Ghanaian fashion designer Michael Brett Odoom says his training in marketing and visual arts shaped his approach to building a career in fashion.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz with Kwame Dadzie and Doreen Avio on Thursday, 13th August 2026, on Hitz 103.9 FM, Odoom said studying Marketing at Cape Coast Technical University helped him understand the business side of creativity and shaped the way he approached his fashion venture.

“I landed in Cape Coast Technical University and I studied marketing and that gave me the perspective of the business aspect to everything I do, it’s not just about the creativity.”

According to Odoom, marketing taught him that creating a product is only one part of building a successful business. He said creatives must also understand how to position, price and promote their products in order to reach the right customers.

“You need to be able to understand the business essence of it, so marketing opened my mind to the fact that you have to be able to position a product, give it a price, think about how you’re going to promote it and then when that is seen by the person who wants it, then there’s a transaction.”

Odoom, who co-founded menswear and fashion accessories brand The Cultured Man with his wife, Bernice Kwarteng, said his decision to pursue fashion was also influenced by his longstanding interest in creativity.

He revealed that he studied Visual Arts in high school and has always considered himself a creative person.

“I’ve always been a creative, I studied visual arts back in high school. I see things in a different light.”

However, Odoom said his path after school took an unexpected turn when plans for him to travel abroad fell through due to financial constraints.

He explained that his mother, whom he described as a German ‘borga’, had initially planned to take him abroad after his education, but that plan could not materialise.

“My mom is a German borga and she said she was definitely gonna come for me after school but unfortunately after school, she said there was no money.”

According to Odoom, the situation forced him to reassess his options and consider how he could use his skills to make a living.

“Sometimes reality check hits you and you’re like bro, what do I have that I can survive with so I realized that was an opportunity for me.”

Odoom said his entry into fashion began during his national service, when he and his then-girlfriend, now wife, Bernice Kwarteng, started making and selling ties.

“I met my wife, then my girlfriend back in school and we started off with flying ties during our national service. We honed our skills and eventually branched into clothes,” he said.

The venture later became The Cultured Man/Nateev.

His journey highlights how combining creativity with business knowledge can help Ghanaian creatives build sustainable ventures.