Sustainable Ashin (Nobility Rites) Statement Cultural Dress of Tema Manhean, Ghana: Unravelling the Feminine Dress Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The paper reviews nobility rite (Ashin Yoo Kpeemↄ) dress styles used by women of Tema Manhean. The rationale is to discover the integral concepts, and the likely framework that can aid in sustainable fashion design practice. The subject matter of concern has not received the needed in-depth attention in previous research sequels. Thematic content analysis is used as a method in distinguishing the constructs employed in sample dress statements. Seven purposefully conceptualised cultural artefacts, their sources of inspiration, as well as influencing clothing theories used were identified. Similarly, design philosophies, strategies, cultural production, and preservation methods employed were discovered. Five insiders were engaged through snowballing to help make sense of the data collected. The consequential framework discovered fills the literature gap identified in previous studies. The important discovery gives meaningful understandings into the inherent concepts and their interrelationships, thus contributing to insights into adaptable, impactful ancestral competencies in contemporary sustainable dress fashion practices.