No matter what social media website I am on, I can almost be sure of running into a post concerning feminism. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer, once said that a feminist is a “person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes”. Ghana is a nation that is persecuted by sexism. 51% of Ghana’ population is composed of women. Despite being the majority, Ghanaian women are subject to gender inequalities every day. There is a high incidence of domestic violence and human trafficking, education is not made readily available to women, women are underrepresented in their local governments and in the Legislature, and women make less money than men on average, if they are even given the opportunity to earn money.
I gained interest in the Ghanaian women’s fight for gender equality when I learned about a Los Angeles based fashion line called Della. All of Della’s products, clothes and accessories, are hand crafted by a staff of 55 Ghanaian women residing in the Hohoe community. The founder of Della, Tina Tangalakis, took part in a volunteer program in Ghana in the year 2009, and fell in love with the Ghanaian culture and people. Tangalakis launched Della as an effort to provide Ghanaian women with “an opportunity to build a foundation for a better life through jobs, education, and skills training”. Della provides programs and classes for its employees to better their standards of living. Two programs called “Weekly Literacy Class” and “Weekly Money-Management Training” stuck out to me. The literacy class teaches women how to read, allowing them to further their education and obtain better degrees. The money-management class allows women to become economically independent by teaching them how to track spending. Apart from classes, Della employees are given financial support through a Della Savings Account in which Della pays 10% interest on each cedi saved. Della also helps provide National Social Security and National Healthcare Benefits for its employees as well.
Della recently partnered up with Urban Outfitters for a collection called Della x UO. Their mission statement was to spread “awareness of responsible fashion” through the beautiful works of the Ghanaian women. The collection provides outfits that are vintage, boho-chic, and trendy. Cami dresses, flutter shorts, skort rompers, and paper bag pants, each with its own unique pattern or print, are just a few of the products that Della offers. There are many ways in which you can support Della’s mission and look chic at the same time. Every dollar earned will go to supporting Ghanian women and their fight to shorten the gender gap. You can go to an Urban Outfitters store or go to www.dellala.com and purchase these hand-crafted goodies. If you want to take a more hands on approach to the cause, you can e-mail the Della team and find out how to become an intern. You can also donate to programs that Della hosts such as the Happy Kids Orphanage Sewing Program. There are also a lot of local communities and volunteer opportunities you can take to help shorten the gender gap. Take an active role in helping the feminist cause. Become a carrier of change.
Della X UO Paper Bag Pants ($79)
Della X UO Tie Back Romper ($89)
Della X UO Flutter Shorts ($59)
Della X UO Cami Dress ($79)