Christiana Afotey: Threads By Dreads

It all begins with Africa. That’s the saying, right? Well, for entrepreneur Christiana Afotey, it’s more specific than that.

- Kiara Timo

Her story begins in the beautiful country of Ghana. While she is first-generation American, she began her annual trips to Ghana at the age of three and grew up in a Ghanaian household in the Garden State, New Jersey. “My mom and dad wanted to make sure that I know where I come from.” It was that upbringing mixed with her love of the homeland that inspired Afotey to create a brand dedicated to her culture, which she named Threads by Dreads.

Afotey is all about purpose. Stating the importance of identity and connecting to the continent of Africa, she notes all that goes into picking the fabric and colors of all her designs. “Threads by Dreads is an apparel line that strives to look bold. Our passion is to help anyone feel good, not just on the outside but inside as well,” she says. Afrocentrism has been on a steep rise in mainstream culture, both nationally and internationally over the past few years, making this the perfect time to provide consumers with apparel that so heavily expresses a sense of identity, and the culture that so greatly inspires Afotey.