Mrs Felicia Maku Quaye, a seamstress, on Monday called on Ghanaians, especially women, to be modest and decent in their dressing. Mrs Quaye, Leader of Dansoman Zone of Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association (GNTDA), made the call at the launch of the 20th Anniversary and Graduation celebration of the Zone in Accra. She explained that the theme for the celebration; “Projecting the Ghanaian Culture in Decency and Modesty, ‘Aketesia’” had been chosen to educate members as well as their customers to embrace the value of decency and modesty in their dressing. “Our aim is to educate our membership and the citizenry that decency and decorum should not be sacrificed at the altar for what is in vogue and in fashion,” she said. Mrs Quaye urged young women not to dress in a manner that would expose vital parts of their bodies, adding that the Akan term “Aketesia” literally meaning ‘covered to hide,’ is used for “a young maiden who is expected to show modesty and decency in the way she dresses.” The month-long celebration would include a clean-up exercise at Dansoman on February 14, Fashion Show on March 5 and the anniversary graduation ceremony on March 12, 2011. Mrs Quaye noted that membership in the zone had increased from a few to about 280 members. She said with the support of Ghana Standards Board (GSB), Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), INNOGATE Incorporated, Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund(BUSAC) and other stakeholders, members of the Association had trained more than 1,440 apprentices. She stated that within the next five years, membership of the association in the Dansoman zone would increase and the standard of performance would improve adding; “Our standards will be the yardstick for fashion in Ghana”. Mrs Elizabeth Adetola, Acting Deputy Director (Core Services) of Ghana Standards Board, launching the celebration, urged the members to learn more about the Ghanaian culture to be able to project it through their designs. “To project our culture in fashion, we have to understand it and find ways of projecting it through trends,” she said. Mrs Adetola noted that the modesty of an individual was enforced by the environment one lived in and urged them not to relegate modesty to the background in their profession. She said it was the responsibility of tailors, dressmakers and fashion designers to educate their clients on what dresses were appropriate for various occasions. GNTDA was established in 1979 to provide practical training to youths in the country, solicit funds and engage in business advocacy to improve working conditions for members. About 6,000 apprentices graduate annually nation-wide. Source: GNA