Who is Ocacia

Ocacia is an authentic modern African clothing business dedicated to creating a market for those looking for African clothing but at a designer label quality. But we believe in trade over aid and own the means of production.  That we go from victims of globalization to contributors African culture to the global market. The other important thing about Ocacia is that we are online. Our target market is people looking for sophisticated high-end African clothes. And many occasions require people to want to be dressed in the best of the best such as weddings, award ceremonies, tv appearances. There is a paucity when it comes to representing African culture at a high-end designer level. So Indians and Europeans have their clothing cultures represented at all price tiers, this is not the case with African attire. And any complex economic market must be represented at all levels. 

ONLINE FOREVER

Every trend and economic indicator shows that online is the future. And while retail shops do allow customers to touch items you will notice that almost everything exclusive and specialized is online. It just makes sense from a backend inventory pov. Because we are online and bespoke we can offer a much wider range than any other single African store.

The trend in 2020 is all about #Blacklivesmatter. But who is your money supporting? Because it is a conversation we need to have. There is this general healthy rule that "Black" Businesses need your support--true, but beyond dark pigmented skin what about African consciousness? We are not a "Black" business making branded products in China and acting as middlemen or clients. So Is that true ownership box checked also? Ocacia owns the infrastructure which makes Ocacia clothes.

And Ocacia is not only about selling random African clothes as a business solely for profit, we are invested as deep as possible in development. We work with the likes of the African Holocaust Society, This is why our clothes have deep names like Abydos and Sankara. We invest in local skill development, we have a pro-environmental outlook, and we have ethical policies on how we do business. We create wealth in African communities globally. Right now, behind closed doors, we are making some plans for the expansion of Ocacia sportswear in the UK. Creating further opportunities for African entrepreneurs. There are people who are reading this message that we have all kinds of distribution deals with in America and the Caribbean. It is all about development. Changing things, putting African culture on the map where it belongs. Because Italy has something to offer the world, Japan has something to offer the world and Africa has something to offer the world. but we do not stand on equal platforms with our offerings. So #buyblack is just the start, we are on another level of African development beyond just "Black" ownership.

Our clothes take time. In the photo do you see the rope (Sheriba) around the embroidery? It is 200 meters of rayon thread spun together by hand. That rope takes 35 minutes to carefully trace around the embroidery which itself takes 2 hours to 8 hours depending on complexity by a highly skilled West African artist. On Hugo Boss or Vuitton shirt takes 10 minutes from fabric to packaging and costs six times the price. After the embroidering we have the construction which takes 2-4 hours depending on complexity, cuffs are not made by a Plaff machine, but the traditional chalk and scissors way.

Ocacia wants to send a very strong indisputable statement 1. The modern/functional applications of African cultural aesthetic and 2. The professional cutting edge application of African business models in a technological age. And just as Milan or France carry prestige, we are putting prestige around the name African. 3. African empowerment is via trade not aid. The only way for Africans (Diaspora and the Continent) to escape being marginalized is via ownership. Ocacia is 100% owned by Africans from Ethiopia and the Diaspora.

Why is quality important to us? premium is critical to the growth of any industry. Almost every industry is top-down, and the most beautiful artwork in any country is expensive. The most beautiful African mask takes time, and as a result costs. You see when the only products Africa produces for local consumption are low-end, it has a kickback to the quality of craftsmanship available in Africa. If there is no incentive for high-end African products and everyone is just trying to turn over cents, then the industry’s creativity dies. 

NOT CHINA BUT AFRICA

It is really cool to see others do Kemetic fashion and everything conscious just like us but I will tell you one thing that they don't do like us. You see all our clothes were made by us. Not Chinese in China. That is authentic. But these Kemetic shoes and urban wear hoodies with conscious print never ever mention where their African clothes are made. So you will never see tailors or sewing machines or wounded fingers from needle strikes. Blackened fingertips from hand-washing denim. We actually at Ocacia have some real African pride because the things we show you we made here in Africa

TODAY'S KINGS AND QUEENS

Understand there are some things we will never change. Human nature works by attaching success to what we see with our eyes. So we see a rich person. How did they become rich? The job they do. How do they show they are rich to let you know to admire them? Their lifestyle; the cars their drive, the woman (more true for men) under their arm, the exotic locations you see them enjoying in their Facebook post, the house they have, the watch they wear. It has always been like this. And do not think Ancient Africa was any different. Absolutely 100% the same as those hip-hop videos. The difference is in Ancient Egypt theirwealth was a display of commodities they made and owned. So it is odd that we can speak of African this and that and think that luxury and love of adornment is negative. The display of wealth/status is human. Our only caveat is let that wealth also be on the inside. 

BESPOKE

While we allow a whole lot of customization we have to approve any customizations that our clients want. Ocacia does bespoke work, that is the opposite of tailors 4 hire who sew what you want. This reminds me of a music video shoot we did the clothes for where the artist started telling the director how to shoot the video. The director told him, either you direct it or I direct it. But take my name out of the credits. Same here. Because our clothes are carefully balanced by us. If you start messing with things integral to the design philosophy then you may be shocked how horrible the clothes come out. Bespoke means Ocacia makes Ocacia clothes for you. Just like a good director directs a film for an artist. If you like someone's style and approach, you hire them. But you go to Spike Lee for a Spike Lee film.

NO ONE IN THE WORLD

Ocacia is a unique fashion business. There is no one else in African fashion doing what we are doing. And that is a pretty bold statement. Most do ready-to-wear clothes. We already stand apart because we do bespoke clothes that you customize. But that is not the end of it b/c we are doing this online with apps in our shop to process customizations. The range of customizations we offer is way beyond most online shops (African or otherwise). Have you ever been to Levi where you can pick your inseam? The next thing is we do a wide range of clothes under the same small roof: jeans, denim jackets, formal pants, Tees, shirts, formal shirts, kids clothes all handmade. Imagine the logistics nightmare of having a sewing room that caters to this diversity of attire. The next thing is our collection does not expire so we must have fabric to cover 7 years of clothes! and manage that inventory of fabric against the website.

WE STAND FOR SOMETHING

Some will sell their soul for this green stuff. Follow the $$ and you will understand the motives behind most of this world. Poor mentally ill Kanye got dropped from Balenciaga but that is just business. When you become a threat to the $$ or the image of a brand that creates $$ you have to go. There are no morals or philosophies other than raw capitalism and loyalty to the market. This is what capitalism really means beyond just being an economic system. They play the game like chess. There is no true humanity, just politics that help get them to the $$$. Morally agnostic who ask how can we exploit BLM, how can we exploit woke, or social trends? That is their only concern. How can we look good and profit from the environment? The environment or social justice are just ladders to climb to get $$$.

The only thing real is $$. Ocacia on the other hand does not need $$ money to determine our politics. We do not need fake associations we are true to what we believe. That ultimately means in this fake world we will not get very far. Because we will not shake hands with anyone to get $$ and we will not break ties with anyone just for $$$. We are not going to "get in" on popularity in the hope some crumbs might fall off and touch our lips. If and when people support us they will be supporting something 100% authentic.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Our client service is not rooted in any ridiculous mythology called the customer is always right. The customer can only be right when the customer is right. If you order a large and we sew a small, then the customer is right. If you order a yellow shirt and we make a yellow shirt and then you complain-- you are not right. If you order a 21 working day service please do not tell us how terrible our service is after 4 days of ordering. We live in a capitalist culture which creates a false sense of what good customer service is. So regardless if you are right or wrong they will refund you and let you be "happy" that is not because they have good customer service that is because they have a system in place where they cannot be bothered with you. They are turning over so much profits that they can afford the 5% ridiculous complaints of spoilt customers. It is just basic maths. At Ocacia we are not modeled that way and we try to establish good terms and conditions and stick to the terms and conditions and values we have established. The Ocacia name and the Ocacia values dictate our quality of service. We are right and wrong by our ability to adhere to them. If any of these standards is found wanting, then we will review and replace it. But we believe in an equitable world of right and wrong, of discussion and understanding.

Fake Customer service: Which one do you prefer, to talk to a person who really cares and replies to you like an individual or a robotic response which could be generated by one of these new AI software programs, full of fake greetings "I hope this email finds you well". Now a lot of our customer service and other policies are developed based on our own experience with businesses. I personally cannot stand some generic response with fake apologies. "I am sorry for the inconvenience you received and I can assure you we are dedicated to our customer's happiness" and then they deny your complaint. Some mistakenly call this professionalism, I think it is dishonest. It is not about always making the customer happy, because that is an impossible target. but making sure the process means some basic professional standards. What is the point of a professional greeting, when the entire process is slack? 

RELATIONSHIPS

This is what a lot of our people get wrong. They manage the wrong relationships. What is not talked a lot about is the working relationships between Ocacia and all the people we need to do what we do. Our relationship between fabric suppliers, our relationship with DHL, our relationship with our clients. Just a few days ago we dropped in on our friend Faisal who makes denim jeans after he moved to a new factory. We popped in to see a brother from West Africa whose brand new store got trashed by the looting. A lot of young models and artists usually get this wrong. They do not maintain these relationships. They are often way too busy with friends on Whatsapp engaged with nonsense. We use to work with one model that as opposed to getting busy communicating with us about a photoshoot was there taking selfies by his old car. He showed up after the sun went down. By the time he arrived he did not even have the common decency to say "Sorry" or "I will be late", he just said nothing continuing to update his status. This guy is a very stupid person. Right now if we check his status he is still in a selfie with a car for the reward he gets from impressing his friends. That was that. Very silly people. How much extra money is that in a month he just lost?

Another model after a photoshoot is busy sharing the Ocacia YouTube videos and photos. Another model did nothing with their pics, not even put them as a status update. When it comes time to do another shoot who do you think we call first? But the model who always wants to know what is going down, how they can improve, are interested in fittings, etc--that is who gets the job.

POLICY CODE OF OPERATION

Any progressive company has a dyadic relationship between its clients and its own policies. Only antiquated and bullheaded companies have a unilateral way of dictating policies. Maybe they get away with it because they are big (and people have no choice but to accept them) but if our purpose is to create better business then we must not have policies that fail to be efficient. This is also why African countries struggle because of a failure to have progressive policies that make things efficient. Why should you not be able to pay your bills online? (as an example). Why does a post office only accept cash for certain things? Why does DHL allow online everything but you must then bank transfer to settle your account? Clearly, these policies are very silly and decrease the efficiency of business. 

As things happen they are assessed and policies crafted/evolved to match prevailing conditions. If we get two complaints about accessing our website--we need to investigate. If we find some people even if it is 1% are saying they ordered something and it looks different from the photo, we need to address it. But how do we address it has to do with who Ocacia is. Because we are not a photocopy machine, that goes against every single thing Ocacia was created to be. So we make sure on every single page we let people know we make handmade attire and do not a carbon copy any design--it is art made by hand. That means people have a choice--and they know what they are purchasing. We realized early on some people were ordering handmade clothes and expecting them to show up in 12 hours. How can we fix this? We understand people's concerns but we also know our capacity as a business. If we tried to make clothes that fast they will be fast, but they will not be quality. And we know the very same person that was rushing us to get their clothes would be the very person complaining about quality. And we would be liable for poor quality. So the solution is to offer different shipping times that the customer selects. If you want cheaper flat rate postage, then select the slow option. If you want Lewis Hamilton speed and Louis Vitton quality--then we can do that but at a premium cost. We just get our best of best tailors to stop everything else they are doing and focus on your clothes and then we post it by DHL express--problem solved. 

And we understand our policies from a consumer POV, as we are consumers of something. And we feel this inhumane approach is going to be the downfall of a lot of large businesses. Just like how Uber and others popped out of nowhere and destroyed the competition this is what will happen. Because people will always pick convenience over hard labor. So even if a customer/client is semi-literate we must find the best way to avoid any confusion.