| FAQ

Hey Chaley means: Hey friend! When in Ghana, passers-by are no strangers. When you walk on the streets of Ghana, you greet friends, your chaleys! In fact: anyone is a potential friend, even though he or she is a stranger and clearly different from you. That attitude makes you realize that everyone, no matter how they look and where they come from, is the same, somehow in some way.

Why is your site and marketing in English, since you are a Dutch company?

Since Hey Chaley is a collaboration between Ghana and The Netherlands, we want to be transparent and clear to everyone who’s involved about who we are and what we do. From seamstress to jacket customer, we don’t want to be bothered by a language barrier.

Why is Hey Chaley not for sale in physical stores?

Hey Chaley is a startup and not able to guarantee year-round store stock yet. Besides, we want to keep our margins tight to offer the optimal value for money for both the seamstresses, designer, quality control, the customer and us. In physical stores, we have to work with higher margins and therefore, higher prices. However, we have a stand on markets and festivals! Keep an eye on our social media channels and website for dates and locations.

Please note: Since every single piece is unique and handmade, therefore, the quality and finishing can differ from piece to piece.

How does Hey Chaley achieve women’s empowerment?

Hey Chaley collaborates with TUMI Ghana. TUMI is a non-profit organisation that focusses on women’s empowerment in Kumasi, Ghana. TUMI has set up a training programme for young Ghanaian women by providing a Beginners and Advanced sewing classes in order to educate then in becoming independent seamstresses and entrepreneurs. The goal is to earn money for themselves, without being dependent on someone else. Hey Chaley collaborates with the girls who just finished the Advanced sewing program.

Why is the brand unisex?

In Ghana, clothing is tailor-made by seamstresses and tailors, who make the clothes especially for you with a fabric you have chosen yourself. This makes every piece of clothing a unique, personal memory. We combined colourful African fabrics with a contemporary Western fashion design: unisex fashion items, suitable for everyone.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, clothing unites and with Hey Chaley we connect cultures by our jackets.

Why does Hey Chaley work with such small batches?

Because each jacket is unique and handmade, which requires that more time is needed for the production of the collections. In addition, smaller runs guarantee better quality.

Why does the production take place in Ghana?

Because we want to stimulate local economies by connecting cultures, and Ghana happens to have awesome fabrics and this awesome seamstress education programme at TUMI Ghana.

Do you sell clothing for kids?

We sell our fashion items to anyone who fits them. Please make sure you check the desired fit in the size guide.

Can I order something custom made?

Yes, you can. Feel free to send us an email with what you might like and we can discuss the options! 

Do you sell the brand in Ghana?

Yes, in Ghana we sell our products for the production price. This is an affordable price according to purchasing power in Ghana, but doesn’t allow making profit. In this way we can provide the girls an income in between the orders we place for new collections, and makes it able to purchase the jackets locally.

Do you use the fabrics from Vlisco?

No. Interested where the origin of the African wax print comes from? Read more here.