Kelvin Vincent
Creative director and cultural strategist, Kelvin Vincent says Ghana’s challenge isn’t fashion — it’s how we value red carpet representation and the creative sector as a whole.
In a recent statement, Vincent argued that glamour is often dismissed as vanity, but it functions as a strategy.
“We think that glamour is vanity, but it can also be used as a strategy. Then we get upset when international audiences overlook us,” he said.
He pointed to Nigeria’s dominance on global red carpets, citing their presentation at the recent Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
“Nigerians have mastered cultural exports with their red carpet, their presentation, and their visibility. Look at how most of them nailed it at the recent AMVCA, not because they are more talented than we Ghanaians, but because they understand that perception and image is part of power,” Vincent stated.
Vincent said red carpets are often underwhelming in Ghana because the industry treats them like side attractions instead of business opportunities.
“It can be exhausting preparing for the red carpet, but it’s all part of the industry, it’s part of our culture,” he noted.
He stressed that red carpets now drive entire creative ecosystems. “If you remove red carpets from award shows, some award shows will collapse because it’s no longer just fashion anymore — it’s marketing, it’s branding, it’s global visibility, it’s a multi-million dollar ecosystem. Designers get booked, stylists get visibility, photographers, makeup — it’s a whole creative economy.”
According to Vincent, global brands watch these moments before investing in celebrities or labels.
He added that audiences remember visuals more than awards: “Let’s be honest, half of the people who are saying we should focus on the awards can’t even name Vocalist of the Year or Album of the Year from two or three years ago, but they can tell you what people wore. That tells us something about culture. Human beings, we are visual creatures.”
Vincent also pushed back on criticism that red carpets require expensive clothes, saying, “If our industry fully understood the economic power sitting on these red carpets, we’ll stop treating them like side attractions and start treating them like global businesses and opportunities.”
By Prince Fiifi Yorke