THE STORY OF WORKPLACE FASHION RETOLD - MEET THE CEO OF RHOLIN APPARELS, DR. LINDA DANLADI

Assertive, audacious and level-headed are words that have been used to describe this delectable young lady, Dr. Linda Danladi. Having showed perseverance in all educational institutions she has been to and having been a stellar individual in all aspects of her life, it is not surprising to see her branch out from the mainstream to bring something nouveau to the fore. 

Something avant-garde in Ghanaian fashion circles. She is the CEO of Rholin Apparels, previously Six Sigma Apparels, the premier trendy, safety apparel line in Ghana.

Margaret Fuller, the first female book reviewer in journalism, once said “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader” and same can be said about Dr. Danladi. She invested an appreciable amount of time acquiring knowledge through wide reading. This broadened her scope of thinking, including thinking outside the box, and analyzing issues, making her a solution oriented individual.

She decided in early adulthood to pursue medicine because that was what she has always been passionate about through encounters at the hospital on a personal level and experiences with ill family and friends. She did not relent on the prospects of becoming one of the best doctors in the world.

She started her secondary education at the renowned Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Secondary School in Kumasi, named after the valiant Ashanti female leader during the War of the Golden stool that signified opposition to British colonial rule. With this background, it is explicitly clear those values instilled in Dr. Danladi, which helped her carve her dauntless personality. She progressed to tertiary education at the University of Ghana (UG) graduating with an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, majoring in nutrition and food science.

After this, she ultimately went on to pursue her long-term passion at the University of Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry (UGSMD) through the Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP) in April 2013.

On her first day in medical school in April 2013, she reported to the administration building of UGSMD where something remarkable happened. Something that would go on to change the perception that it was the norm to look sleazy in safety apparel at workplaces. 

She was presented with her first white coat which was ill-fitting; she also received just one. Being a fashionable person, she resolved to get the white coat to fit and get a few more coats in addition to make going through the week easy on her since she did not have time to spare washing a coat every day. On redesigning the white coat and extensive consultation with her tailor, she came up with a masterpiece.

It was worth a display on the runway. Others saw her work, admired it openly and made purchase requests. She started with a small amount of money but Rholin Apparels has grown since its inception and since the CEO completed medical school in September 2017. It acquired notable clients in the health, oil and waste industries. She has progressed from white coats to add hospital scrubs, theatre clogs, bib aprons, bib overalls, coveralls and safety boots, to name a few, to her line.

Rholin Apparels was officially launched after four years, in January 2018 in a private ceremony in Accra that was attended by the CEO of Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Felix Anyah. The CEO of Rholin eloquently divulged how she embraced the challenge of combining entrepreneurship and medicine very well and also how she had always depended on her strong Christian roots for strength all the time. 

She mentioned her father and her late mother, as well as her pastor, Dr. Mensa Otabil as her sources of day-to-day inspiration. Rholin Apparels seeks to surpass the current standards and become the biggest distributor of safety apparels in Ghana, and Africa in the long term. It also looks to employ about 500 individuals in the next 5 years to help curb the gnawing problem of youth unemployment. The story of Rholin is a unique one, that of creative female power and growth.

Dr. Danladi believes in not being restrained by mental barriers. Giving up is not an option. Let the heart of perseverance lead.

THE CRADLE - The Birth Of A Unique Fashion Idea 

Sam Levenson the American humorist once said, "You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself".

I am terribly afraid of trying! That is acceptable, it is not a big deal. Every individual is gripped by fear at some point in their lives. Is that what will hinder you from making a move? Well, it is not a good enough reason for you to stall because only daring people leave their marks on this planet. Take a risk, you are sure to fail, and in so doing you are sure to learn how to succeed.

A journey that started off in the mind of an individual can become the reality someone has yearned to live. She tells herself this wild idea to start something trendy and nouveau is out of place and her mind repeatedly whispers pessimistic thoughts that medical school is too tough for you to branch out so block this thought out. She definitely did not listen, how stubborn was this young woman.

It was a hectic Monday morning in September 2013, with doctors rushing in and out of the medical school administration building. Everyone looked focused and immensely equipped for academic pursuit evidenced by the different shades of ill-fitting white coats and scrubs they had on, their bags with stethoscopes sticking out, laptops, electronic tablets and very little time to spare to say a hello or hi. 

It was an exquisite collection of intellectuals who looked like they were ready to make the week count. This young woman who was just settling in, it was her first year in medical school; she had arrived at the building to meet the students' association executive in charge of distributing white coats. After meandering her way through this maze of academics, she finally located the gentleman.

He looked like he had not had adequate rest from the previous night, with drowsy eyes and scruffy eyebrows and slightly unkempt hair. 

This was normal with most medical students who would usually lose sleep to their books. She got closer and told him why she was there. 

He lazily dipped his hand into a blue jute bag and pulled out a white coat, dropped it on the table while yawning and asked her to sign for it. Surprised and utterly bemused by his carefree attitude, she asked if he would not want to know her size first and if she was getting only one coat.

He just gave her a mischievous grin and told her it was of no importance since most of the coats were of similar sizes and yes, one is all she was entitled to. She pulled it out of it's packaging and slipped into it. It felt like a sack cloth; it was heavy and it was loose. Being a very fashion conscious person, she wondered what she could do to make this coat fit as well as get a couple more for the schooling weeks ahead. She was not willing to wash her coat everyday since it was not practicable.

Eureka! She exclaimed after about half an hour of thinking. She went straight to her tailor after school and engaged him. She proposed he sew a couple more of the coats for her once he gets the one she picked up to fit to her specifications which she provided him with. The tailor was a bit hesitant because he had not ventured the territory of white coats before. After some convincing he took on the challenge. She picked up her coats later and they were a perfect fit. 

She felt like a queen when she donned her coat the next day. She felt great in her own skin. She could see the eyes admiring her new look. A few people were bold enough to approach her and find out where she got her white coat styled. This was when the idea of a fashion line started brewing. With some cedis from her savings she started making white coats for her colleagues.

She was the real deal. She was as daring as it gets with a young, ambitious woman. She approached companies and institutions even when she had no office. Her confidence led the way. It was a bit rocky after the first year especially financially but she trod on. 

She was able to build a portfolio of great clientele because of her persistence. Then came the inevitable question of how to combine these two tedious career paths of being an entrepreneur and a medical doctor.

She had medical school to deal with first. It was not much of a problem because she found an appropriate way to combine both without any slips.

She continued to do business and broaden her horizon. She got clients outside the health sector. She began supplying coveralls and industrial boots in addition to the line of white coats and hospital scrubs and theatre clogs. It must be said that final year in school was quite taxing but of course her tenacity spurred her on.

Today we have a unique brand, an avant-garde fashion line in the name of Rholin Apparels, which started off as Six Sigma, a name which was not so friendly to the tongue. 

Despite the financial constraints and the many barricades that Rholin has been faced with since 2013, it has finally been launched in spectacular fashion in January, 2018.

It is here as a revolution in workplace fashion. It is carving a new path with respect to our daily appearances while providing goods and services to individuals and corporate entities. 

Until something is actually done, people usually tell tales of how impossible it is. This is a story of perseverance and focus, a story of style and elegance; this is the story of Rholin Apparels.