LFW SS26 - JERMAINE BLEU - Celebrating Ghanaian Fashion in 'Twa Me Foto’
- Zarah Hashim
- 13 hours ago
- 6 min read
Jason Jermaine Asiedu is a Ghanaian fashion designer whose brand, JERMAINE BLEU, specialises in handwoven fabric garments that tell stories featuring family history and the uniqueness of African craftsmanship. As a brand, JERMAINE BLEU frames their work around multigenerational stories, which showcase the traditional roots of fabric work in Ghana, as Jason’s mother was a seamstress. It is clear that her passion for the craft is woven into every collection, making this a brand which values family, heritage and culture. The brand also celebrates Ghanaian fashion with flair, weaving in the richness of Ghana into every fibre and stitch.
Jason is an exceptionally talented designer based in Ghana who continues to share the vibrant history of his country through his designs and collections. He has been in the industry for nine years and continues to grow his brand; his new collection ‘Twa Me Foto’, being featured at the opening of UDGN (Unity in Design Global Network) at London Fashion Week, is proof of his drive to bring Ghana to a global audience. The 2025 collection ‘Twa Me Foto’ presents an undeniable array of colour, style, design and self-expression. His pieces are a commemoration of his Ghanaian heritage, with a modern twist allowing for a timeless, effortless look. Made from the Kinte fabric, these pieces demonstrate that tradition can also be contemporary. The Kinte fabric is traditionally used for cultural celebrations, such as weddings. By designing pieces that take the traditional roots and turn them into everyday looks, including suit pants, blazers, and dresses, it allows the average person to embrace their heritage while holding and paying respect to the traditions the fabric originates from. These conflations enable JERMAINE BLEU to embrace a contemporary outlook on fashion and tradition.
After the show, Jason kindly sat down with us to discuss his 2025 collection.
How has your design aesthetic changed since your last major showcase? And in what ways does ‘Twa Me Foto’ represent growth and change?
It has been over a decade now since I've been doing this and I can say that my taste has definitely evolved. The quality of fabrics, we use hand woven material called kente to produce most of our products, stands out. This fabric tells a story and has impacted my brand's evolution.
What would you traditionally use this fabric for?
So, this material is a traditional one that we use back home in Ghana. Most people use it for ceremonies and celebrations like weddings. However, for me and my designs I wanted to bring a modernity with the traditions. At Jermaine Bleu, I am able to make ready to wear with this fabric, and it stands out, you’ve seen the pieces. I wanted to make it wearable, an everyday thing, where everyone and anyone can just pick it up and be like “okay, yes, today I want to wear my Kinte.” It shouldn't be just worn during a ceremony. This collection acts as a celebration of the fabric itself.
In your fall/winter collection of 2022 called ‘Free,’ you used the coasts of Ghana as inspiration. What would you say your inspiration from Ghana was with ‘Twa Me Foto?’
‘Twa Me Foto’ was actually inspired by my family photos. My Mum, my aunties, my uncles, all were in the family albums which I went through and took a lot of inspiration from what they used to wear. I saw how they used to wear the clothes and the movement of the silhouettes - all of that is in this collection. When you watch our film for the collections, you'll be able to get the essence of that time. It is about creating an experience where people see and are like “Oh my God, I want to take a picture of you!” This collection feels timeless, as even now people are always taking pictures and that's the essence I wanted to capture, like, “yes, you see me, I look good, take a picture.” And that’s it.
Did you feel like there was something in film that you could express better than in just the apparel alone?
For this particular collection, I thought it was very necessary that we shoot a film because again, I wanted to capture that time and that experience. And even though we were not there for the most part, I feel like having gone through my family album, seeing the way they interact and that there are certain ceremonies. How they would be talking, their mannerisms, all of that I wanted to be in the film as it helps tell the story better. My brand is all about storytelling, so this was a good opportunity for me to showcase that.
This collection uses a lot of reds, yellows and blues. Do they have any significance with Ghanaian heritage/culture? What is the story there?
Let me just say, blue is my favourite colour; I've always loved blue. Blue, to me, symbolises peace and brings me serenity and I feel that is the essence of what my brand captures. I want people to be themselves and to just have fun with it. Life is serious but also not that serious, you know?Some of these colours I take from when I was a child. I used to play with a lot of colours and I've always been someone who is drawn to them. I wouldn’t say that they all have a specific meaning.
So the collection is inspired by the 70s and 80s, could you walk me through which elements you chose to amplify from that era? What was something that you really wanted to stand out?
What I really wanted to stand out was structure. Shoulder pads in particular, if you see some of the pieces you can see a lot of them having that element. Back then, we used to wear a lot of puffy sleeve silhouettes and things of that kind - you see elements of that in this collection too. But then again, I wanted to modernise it with the everyday woman in mind. Structure was the main component for this collection.
In the film, there are a lot more pieces shown than that on the runway. How did you find choosing what you wanted to see on the runway?
The theme for this fashion show is cultural threads and because I wanted to amplify what we use back home, which is the Kinte, I felt like it would be fitting to select some of the strongest pieces that were handwoven Kinte for this presentation. That's why you see limited pieces from the collection. I love all the pieces, but I felt like these ones were going to make a statement for what this show represented. So, that is why we selected those pieces!
Who do you envision buying and wearing these pieces?
I see the businesswoman who likes to go to work and from there she's going out for drinks with her friends. She might go to a friend's party, be it a naming ceremony or any outdoor event where they just have fun and are flirty and free!
What message do you hope this collection sends about Ghana's place in the fashion industry? And how do you see your role in shaping the country’s design legacy for future generations?
We have slept so much on Ghanaian fashion. I feel like Ghanaian’s have a point of view and a lot of people don't get to see that. With my work, I try to always tell stories. If you look at past collections, every one has a story behind it. As designers, if we are able to go in that direction, it will definitely give us that audience or stage that we need to be on to be able to voice our creativity. Once you have the point of view, you have a direction and you let people know the direction in which you are headed, people will just automatically gravitate. A lot of designers back home don't really do that, but I think this is our time, so let's just take it and make the best of it.
Your mother was a seamstress - do you see elements of her in your collection?
Yes, she is my biggest inspiration. She literally got me here, and I know that wherever she is, she's looking upon me today. A lot of my pieces are inspired by pictures of her and her friends at that time. I tend to take a lot of inspiration from the 70s and 80s because, back then, I would always see my mum get dressed. It felt exciting seeing her put effort into her style, which I don't think we do as much today. Her style alone is just enough to give me inspiration all the time. It's like I'm never running out of it.
What do you think is next for you?
Oh, greater things! I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that it's going to be [full of] big and great things. Today was a big testament of that, and I'm super grateful and thankful to be here surrounded by creatives like myself, and I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm ready to take on the world, I mean it, and I stand by that.
You can find Jermaine Blue’s collection here.
Edited by Roxy-Moon Dahal Hodson, Editor-in-Chief
