Abrima Erwiah

Brand: Studio 189
Website: www.studiooneeightynine.com
Instagram: @studiooneeightynine

Abrima Erwiah, based between Ghana and New York, with actress and activist Rosario Dawson is the co-founder of Studio 189, an artisan-produced brand and social enterprise. Studio 189 is a recipient of the prestigious Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Emerging Designer Award, the CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability Award, the 2020 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund A Common Thread grant, and as of 2021 is a finalist in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund program. Studio 189 currently operates a store and manufacturing facility in Accra, Ghana and supports community-led projects in Africa and the US. Studio 189 works with artisans that specialize in traditional craftsmanship including natural plant-based dye indigo, hand-batik, kente weaving, and more. The brand focuses on empowerment, creating jobs, and supporting education and skills training. 

As the brand’s co-founder, Erwiah believes that fashion can be an agent of social change. She launched Fashion Our Future 2020 and has worked with corporations, NGOs, and governments in addition to developing a Master’s degree at NYU Gallatin. Erwiah is a graduate of NYU Stern School of Business and is currently studying at Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. She is a seasoned public speaker for leading organizations and universities and a published author.