BOSHOK Goes One-On-One With Photographer To Talk Streetwear In Ghana

Imagine a place where every color comes to life. A country where the vibrant visuals aren’t only found in the landscape and architect, but also in the people. BOSHOK’s visual manager Fredick Impraim has a gift for combining eye-catching scenery with bold fits from BOSHOK. Fortunately, he’s willing to share the recent shots he got from his trip to Ghana. The best part is that you don’t need a plane ticket or know how to speak the language. A trip or translator isn’t necessary when the vibes from the photos instantly speak volumes. BOSHOKFredick did some deep digging in Accra, the capital of Ghana, to get an idea of what the streetwear scene looks like currently, what the influences in the area are, and whether or not the scene is thriving and growing as a whole. Honestly, after speaking with BOSHOKFredick, he may need to change his title from visual manager to visionary because his contributions to the culture and brand are all helping to paint a bigger picture. If you weren’t thinking about what they were wearing in Ghana before, I bet you’re curious now. And if you are curious with a couple questions or two about streetwear in Accra, we’ve got the answers for you. 

 

 

You’re responsible for a lot of the aesthetics when it comes to BOSHOK. But you do way more than just point, shoot, then post pictures when it comes to contributing to the brand. You’re an important man at BOSHOK, describe your position and what you do.

My title is Visual Manager. My duties include designing a majority of the visuals seen online at Boshok.com, product photography, promotional photography, and ensuring everything on the social media side of things looks appealing. 

 ( Model wearing BOSHOK Man Dem Tee in Cool Blue)

Where are you currently located?

 Tucson, Arizona.

 

How did you link up with BOSHOK?

I used to do photo and video editing before, primarily for music artist in the area. It’s always been a hobby of mine. Some years back I had been at a homie’s house when BOSHOKVictor showed up with the brilliant idea to start a movement and represent the underrepresented with BOSHOK. He needed someone to handle the imagery and asked if I was available to be that guy. 

 

What initially drew you to streetwear growing up? 

What drew me to streetwear is what draws a lot of people to streetwear, the message. For me to get behind the brand it has to be more than just about the clothes. The clothes are cool, but the message is most important, and BOSHOK is about the message. 

 

Not many people realize the great results that can come from having photoshoots in lesser shot locations. Everyone has seen New York and other major cities shot plenty of times before, but you actually put some thought into things and realized the capital city Accra in Ghana was a great location. What was is it like shooting there? 

It was great. There were some challenges, as expected. But overall the shoot went very well. Accra is a beautiful city. The first thought when anyone hears anything about Africa they automatically think it’s like what they’ve seen on TV. But it’s not. There’s modern infrastructure, malls, and beaches. You can get a feel of that in the photos I took.

 

 

What places did you shoot?

I shot multiple locations. One of my favorites was Independence Square. It’s an area where they hold important events like presidential inaugurations. Just imagine being able to have such an important place as a backdrop. It would be like shooting in front of the White House here in America. The security officers that allowed us to take the photos were very pleasant. The other major locations I shot at was Cape Coast and Sir Charles Beach in Winneba. But the photoshoot almost didn’t happen due to the original local photographer that I had paid to help shoot not showing up with a camera, and then expecting to use mine. 

 ( Model wearing BOSHOK Buffalo Soldiers Longsleeve in Red)

Wow, that’s wild. It's pretty hard to picture the streetwear scene from a place that I've never been to before, can you give the rundown of what you saw in Ghana? What’s everyone wearing? 

Not many people ride trends in Ghana. If you see someone with a particular brand, more often than not, it means something to that person. And that’s the reason why you’ll still see a lot of 90s era clothing like FUBU, Adidas, and Sean John still being worn in Ghana. Notably, there was a big 90s trend recently here in the states, but for the streetwear scene in Ghana, it wasn’t about going to your local Urban Outfitters and picking up these brands for a quick vintage vibe fix, each article of clothing means something. 

 

Where is everyone buying their clothes? 

The Accra mall is a pretty popular place to purchase clothes at the moment. Also the Art Center for anyone looking to mix a couple of ready-to-wear Kente pieces into their fit. 

 

If you had to put your finger on the most influential factors that shaped the streetwear scene in the Accra area, what would they be? 

Everything has changed since the introduction of social media. Social media is a huge influencer because it showcases a mix of what musicians, sports stars, and what someone into the streetwear scene’s personal international friends are wearing. Just the ability to see what fútbol players like Didier Drogba, Paul Pogba, and Kylian Mbappe are wearing off the field is huge. Musicians also help shape the scene whether they’re international like Wizkid, or local favorites like Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale. 

 ( Model wearing BOSHOQ Racerback Tank in Turquoise)

Cultural expression is big in streetwear, how does traditional Ghanaian wear fit into that?

Like I had mentioned before, Ghana isn’t into getting something “hot and new” just for the sake of it being “hot and new.” A lot of the fits lean towards traditional cut-and-sew Ghanian garb instead of the average screen printed shirt that can be commonly found almost everywhere. Everyone has a lot of pride there. Cheerful people and cheerful colors everywhere. 

 

Do you think the scene has potential to evolve?

I definitely believe the streetwear scene is growing and always evolving. It has a lot of room to really create something unique by blending conventional attire with some of the silhouettes seen in modern streetwear. 

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