What Senegal Taught Me About Building a Luxury Brand- African Fashion Entrepreneurship

You’d think getting scammed, ghosted, and swindled by Senegalese artisans in Italy would’ve made me more cautious. Wiser, even. But the moment I landed in Dakar, I fell in love—with the culture, the chaos, and how beautifully they had commercialized their craft. That Senegal chapter was wild, but crucial. Before it, there was Gambia. And before Gambia, there was a dream.

I left Norway when my daughter was just seven months old. One tweet changed everything. It asked: “If you were guaranteed success, what would you do and where would you be?” Without hesitation, I knew—I'd move to Gambia and build a world-class luxury handbag brand from scratch.

Some called it reckless. I called it faith.

When I arrived in Gambia—mid-pandemic—I didn’t rush. “I just got here,” became my favorite excuse to delay any serious responsibility. But when it was time, I went all in, hunting for the best artisans across the country with my cousin. That search led me to Ndey Fatou Ceesay, a powerhouse in the creative industry who became my mentor and reality check. But even with her support, I realized: Gambia wasn’t ready—yet.

So we went to Senegal.

Senegal’s fashion industry was on another level—structured, skilled, and thriving. Within two months, I was in production. For two years, I lived inside that atelier, obsessed with perfecting our bags. But then came the heartbreak—missed deadlines, broken promises, and eventually, dragging my lead artisan to the police. No bags. No money. Just lessons.

I returned to Gambia with nothing but a dream and a flawless prototype.

This time, I built everything from the ground up. Trained artisans. Recruited a team. Signed the lease for a dusty, forgotten space that we transformed into a full-fledged production house. Today, Jarga has five full-time staff, working Monday to Friday—bringing Gambian luxury to life.

This journey has been far from easy, but every misstep, every lesson, every “almost” led me here. And now, we’re ready to show the world what Gambian craftsmanship can truly become.

African Fashion Entrepreneurship