gerian descent. Her parents moved to Italy in the 1980s to study. Ubby and her sister have enjoyed the best of both worlds in terms of assimilating the fusion of Italian culture and African influences during their time in Italy. “I’m from Venice, and there were so many people from African countries, so I was always surrounded by African music, food, textiles and clothes. In 2013, I got a job offer to do my postgraduate studies in cancer research in Singapore, and I’ve been here ever since,” she said. She initially thought of staying in Singapore for two years at most, but now it’s been ten years, and she has no intention of leaving. “People are really open minded here, and it’s really a melting pot. I was really inspired by that,” she stated. Ubby soon realised that African culture was not really being represented in the island republic, as she was always looking for Ankara (African textile) materials and could not find any. She soon set her mind on creating a fashion brand that celebrated these roots. Launching the brand In July of 2017, Ubby launched OliveAnkara. “When I decided to launch this brand, it was started in a fun and passionate way, and I was not really thinking about it as a business, but just as a way to showcase my cultural roots,” she noted. Ankara, commonly known as ‘Ankara prints’, ‘African prints’, or ‘African wax prints’ is a 100 per cent cotton fabric with vibrant patterns. It is usually a colourful cloth and is primarily associated with Africa because of its tribal-like patterns and motifs. In 2021, the brand made a leap into the sustainable space with its first original prints on Tencel Lyocell fibre. This was presented in its first-ever sustainable line for women: ‘Ajo Aye 2021’ collection. Tencel, is a colour-rich, durable, and biodegradable fabric made from cellulose. It is produced from sustainably sourced wood and is certified as compostable and biodegradable, which means it can fully revert back to nature. Sustainability at its core “When I started the brand, it was very important to me not to throw away our Ankara fabrics, so that’s why I started to advocate the approach of ‘zero waste’ in our production process. We try to use 98 per cent of our fabric, and whatever is left is used for accessories,” she said. Ubby works with a small team of seamstresses in Singapore and Shanghai, and she is more comfortable creating something with quality and love, rather than quantity. Her original prints are a mixture of bold colours and designs that incorporate Asian designs too. “Our fabrics are biodegradable and compostable. It basically comes from wood. Let’s say if this fabric ends up in the ocean, in 22 weeks, it will decompose and not have any impact on the environment. We also do not use plastic, so everything is reused and recycled,” she added. The overall mission Ubby has a vision to make OliveAnkara become one of the most recognisable African brands that champions sustainability in the marketplace. For her, it’s not just about creating meaningful pieces of clothing but also creating a community of culturally curious people. “My mission is to bring joy and happiness into people’s lives through the vibrancy and colours of my culture, but I’m also celebrating the beauty of a woman so it’s also about storytelling at the end. We want people to be able to express themselves in our clothes,” she noted. She hopes to expand her brands to other markets in the Southeast Asian region, and perhaps even venture into Europe and the United States.  “My main challenge was to start this business in the first place. What I would say is, if you have a passion for something like fashion, just do it. My motto has always been, don’t have any regrets. Come out of your comfort zone. But also stay true to yourself,” she concluded.