Isatou Secka Turns Her Father’s Weaving Tradition into a Modern Gambian Brand

A childhood spent beside her father’s loom has grown into a business that Isatou Secka hopes can carry Gambian craft far beyond the country’s borders. The founder and Creative Director of Secka Unique Glamour says weaving is at once family heritage, a livelihood and a way to keep cultural identity alive while creating opportunities for young people. Secka learned the craft by watching her father weave and accompanying him to sell his fabrics at the market. She later worked as a civil servant, but the early lessons stayed with her. Seeking to build on them, she trained in sewing at Ida’s Idea and began exploring how traditional Gambian textiles could be used in more than ceremonial clothing. Her aim, she explained, was to make the fabric part of everyday life. Secka wondered why it could not be turned into contemporary garments, bags, accessories and other useful items, much as textiles from other countries have become recognisable brands. Her father remains her principal inspiration, while preserving Gambian culture and presenting it to wider audiences also drives her work. Secka Unique Glamour now makes clothing for men and women, along with bags, notebooks, gifts and accessories. The business sells from a shop at Pipeline, near the Lebanese School, and reaches customers through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, according to the article. The entrepreneur has taken her products to exhibitions and trade fairs in Senegal and Nigeria. Meeting makers who promote goods rooted in their own countries strengthened her conviction that Gambian businesses can also compete abroad if they believe in their products and maintain standards. Secka says she wants the company to take the Gambian name onto international platforms by producing locally and attending overseas fairs.