Stacey Bafi-Yeboa, 30, Owner and designer of Kania Clothing
Stacey Bafi-Yeboa the sole owner and designer of the clothing line Kania (Ka-knee-ah) meaning light, was born and raised in
Photo by: Jenifer Lapierre
film, cruises and car shows. By the age of 20, she was on Broadway doing Saturday Night Fever. Even though Yeboa flourished as a dancer, her abilities go beyond the realm of dance, as she now spreads the light by running a successful clothing line with the message that clothing can be comfortable yet still fashionable. “My whole mission is to make clothing that is very comfortable and that women can exude radiance while wearing it. I also give a portion of my proceeds to charity which is another way that I help spread the light.” Although Stacey dedicated herself and trained in dance, she always knew that she had a love for fashion. “My mom always had a sewing machine at home so I was able to sew all the time. I’m a performer, I danced on Broadway, I've done films and stuff like that and so I've always been making clothes for myself to go to auditions. People kept asking me where I got it and so that’s how I developed my line.”
For many years although Stacey had not yet created a clothing line, this self taught designer always seemed to be making and creating clothes for herself and other people. “I always wanted to go to fashion school. I took a course in high school…I knew I loved fashion since then but I never went into fashion school, post secondary because I went into dance. I've always designed dresses for people since I was young.” Stacey feels that her inspiration can come from many sources and at any time of day. She believes that she, “can feel inspired by just seeing someone walking down the street; it can be anything that inspires me, new people, new places.” Stacey has a distinct way of ensuring comfort and fashion for women as she designs all of her clothing on herself. “A lot of designers design on a dress form which is a kind of model size but I design on my body. Essentially, I get my fabric, I have an idea for what I want and I design it on my body. I find it works a lot better because I know what I want for my body type. It really translates to an actual real life woman and how they want to dress and how they want to feel comfortable.”
The event that I had the opportunity to attend called Flaunt Ottawa had 30 independent designers and a portion of the event proceeds went to the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and 100% of all silent auction items went to the centre as well. Every year, Stacey chooses a charity to give a portion of her clothing line sales, as well as the event, the foundation that she has decided on this year is the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Her decision to give to this foundation was inspired by an encounter with a woman who received an artificial heart from the foundation. Stacey was at her booth when a fashionable woman that frequently purchases Kania clothing during her One of a Kind shows in Toronto, had explained to Stacey how she loved Kania due to its level of comfort and the ability to still look fashionable while wearing it. Stacey felt honored by this and from that point made the decision that this would be the charity that she gave too.
Stacey’s advice to other young entrepreneurs is “I think the whole thing is to just go for it and to really feel one with your product and feel confident. If you don’t love your product, you won’t be able to sell it to other people…You have to exude that passion towards things and you have to stay focused…It may not come easy at the beginning but to just keep going for it.”
If you would like to know the store locations or any further information about Kania, you can go to http://www.kania.ca/
Written by: Jenifer Lapierre
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