What Studio 189 does

Studio 189 (legal name Studio One Eighty Nine) is a private fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise founded in 2013 by actress Rosario Dawson and fashion executive Abrima Erwiah, headquartered with a manufacturing facility in Accra, Ghana and serving global customers via a Shopify e-commerce storefront. The company designs and produces artisan-crafted apparel and home goods using traditional West African techniques including hand-batik, kente weaving, indigo dyeing, and bogolan mudcloth, with artisan sourcing across Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso and GOTS-certified organic cotton from Burkina Faso. Its catalog spans Women's Apparel (primary), Men's Apparel, Kids, and Home Goods, with unit prices ranging from approximately $30 for small accessories to $2,000 for hand-woven quilts, supported by signature sub-collections such as Hand-Batik, Indigo, Kente, Bogolan, and Kofi Masquerade.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with three identifiable revenue streams: Shopify e-commerce retail sales, brand collaborations (J.Crew, Warby Parker, Yahoo, Lexus, EDUN/LVMH, Fendi, Nike, Stanley, Aqua, Surf Lodge, Opening Ceremony), and wholesale through partners including Yoox Net a Porter. The brand has presented collections at New York Fashion Week in nearly every season from Spring Summer 2014 through Spring Summer 2024 and participates in CFDA Runway360. It is a recipient of the CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability and the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Grant, and holds a partnership with the United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative. Distribution is global from the DTC site, with primary customer segments including Women, Premium/Luxury Consumers, and Conscious Consumers seeking sustainable, culturally rooted fashion.

Studio 189 is a bootstrapped, founder-led company with no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and a headcount of 11-50 employees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The technology base is a standard Shopify storefront; the competitive differentiation sits in craft technique, artisan community relationships, celebrity co-founder visibility, and sustained placement within the US fashion establishment (CFDA recognition, NYFW cadence, collaborations with LVMH-owned and Fortune-500 brand partners).

Name

Studio 189

Legal name

Studio One Eighty Nine

Website

https://studiooneeightynine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Studio 189 is a private, founder-led social enterprise (co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah) that designs and sells artisan-crafted fashion and home goods using traditional West African techniques, manufacturing in Accra, Ghana, and distributing globally through its Shopify storefront, wholesale partners, and brand collaborations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Fashion Apparel

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599)

SIC

Women's, Misses', And Juniors Outerwear (2330), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Outerwear & Cold-Weather Apparel Manufacturers (CRAAAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Apparel Alterations, Repair & Circular Manufacturing (Remake/Upcycle) (CRAAAAAO)

Keywords

• Artisan fashion brand
• Sustainable apparel
• Handcrafted clothing
• African-inspired fashion
• Ethical fashion manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Retail Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through their Shopify e-commerce platform. Products are sold at various price points ranging from accessories ($45-$895+) to home goods.
2. Brand Collaborations: Collaborations with brands including J.Crew, Warby Parker, Yahoo, Stanley, Lexus, Aqua, and others. These collaborations generate revenue through co-branded products and potentially licensing arrangements.
3. Wholesale: Products sold through wholesale partnerships including Yoox Net a Porter and other retail partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Studio 189 designs, manufactures, and sells artisan-produced fashion and lifestyle apparel using traditional African craftsmanship techniques such as hand-batik, kente weaving, indigo dyeing, and bogolan mudcloth. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform alongside wholesale and brand collaborations, with production based in Accra, Ghana. Product categories include women's apparel, men's apparel, kids' clothing, and home goods.

Product overview

Studio 189 is an artisan-produced fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah. The brand operates as a unified e-commerce platform built on Shopify, offering a comprehensive portfolio of fashion and home goods across four main categories: Women's Apparel, Men's Apparel, Kids' Collection, and Home Goods. Products are organized into signature sub-categories including Hand-Batik (hand-crafted using West African wax-resist techniques), Indigo (natural plant-based dyed pieces), Kente (traditional Ghanaian woven textiles), and Bogolan/Mudcloth items. The brand also features limited collaborations with J.Crew, Warby Parker, and Yahoo. Studio 189 manufactures in Accra, Ghana and supports artisanal communities using traditional craftsmanship techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women's Apparel Women's fashion collection including dresses, skirts, tops, shirts, pants, jackets, coats, jumpsuits, kimonos, suits, blazers, and accessories featuring hand-batik, indigo-dyed, and kente woven pieces; targeted at the primary customer segment.
• Men's Apparel Men's fashion collection including shirts, pants, jackets, coats, kimonos, suits, blazers, and accessories featuring hand-batik, indigo-dyed, and kente woven pieces.
• Kids' Collection Children's clothing and accessories including t-shirts, camp shirts, and totes in smaller sizes, made with the same artisan techniques as the adult collections.
• Home Goods Home lifestyle products including quilts, market baskets, planters, beach towels, and journals featuring artisanal craftsmanship, sold for home decor and gifting use cases.
• Hand-Batik Collection Hand-crafted batik clothing items made using traditional West African wax-resist dyeing techniques, including shirts, dresses, skirts, and accessories.
• Indigo Collection Clothing dyed using natural plant-based indigo dye, including jackets, pants, blazers, and dresses with distinctive blue coloring.
• Kente Collection Luxury garments featuring traditional Kente weaving from Kumasi, Ghana, including shirts, skirts, and coats.
• Bogolan Collection Mud cloth textiles from Mali and Burkina Faso, featuring hand-painted patterns on hand-woven cotton.
• Accessories Handcrafted accessories including tote bags, bucket hats, market baskets, raffia bags, handbags, and vote pins.
• Studio 189 x J.Crew Collaboration Collaborative women's collection with J.Crew featuring exclusive hand-batik and artisan-crafted pieces, sold through J.Crew's retail and e-commerce channels.

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UN ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative supporting ethical and sustainable fashion production and artisan community development.
• NYU Stern School of BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership supporting business education and potentially research initiatives.
• J.CrewflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio 189 X J.Crew Women's collaboration featuring co-branded fashion collections sold through J.Crew.
• Warby ParkercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio 189 X Warby Parker collaboration featuring eyewear and fashion accessories.
• YahoocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio 189 X Yahoo collaboration featuring vote-themed merchandise including t-shirts, pins, journals, and quilts.
• LexuscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with Lexus as part of CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability, including The Circular Capsule Collection.
• EDUN (LVMH)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with EDUN, the LVMH-owned brand focused on African sourcing and production.
• FendiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration with Fendi.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration with Nike.
• Opening CeremonycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLaunched at Opening Ceremony retail location; historical partnership for brand visibility.
• The Surf LodgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with The Surf Lodge.
• Okay AfricaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Okay Africa for African music and culture content.
• Yoox Net a PortercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive capsule collection for Yoox Net a Porter, a luxury fashion e-commerce platform.
• AquacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio 189 X Aqua collaboration featuring printed dresses and skirts.
• StanleycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio 189 X Stanley collaboration featuring co-branded products.
• CFDAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Grant; participates in CFDA Runway360.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brother Vellies: Brother Vellies is a luxury accessories and footwear brand using African artisan production methods. Comparable to Studio 189's accessories line: shared use of hand-craft techniques (beading, weaving, natural dyeing) and shared positioning at the intersection of African craft and luxury fashion.
• Lemlem: Lemlem is a social-enterprise apparel brand built around Ethiopian hand-weaving. Highly comparable to Studio 189: similar artisan supply chain model, similar hero technique (weaving → studio 189's kente; lemlem's hand-loomed cotton), and a shared positioning between heritage craft and contemporary fashion.
• Christy Dawn: Christy Dawn is a DTC sustainable women's apparel brand using ethical production and natural materials. Operates a similar Shopify DTC model, similar women's-dress-and-top assortment, and similar sustainability-led positioning to Studio 189.
• EDUN: EDUN is an LVMH-owned apparel brand founded to promote African trade and artisan production. Directly comparable to Studio 189: both produce fashion using African artisan supply chains and have collaborated on joint capsules — making EDUN the closest publicly-active peer in the African-inspired fashion category.

Broad incumbents

• Dôen: Dôen is a DTC women's fashion brand emphasizing timeless, ethically-made pieces. Comparable to Studio 189 in channel (Shopify DTC), customer (women, premium-leaning), and category emphasis (dresses, blouses), though without the African-craft specialty.
• Mara Hoffman: Mara Hoffman is an established sustainable women's designer brand with NYFW runway presence. Overlaps with Studio 189's runway-driven brand building, sustainability positioning, and women's apparel focus.
• Reformation: Reformation is a large-scale sustainable fashion brand with strong DTC and retail presence. Comparable to Studio 189 as a sustainable-fashion competitor addressing the same conscious-consumer segment, though at significantly larger scale and Western-focused supply chain.

Emerging players

• Akese Styleline: Akese Styleline is an emerging African luxury fashion brand producing ready-to-wear with artisan techniques. Comparable to Studio 189 as another Africa-rooted contemporary fashion brand competing for the same premium-conscious consumer.
• Fashion Bomb Daily Shop / Hanifa: Hanifa is an independent womenswear designer label with runway presence and a focus on premium occasionwear. Comparable to Studio 189 as an independently-led designer brand serving premium-conscious women via runway-driven awareness.
• Mayamiko: Mayamiko is a smaller ethical-fashion brand producing artisan-made apparel in Malawi. Comparable in social-enterprise DNA, African artisan supply chain, and DTC channel — useful as a smaller-scale reference point for Studio 189's model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/studio189nyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studio-189/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/studiooneeightynine
• Pinterestpinterest.com/studio189
• Xx.com/Studio189NYC

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Studio 189