From Oakland to West Africa: Akintunde Ahmad Weaves Cultural Preservation, Transparency & Decolonization into Global Fashion Systems

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Sean 1 | Episode 6

Akintunde Ahmad is not just a designer—he’s a disruptor, a political poet, and a fourth-generation Oakland native with revolution in his DNA. As the founder of Ade Dehye, his work isn’t just about fashion—it’s about radically ethical design.

Rooted in Oakland’s legacy of political defiance and sartorial swagger, Akintunde bridges continents, weaving West Africa’s ancestral craftsmanship with a future of fashion that prioritizes sustainability, transparency, and decolonization. In this very real conversation, he lays bare the hard truths: how the global fashion industry has long profited from African labor while shutting out Black designers, and why it’s imperative for folks to build ethical, circular fashion systems that equitably center - not exploit - the continent.

But Akintunde doesn’t just talk the talk. He’s about the receipts—ensuring that the very artisans and communities most impacted by climate injustices are creatively and economically elevated. He calls on Black American creatives, visionaries, and entrepreneurs to forge real partnerships with African textile experts while dismantling the racialized capitalist barriers that keep Black designers locked out and the global diaspora disconnected. (Hello F.U.B.U) 

This isn’t just about clothes—it’s about global community, cultural preservation, and a revolution in how we communicate, connect and create.

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MORE ABOUT AKINTUNDE

Born and raised in East Oakland, CA, Akintunde Ahmad is an entrepreneur who centers equity in all of his work. After graduating from the Oakland public school system, Akintunde earned a BA in Sociology from Yale University and an MS in journalism and documentary film from Columbia University. His journalistic work has focused on racial and economic equity, and has been featured in the Atlantic, The Guardian, and Columbia Journalism Review. As an entrepreneur, Akintunde is the sole founder of Ade Dehye, an ethically and sustainably made fashion brand that is produced in West Africa. He is also the cofounder of Kinfolx, a cafe and wine bar in Uptown Oakland. When he is not working on his personal entrepreneurial endeavors, Akintunde manages marketing and communications for ESO Ventures, an Oakland based business incubator and fund that focuses on providing local Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with the confidence, competence, and capital to scale their businesses. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and walking his two Cane Corsos.

Founded in 2020, Ade Dehye is a fashion brand that draws inspiration from across the African Diaspora. We are ethically and sustainably made in Ghana. So far, all of the textiles we've used are either up-cycled, hand dyed or hand woven on the continent of Africa. Our fabrics include fugu, a woven fabric from the upper west region of Ghana; kente, a traditionally woven fabric found throughout Ghana; and Bogolanfini, also known as mudcloth, a hand dyed fabric that is made in Mali. 

It’s one thing to be Black owned, but it’s another to be 100% Black owned and operated, down to the weaving and dying of the fabric and the tailoring of the finished product. While some companies only look to the continent to be a recipient of charity or donated proceeds, we chose to invest directly into the continent and set up shop in Ghana and contribute to the country's growing economy as we build. 

 When people shop with Ade Dehye, they are doing more than just purchasing our outfits. They are investing in the continent of Africa and a young designer with the goal of showing the world what can be built through equitable investment in the Black community. While far too many fashion companies currently and historically have only sought to take away from our culture and profit, our hope is that we will continue to develop a fashion brand that you can feel royal in while simultaneously knowing your purchase supports economic growth across the African diaspora.

“Folks have looked to the continent as a business opportunity and haven’t really been sincerely invested in the wellbeing and longevity of the people.”

— Akintunde