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 Photograph by Rodney Quarcoo She is young, intelligent, funny, witty and beautiful - and she’s our Obaahemaa of the month. Renée Q. Boateng is an enterprising young woman who followed her passion for “Style” and launched her own brand, RenéeQ in 2006 to create both custom and ready to wear fashion accessories for the New Woman.
The St. Rose’s Secondary School and University of Kent graduate briefly pursued a career in the corporate world after coming out of school. She worked for Gillette UK as a Human Resource Specialist and in November 2005, moved to Ghana where she continued to hone her business skills in the banking industry.
The transition from the corporate world to the creation of her own fashion brand was a fairly organic one for her. “Accessories have always been my passion. From as long as I can remember, I have bought and customized clothes, bags, and most especially, jewellery. I believe accessories speak a lot about one’s personality and can make or break any outfit. Accessories can lift up the dullest of clothes and the right combination can transform even the most boring outfit into and outstanding statement.” The RenéeQ brand was born out of a natural progression from accessorising herself and friends. “I wanted to provide my clients with an alternative to the silver, gold and traditional beaded jewellery that was widely available on the market. Seeing how rich in colour our local fabrics are, I saw that a new twist on accessories would compliment them more and make most out of one’s outfit.’
She saw the opportunity there and took it. “I identified a gap in the market for colourful good quality, value for money accessories and moved strategically to fill the void.”
She has for the past two years been designing a fashion accessories line that ranges from necklaces, pendants and earrings, bracelets, anklets etc in a wide array of materials some of which include Freshwater Pearls, Crystal, and Traditional and Contemporary beads.
She however didn’t stop there. In 2007, she graduated from the London School of Beauty and Make up as a certified International Make up Artist. Now, she offers make-up services to bridal parties, models, photographers, advertising agencies and fashionistas looking to accentuate their inner beauty with an outer glow.
Renée has yet again expanded her repertoire to include a clothing line. At the time of writing this story, she was in the process of launching RenéeQ Bespoke, an elegant line of bead embellished tee shirts with an African Twist.
Her advice to other young women who have dreams of launching their own creations, “Have a sound business idea backed with a good business plan, loads of patience and perseverance. Be original with your ideas and have a goal to work towards regardless of any negativity or setbacks you may face in the process. Be humble enough to learn from those ahead of you and mistakes you may make along the way. Most of all put God first.”
Visit the ReneeQ website: reneeqb.com
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