Assorted Cotton Face Masks from Ghana (Set of 3), "Grace"

"I'm an introvert, a hardworking and open minded person. My friends call me Mike. I was born into a family of artists. My father was a musician and my mother a seamstress. Several of my cousins are into fine art. Growing up, I admired the beautiful clothes my mother used to sew for us. We rarely bought ready-made clothing from the shops. She preferred to buy the fabrics and make new clothes for us.

"As an adult, I moved from tailor to tailor until I met one who could sew to my specifications. I started a journey with him for sewing most of my clothing and I felt good in it. I revisited my childhood experience of buying fabrics. What I do is come up with the design for each fabric and have him sew it.

"Once, while traveling, my host and his friends showed great interest in my African print shirts. They requested shirts sewn for them as well. I spoke with my tailor and quickly shipped the shirts to my friends when I returned.

"From this one gesture, I became involved with textiles and apparel. I had several calls for more of the shirts plus ladies' dresses, so I again chose the fabrics, the tailor made the requested designs and I paid him for his work. He is reliable and so there are no delays. I am reliving a childhood memory, which is exciting.

"I consider myself a designer and work with talented tailors who bring my designs to life. They are detail oriented and can sew to specifications; they are creative and love what they do. I personally check out the quality of the finished work. We work with mutual respect for each other and have created a very wonderful working relationship.

"I use African prints in cotton for my designs. Today we also make cushion covers, home décor items, neckties, apparel for men and women, and more. It's easy to get the fabrics in the local market and I love the unique designs we can create with them.

"I love to be with my wife and two children. I am not sure now if my children will work with me one day. My goal is to support them in the best way I can and encourage them to fulfill their dreams."