Beyond the Frames: Meet the Entrepreneur Who Wants a Historic African Tradition to Make Everyone See Themselves as Royalty
Roxanne Gyamaa Amihere is a self-made businesswoman born in the United Kingdom and raised in the Ashanti region of Ghana. She is currently the founder and CEO of Roxci Bijoux and Roxci Essentials, two African-inspired lines – one focusing on handmade accessories and the other focusing on beauty and skincare. In addition to running Bijoux and Essentials, she is currently pursuing a LLM at Birmingham City University in Birmingham, England. She aspires to become a solicitor while still maintaining her businesses, which are both based in Ghana.
Fun fact: Roxanne is fluent in Mandarin having studied at Tianjin University of Technology in China for two years.
What led you to want to take the entrepreneurship route? Why did you choose the specific products that you chose to sell?
Entrepreneurship has always been a destiny calling for me. I come from a strong background of women so leadership is second nature to me. I started working with luxury brands in London after my first degree and I realized my ability to market and sell in Mandarin was my USP and also a gateway to entrepreneurship.
Talk to us about Roxci Bijoux? What inspired you to want to create this accessories line?
I've always looked for a brand that strongly identifies with African Ashanti Royalty. Growing up being African wasn't really the coolest so African Ashanti Accessories from the colorful kente to the golden chains to the Ohemaa [queen] sandals and having the opportunity to make people from every walk of life see themselves as royalty has been a dream come true.
It appears the entrepreneurship bug bit you more than once. Why Roxci Essentials?
Growing up with eczema as a child I really had to choose moisturizers that cater to my dry and oily sensitive skin. Our family brought back shea butter from Ghana to the United Kingdom and its golden texture, its healing properties and the smell of shea butter always appealed to me. That's how Roxci Essentials was born.
What have been some challenges you have faced? What about rewards?
Time. Content. Sleep. The first two you have to work on more, the third one you have less of. Working on a business not one but two as a final year master's student in law is never easy but the greatest reward is someone buying your product and saying they love it or a thank you after providing a service. That has been the biggest reward.
How has being African influenced you and the business? Who are/were some of your influences?
Being African has always been a part of me. In my clothes, in the way I talk, to what I read and watch, African is me. In business, Essie Bartels of Essie Spice is a business powerhouse, her medley of spices, infusions, African cooking and the beautiful stories she tells about always being closer to her family back home in Ghana inspires me.
Get a pair of Ghana inspired Bohten frames right here!