VOA常速英语2020--加纳服装品牌Selina Beb突破时尚界界限（在线收听）

That’s out to be a lawyer.

So I studied law in the UK, but I didn’t like it.

After my degree, I abandoned the law team,

and went into the media and did another degree in Communication.

So I was working in the media, and in Ghana I moved there from England in 2008.

Yeah, working on radio specifically and doing some radios shows and music shows.

And when I moved back to Ghana in 2008, I noticed the African print accessories in every household.

Everyone was using African prints for all sorts of things, you know, for bags or jewelry, not just for clothes.

You know, initially or in the past African prints we just use for clothes.

So I thought, wow, that’s interesting, especially their bags.

It interested me because I wasn’t used to seeing bags being made with African prints,

and too adorable as well and stylish and nice,

so I started using that lots of those African bags, and people always complimented me,

and say: They’re really nice, can I buy from you?

Do you make them yourself?

I need them because I was always good enough when you bring back, like what I’m wearing today is quite shiny,

like with my elbow and you can see me with accessories.

You make these accessories yourself?

Yes. Very good.

So you know you accessorize your clothes and then all of a sudden they become interesting.

They go from boring into interesting.

How has it been?

I started very small.

When I started, I can’t afford to get rent for shops.

So I was working on radio saving money and then buy raw material to produce the bags,

and then I used the stuff on my car, boots.

I’ve put the products on my back, in my boots,

then after my radio show I’ll go of meet up clients to sell to them.

So I started with very small capital

and it was more like a hobby,

but with time the business starts growing.

There was more interests.

I was already in market and then I expanded

and a year later I rented my first shop.

This is where we are right now.

It is actually my second shop.

I just moved here last year.

I used to have a smaller shop for six years.

What has it taken to get to this level?

A lot of hard work, lots work, lots of challenges, with taking lots of money as well.

It’s not been easy, it’s been very challenging,

because finding skillful workers is my biggest challenge to actually produce the kind of quality I want.

Yes, but with perseverance and determination, this is quite we are now…

How our customers are responding to someone by using the incredible designs that I see around here?

There is what has been good.

Yes, just like any business, there are times of seasons where business is really good,

and then sometimes it’s a bit slow, but most of the time its good.

I used to be just accessories, like I mentioned,

I started with just the bags and then I introduced footwear and jewelry.

So for six years it was just an accessories brand.

I was just being mainly accessories, and people love them.

But my customers sometimes ask for clothes,

because they said we wanted to shop in a one-stop shop,

where we come and we come fine clothes and accessories to go with them.

So last year when I moved into this shop I decided to add a clothing line.

It’s already included a line to my range.

What has been your single most selling item for example?

It’s not the bags, yeah, first one I used to sell is a beb making clothes,

so…yeah…gradually catching on and liking the clothes.

But most people come here with the mindset I’m great for bags and accessories.

As we’re talking earlier you talked about you had a personal reason why you went to into fashion,

you wanted something that fits you, something that looks good on you.

That’s why you decided to do this kind of fashion level, right?

So maybe talk to me about that.

My clothing line, the reason I started a clothing line was not just because my customers were asking for it,

but I had a challenge as the classic size woman finding clothes in my size,

and a lot of people want my size as well,

tell me they find it difficult finding clothes size.

So that was another inspiration or reason I started a clothing line.

And so because of that my clothes come up in big sizes as well,

you know, we do UK size 8 to 22,

so women who own the like sizes as well can also find clothes from our shop.

That’s inspiring to a lot of women,

because I’ve run into women who almost go crazy because they can’t find what to wear.

There are very few shops that cater for them.

Because I also get annoyed when I go into a shop and I can’t find my size,

because I feel like women come in all shapes and sizes.

Why must it be only for those on the thin size?

You know we the plus-size, we may also deserve to get nice clothes,

not just big sizes about actually nice stylish clothes.

because most of the time you find out as a big woman when close in your size, they are boring.

You know, so I make sure I do interesting clothes for we the plus-size women as well,

so we can also look stylish.

那就是当律师。

所以我在英国学习法律，但我不喜欢它。

拿到学位后，我离开了法律团队，

然后进入媒体行业，获得了传播学的另一个学位。

我在媒体工作，2008年我从英国搬到了加纳。

是的，专门在电台工作，做一些电台节目和音乐节目。

当我2008年搬回加纳时，我注意到每个家庭都有非洲印花饰品。

每个人都用非洲的图案做各种各样的东西，你知道，包或珠宝，不只是衣服。

你知道，最初或过去我们只在衣服上使用非洲印花。

所以我想，哇，真有趣，尤其是他们的包。

这让我很感兴趣，因为我不习惯看到非洲的印花手袋，

太可爱了，又时髦又漂亮，

所以我开始用很多非洲包，人们总是称赞我，

会说：它们真的很好，我能从你这里买吗？

你自己做的吗？

我需要它们，因为当你带回来的时候，我总是足够好，就像我今天穿的衣服很闪亮，

比如我的手肘，你可以看到我戴着配饰。

这些配件是你自己做的吗？

是的。很好。

所以你知道装饰你的衣服，然后突然变得有趣。

他们从无聊变成了有趣。

发展得怎么样？

我从很小的地方开始。

刚开始的时候，我付不起商店的租金。

所以我在电台工作、省钱，然后买原材料来生产包，

然后我把这些东西用在我的车上、靴子上。

我把产品放在我的背上，放在我的靴子里，

然后在我的广播节目结束后，我会去见客户，把产品卖给他们。

所以我从很小的资本开始，

这更像是一种爱好，

但随着时间的推移，业务开始增长。

有更多的兴趣。

我已经走向市场了，然后扩大了，

一年后我租了第一家店。

这就是我们现在的处境。

这实际上是我的第二家店。

我去年刚搬到这里。

我以前有一个小商店，经营了六年。

怎样才能达到这个水平呢？

很多艰苦工作，很多工作，很多挑战，还有很多资金。

这并不容易，很有挑战性，

因为要生产出我想要的那种质量，找到技术熟练的工人是我面临的最大挑战。

是的，但是有了毅力和决心，这就是我们现在…

使用我看到的这些精致产品设计的客户反应如何？

这就是好的一面。

是的，就像所有的生意一样，有旺季，

有淡季，但大多数时候都是好的。

我以前只是配饰，就像我提到的，

我从包开始，然后引入了鞋类和珠宝。

因此，6年来，它只是一个配件品牌。

我只是做配饰，受到广泛欢迎。

但我的顾客有时会问我要衣服，

因为他们说我们想要一站式购物，

我们去哪里，就会带着漂亮的衣服和配饰去哪里。

所以去年我搬进这家店的时候，我决定增加一个服装系列。

我的经营范围内多了一个系列。

例如，你最畅销的单品是什么？

不是包，是的，我以前卖的第一个是Beb品牌制衣，

所以……是啊……渐渐地喜欢上了这些衣服。

但大多数来这里的人都有这样的心态：我很适合买包和配饰。

就像我们之前说的你说你进入时尚界有你个人的原因，

你想要适合你的，穿戴后看起来漂亮的。

所以你才决定这么做，对吧？

也许你可以跟我谈谈。

我创立服装品牌的原因不仅仅是因为顾客的需求，

但我遇到了一个挑战，因为穿常见尺码衣服的女性可以在我这里找到衣服，

另外很多人也想在我这里找到合适尺码的衣服，

告诉我他们发现很难找到衣服的尺码。

这是我创立服装品牌的另一个灵感或原因。

正因为如此，我的衣服尺寸也变大了，

你知道，我们在英国有8码到22码的衣服，

所以在这个尺码范围内的女士可以在我们店里买到衣服。

这鼓舞了很多女性，

因为我遇到过一些女人，因为她们找不到合适的衣服尺码而感觉要发疯。

为他们服务的商店很少。

因为当我走进一家商店却找不到合适我的尺寸时，我也会很生气，

因为我觉得女性有各种各样的身材。

为什么只有那些身材苗条的人才能买到合适的衣服呢？

大码也应该有好看的衣服呀，

不仅仅是大码的漂亮时尚的衣服。

因为大多数时候，当你发现一个和自己身材差不多的大块头的女性都有此类烦恼。

你知道，所以我要确保我也为大码女性设计有趣的衣服，

这样我们也可以看起来很时尚