It was a zipper that propelled Kwadjo Owusu-Ansah’s project into motion. “There was a flannel shirt I made with bleach,” the self-taught fashion designer recalls, “and I hand-sewed the zipper on to the back of the shirt. I think I fell in love, because almost everything I make has a zipper now.” That device, and Owusu-Ansah’s fixation on it, were the seeds of Animated People, his brand of innovative streetwear.
Owusu-Ansah – who goes by the name DamnKojo professionally and works full time in marketing at a wine and spirits company – sees his fashion line as less of an up-and-coming label than an ongoing art project. “I want you to tell your own story,” Owusu-Ansah, 31, says. “Make your own meaning with my art. Dissect it. Think about it. Why is a dude wearing a miniskirt today? [I want people] to question the pieces when they see them. That’s what starts a conversation.”
Animated People’s aesthetic is very Y2K by way of west Africa, colorful and personality-driven. Texture is everywhere, as most pieces feature upcycled denim stitched together with flannel and canvas and adornments: zippers, snaps, studs and other hardware. The latest collection includes bright helmets that call to mind jester caps and the ears of bunny rabbits. “This is my first item that I’ve actually put into manufacturing, that I’ve made more than five of,” he says of the distinctive headpieces. “Right now we’re making almost 50. I haven’t done any promotion or marketing. I haven’t even done an official photoshoot for it just yet – but the most amazing people are finding them.”
Owusu-Ansah was born in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Ghana before his family moved to Connecticut when he was a teenager. He spent his adolescence watching YouTube videos to learn how to use a sewing machine. “I wanted my jeans to look a certain kind of way, and I would find videos and then I would just go to [fabric and craft store] JoAnn Fabric, and look for the tools and try it myself,” he recalls.
He’s lived in New York City since 2016. At first, he found work at a custom embroidery studio. The job granted him access to a massive embroidery machinery during the slow hours. By that point, he’d been running his side business for four years. He and a friend who also made clothing had split the price of a Singer heavy-duty sewing machine, which cost them about $60 each – and which often broke down.
His mother bought him the sewing machine that he still uses today. With no other employees, Owusu-Ansah takes on all the administrative tasks bound up in maintaining a brand, such as bookkeeping and fulfilling orders.
Owusu-Ansah runs the Instagram account of Animated People, and says the most impactful marketing is going out dressed in his clothing and striking up conversations with people. He managed to hand over a helmet to Anwar Hadid during Paris fashion week.
A study from McKinsey last year projected more growth in luxury brands than non-luxury fashion lines. While there’s certainly a future for a non-luxury independent brand, the road to profitability is undoubtedly slower. Owusu-Ansah’s day job allows him to nurture his project without fretting about earnings. “You know how when you’re a kid, any piece of change you get goes towards candy or something sweet. My brand is sweet, so I pour every piece of change I have into my clothes,” he says.
Owusu-Ansah cuts and sews out of a spare bedroom in the apartment that he shares with his longtime partner, the artist Onon Erdenemandakh. The pair met while attending separate colleges in Connecticut: her school’s fashion club invited him and other student designers to a fashion show. The two now collaborate, both on Animated People and designs for their custom embroidery brand, Onko Studios. Their shared home, as Owusu-Ansah describes it, is a haven of work and play and art. And sometimes a little sleep.
You attended Paris fashion week for the first time this spring. What was that like?
It was my first time in Europe, my first time in Paris. I visited Ghana for the first time in 15 years in December of last year. And when I was there, I realized how much work I’ve actually done since leaving. When I went to Paris, it felt the same way. I could feel my growth. I’m saving my coins trying to get myself back out there and do a show with a runway.
You hold down a full-time job. How many hours a week are you able to dedicate to Animated People?
I work a nine-to-five in the food and beverage industry, but I love [Animated People] so much that I’ll do my nine-to-five and a five-to-nine afterwards. Sometimes I’ll just stay up all night. I live by a real “you don’t quit when you’re tired, you quit when it’s done” philosophy.
How does sustainability fit into your ethos?
I started by making used clothes better. I don’t want to add more fabric to the world than what already exists. I don’t want people to come to me looking for a full outfit. I’m more comfortable with supporting what you already have in your closet. I have some ideas about denim workshops around the city so people can bring old denim and we’ll cut them up the way we would cut our pants. I try to use or save every bit of the fabric. You never know what you’ll need.