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XORLALI PLANGE.

Xorlali Fiamafle né Bart-Plange, (born on 13th April, 2000) is a young Ghanaian Fashion Designer, a final year Costume Design Student, a Student Playwright, Event Decorator and Tutor in Fashion and Design. His most popular works include; most recent Ready-To-Wear collection named “Abesiriwa Label”, Fashion Clinic Masterclass and his regular Bespoke Tailoring and Garment Construction shop. He has recently been nominated by UMB Ghana Tertiary Awards as Best Student Entrepreneur in 2020.

PLANGE is young multitalented Fashion Designer with three years professional experience in Bespoke Fashion Design Literacy, Fashion Business and Garment Construction.

Plange started his Fashion Career after high school, Pope John Senior High School & Minor Seminary as a simultaneous quick decision to get busy upon giving up on Make-Up Artistry and Event Decoration. Having started his minor Event Décor business at age 15, he’s noted as one among few Ghanaians that started work from childhood. He started Make-Up Artistry in 2016 and branched into Fashion in 2017 right after leaving school with West African Examination Certificate, with which he enrolled in University Of Ghana’s School of Performing Arts. He holds Basic Certificate in Fashion and Designing from Bluecrest University College’s School of Fashion. Acknowledged by numerous clothing lovers as one young man with a wide personality trait and has a record of a long list of satisfied Bespoke Clientele base, recognition gained in a rush, with clientele succeeded among well groomed society women and career women all over Accra and in Kumasi.

He is currently reading Costume Design in Theatre Arts at the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon.

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER

Plange was raised mostly in the Eastern, he lived around Nsawam and Dansoman a great deal of his life, and spent three years in Koforidua during his high school days. He had been raised by a single mother, a teacher whom he finds close warmth and credits her as the biggest investor in his Fashion Career, he attributes his sense of active feminism to the extended maternal family home in which he was partially brought up as a feminist home, and as the only grandson among fourteen gran children. . He has been a child writer, soprano singer in the Church choir, a paper artist for clothing and a stage actor, having starred in numerous plays and designed costumes for over twenty stage productions in Efua Sutherland Drama Studio, Ghana National Theatre and Alliance Francaise. Often, with an initial uproar and negativities about his gender identity and sexuality issues, Fashion was one of the things he didn’t get enough approval for. Known as a strong willed individual who describes his own childhood as one of a very stubborn moment, he would wear polythene and spend up-keep money on clothing items. All these in turn may have given clues as to why Dressmaking became a passion.

Although Fashion Designing was not in his plan as he initially aspired to be a Runway Coach and as such didn’t have enough interest in University Education until he finally picked Fashion as a career, where he felt the need to network and build a clientele at a higher institution of learning who would eventually become celebrities and Investors and seekers of good Clothes.

Plange is currently a student in the University and tops up his passion with Writing drama, good oral skills and effective communication. He boasts of several satisfied clients whom he makes customized items for around and way outside University of Ghana campus, notable among his clients are Head of Departments, Lecturers, Veteran celebrities, corporate workers, business women, high society class women, politicians and many more network officials; that, he considers a swift move and quick rush in his three year old business.

FASHION CLINIC MASTERCLASS

Fashion Clinic is one of the initiatives Plange ever considered a goal, a driving passion in teaching and to teach courses related to his field and knowledge in Fashion and Design and Art. The Fashion Clinic in its early stages have five enrolled participants who read vital topics in Fashion Literacy, Basic Design Arithmetic, History of Fashion, Fashion Business, freehand Fashion Illustration and Garment Construction.

The inception of the course had been a great deal of stress and calls it worth it at the end, considering moving work places for three different times within six months to finally operate in its current Metallic Shop at the University Of Ghana Staff Village. In the same space, he runs his RTW, Bespoke and the class, and looks forward to begin a clothing charity program for poor people in few years.

RTW, ABESIRIWA LABEL by X.ORLALI

Abesiriwa, which is an Akan lexicon which translates, ‘not young, not old’, is the name of his first successful collections to hit Accra. The pieces of clothing items used history, luxury and culture to represent a style made from three different types of chiffon fabric. Abesiriwa sterms in a history of the young designers first and second failed attempts to sell Ready-To-Wear as a new venture in his fashion career, the first to have been sold in California, Los Angeles and the second, Chicago, Ohio, both in the United States, discouraged his interest in RTW mode of business, thereby forcing him to build an effective bespoke brand. The collection is a five styled rack, namely; the Boubou from Nigeria, Somalian Dirac, Patapata from Ghana, the Housa Abaya and the Kimboubou formed from the combination of Boubou and Kimono. These distinct loose fit dresses was influence by Plange’s love and respect for feminism and cultural equity. Plange chooses six colours to create balance, hence he makes gorgeous dresses in colours ranging from very mild to deem and to dark; Canary, Lilac, Mustard, Cashew, Burgundy, and Black. Sold to more than thirty women around Accra and Kumasi. The collection was launched in Clifton Homes and shown live by CitiTV crew live on Xorlali Business page on facebook. Abesiriwa was duly publicized in beautiful photographs, modelled by five beautiful women in an Abesiriwa campaign for female inclusion. Plange brought together in his cast and will in the likes of Zeeta Asare, Abuburo Nkosuah, Helda Yussif, Amtu Akumfi Ameyaw, Barbara Addo, Razack Mohammed, Dzifa Kattah, Jedd of Zeus Studios, and other figures, some of which are the ultimate students in his Fashion Clinic. In few months, Plange plans to sell Abesiriwa on quarterly basis and even more collections for children, men and students.

XORLALI PLANGE LGBTQ+ EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM.

Plange set up this initiative in late 2020 and although yet to be implemented in Fashion Clinic 2.0 in January 2021. Formed with his informal Advisory Board. This is influenced by the status quo of LGBT people in Ghana. Plange’s own personal experience as a questionable character and having been through a lot of hate from high school in Ghana, he decide to give back to the marginalised community, in this view, this project yet to launch is an empowerment scheme that seeks to enrol one needy, unemployed and qualified LGBTQ+ young person into the Fashion Clinic on a full scholarship every year. By this an individual get to learn the trade of Fashion Design, Fashion Business and Garment Construction.

BESPOKE OUTLET

Plange currently runs and known for his Custom Bespoke casual, wedding guests, suits and bridal garments, having served over one hundred and twenty clients, notable among these clients include Veteran Actress, Akofa Edjeani, Ekow Smith Asante, Stephani Benson, single & 40 stars; Dr. Ekua Ekumah, Tiffany Ampene, Young musicians; Queen Ayorkor, Abubro Nkosuah, Kwami Nwom; he has also worked for officials from Microsoft and professors in the likes of Professor Corine Rogers, Alberta, Canada; Professor Opondo, Nairobi, Kenya; Professor Tsikata of Institute of African Studies and Dr, Sarah Dorgbadzi, Dr. Addae, Dr. Ogbeche, Abigail Atsugah, a performer, lecturer and choreographer and several other notable people in Ghana. Most of these clients he serves as personal wardrobe stylists, clothing consultant and personal lifestyle choice gallerist. His clients are one of beneficiaries of happy and satisfied wardrobe lovers who enjoys picking up their well-tailored items on Fridays.

COSTUME DESIGN WORKS AND PRODUCTIONS.

AS a costume Design student, Plange got the opportunity to costume various productions as at first year in college since the costume department enrolled just few students every year as a demanding creative course. There was the need of a costumier to satisfy the growing need of directing students from the School Of Performing Arts and as a fashion designer at the time, he filled in and worked on as many productions as was available to him. His first costumed successful production was Professor Martin Okyere Owusu’s play, a double billed production Emily and The Diary of Adam and Eve. And this, was the beginning of a host of projects and eventually performances on stage. Plange had also acted in a number of plays on both the ETS Drama Studio and the National Theatre. He also worked as the interim-intern Costume Designer for Ghana Dance Ensemble, a resident Dance Company of the University Of Ghana, Institute of African Studies; under the auspices of Dr. Aristedes Narh-Hagoe. He had also starred, written and costumed several plays from high school, Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary, having started acting in basic school, his talents had helped pushed the Drama and Literary Club of Pope John Senior high school and minor seminary. He acted in Whose Fault, a play that earned second runner up and several awards on Broadway, Ebenezer Presbyterian Hall in Accra, 2015. His own written play ‘Valentine Palava’ where he starred and won Best Supporting Actress with Harry Danking winning Best Actress at Methodist Girls’ High school annual inter-schools drama competition. Plange had also written, directed and played roles in annual inter-house drama competitions during SRC weeks in school, which had given him a portion of fame in high school.

Notable Productions include;

THEATRE PRODUCTIONS;

DANCE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

FILM PRODUCTIONS;  

Plange at 20, is a final year student in the University of Ghana known for his talents as a diligent Fashion Entrepreneur, a grade A’ costume and Writing student of the School of Performing Arts. Who is adored for combining hectic studies, business and Teaching a Fashion Clinic.

He identifies as one of the few outspoken Ghanaian queer male who believes in confidence, hard work and Education. He is a staunch member of the LGBTQ+ community movement and is vehemently non-religious.

PLAY WRITING

Plange is also a writer, written a couple of novels and drama and looks forward to publish most of them and have few performed on stage. His writings have underlined feminist activism and a notch to break hegemonic masculinity, toxic patriarchy, misogyny, transphobia, bigotry, prejudice and bias.

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