footwear.
He said he did a minor in fashion design and product design while studying for his degree at KNUST and he decided to go into fashion after school after one of his lecturers who had seen some stuff he had created encouraged him.
Bern said he would work hard to make his designs not only well known in Ghana but across the globe.
According to Sima Ibrahim, he was happy that his agency had played a part in unearthing new talents in the fashion industry.
He was hopeful that this would encourage many up-and-coming designers to participate in the competition when it comes up again next year.
For next year, Sima said the competition would also be open to amateur designers from other African countries.
He indicated that Exopa Model Agency was in the process of getting a database for designers and appealed to interested designers to contact the agency.
He said there are a lot of designers in the country but they do not know who to contact neither to they get the platform to showcase their designs and that the database will help the agency to have a variety of designers to showcase their talent whenever there was a fashion show.