What Studio 189 is known for
Co-founded in 2013 by actress Rosario Dawson and former Bottega Veneta executive Abrima Erwiah, Studio 189 runs a manufacturing facility in Accra, Ghana, working with artisans on hand-batik, natural indigo dyeing and kente weaving. The brand won the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative Award in 2018.
Studio 189 was founded in 2013 by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, a former Bottega Veneta executive, after the two connected through their shared work with One Billion Rising, a global campaign against violence toward women. The name reflects the brand's aim to build a fashion company rooted directly in African manufacturing rather than sourcing from it at a distance.
The label operates a manufacturing facility and store in Accra, Ghana, alongside a New York store and e-commerce site, and partners with artisanal communities across techniques including natural plant-based indigo dyeing, hand-batik and kente weaving. Its stated mission centers on job creation, skills training and education within the communities it works with, alongside partnerships with bodies such as the UN's ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative.
The brand's approach has drawn industry recognition, including the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative Award in 2018 and a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund grant. Erwiah has since also taken on a director role at Parsons School of Design, continuing to link the brand's commercial work with fashion education.
Best for — Social-enterprise fashion made in Accra using hand-batik, natural indigo and kente weaving
Where next
- Atma Alam Batik Art Village — Malaysia
- Marrakshi Life — Marrakech
- o19 Concept Store — Germany
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement