COURTESY OF MARYANNE MATHIAS MARCH 2016 BCBUSINESS 41
MARYANNE MATHIAS
UBC Sauder School of Business, Class of 2011
OWNER, OSEI-DURO CLOTHING
Mathias launched her first clothing
line, Hastings and Main, in 2003,
shortly after graduating from Kwantlen
Polytechnic University's fashion design
program. She sold the line on consign-
ment to various Canadian retailers
for four years before giving it all up to
travel the world. On a stop in Ghana,
she realized the country's rich textiles
were prime material for the high-end
fashion world, but the country lacked
the capacity to support an export
industry. Created in 2009, Osei-Duro
hires and trains Ghanaians to hand-dye
and sew its high-end garments that are
primarily sold in U.S. boutiques.
Getting an
MBA introduced Mathias
to the business side of fashion,
allowing her to better navigate the
supply chain, financing and regula-
tory frameworks that are integral
to Osei-Duro's business model.
WHY SHE DOES IT "I always thought it was
stupid that we have to call businesses
like mine 'social enterprise.' Businesses
should exist to help society."
•
BENEVOLENT BRANDS
Kody Baker, founder of Velometro,
and Maryanne Mathias, owner
of Osei-Duro Clothing
1 888 755 6482
sales@nitalakelodge.com
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focus
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Nita Lake Lodge
2131 Lake Placid Road
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