If you ever wanted to dress like African royalty, you will soon have your chance. Hemma, founded by NYU alumni Cindy Gaston (CAS ’08) and Edna Bissoon (CAS ’08), will be releasing its first collection this March. The line, a veritable hodgepodge of colors, is made primarily out of kente cloth, a fabric native to the country of Ghana, where the ladies spent the spring semester of their junior year as roommates.

The two designers discovered the royal fabric during their visit to a village that made the cloth, and both fell in love with the material. For Gaston, the fact that kente is entirely handmade (it takes 3 months to make 6 yards) was convincing enough. “There’s kente out there that’s done by machine, but it’s not as detailed. You can tell the difference. It’s not as intricate,” she said.Their preference for the handmade versions of kente is a byproduct of their frustrations with mass-produced clothing. For Bissoon, finding clothes that fit her was difficult. “I would always be altering,” she said. Gaston had issues with what stores had to offer. “At one point,” she said, “I was so tired of going in stores and not seeing what I wanted, and so I just started creating my own items.”

For this reason, customization is a key aspect of Hemma’s business plan: customers will be allowed to design their own clothing. Not only does this ensure a product suited to the customer’s taste (and body size), but it also allows for uniqueness rare in today’s mass-made trends. Each article of clothing will be its own being, so to speak, with each color and pattern telling a different story, every piece woven by a different person.

In buying Hemma products, customers will also be helping Ghanaian school children at La Yahoushua Middle School, where both designers volunteered during their time abroad. A portion of the proceeds from Hemma will go directly to the school. While the exact percentage is still yet to be determined, Bissoon and Gaston are determined to make it a “sizeable” one.

Overall, the two designers wish to bridge the gap between the West and Africa, mixing a part of African culture with Western fashion. “One of the goals of Hemma is to show and represent the fabrics from all around the world,” said Gaston, adding that there are “great quality fabrics in Africa as well.” They wish to “break the stereotypes of what people expect African-inspired clothing to look like.”

Will Hemma Fashions be a success? They certainly hope so. “We would love it to be a force in the luxury market,” said Gaston. The two designers believe that kente’s quality and longevity (and all the pretty colors) will attract future customers. In addition, their belief in bucking the industry’s trends could be a positive factor. The designers don’t want their line to “reflect a certain trend in the industry” or “be a fad.” They’d rather maintain a timeless quality, “items that people can have for a lifetime” and hand down to their daughters. “We’re definitely in it for the long run,” said Bissoon.

To follow their progress, read their blog. They update frequently on their latest adventures in the fashion industry.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user okrahoma, used under CC license.