Norfolk fashion designer to showcase African clothing designs

Ms Sempre moved to Norwich from London and started designing clothes after she was made redundant from her civil engineering job

A fashion designer inspired by her Nigerian heritage is showcasing her designs in a fashion show this weekend.

Jacq Sempre started making and designing clothes a decade ago, after a career in civil engineering.

She joined the African Choir of Norfolk four years ago, and was asked if she could make costumes for their performances.

"When things didn't fit me, I got a little sewing machine and I was making clothes just for myself," she said.

She says each creation holds a different meaning - from materials it has been weaved from to how it makes someone feel

The designs she will be sharing at the African fashion show have been inspired by bright colours, big sleeves and big skirts.

As a child, she said she was surrounded by colour but shied away from it for a long time.

"When I was growing up, I was bombarded with all this colour, even the plates that we ate on were colourful, everything was colourful and I don't know why I shied away from it," she said.

"I was mostly in black or really dull colours and it wasn't until I joined the African Choir of Norfolk four years ago just before the pandemic... and then my interest increased."

Jacq Sempre said some of the designs could mean "wealth of good luck"

Ms Sempre has built her business around word of mouth after she moved from London, but her passion increased when she was asked to design costumes for a show by the choir.

Within the designs she feels it is important to understand the deeper meanings behind fabrics and her Nigerian heritage.

Jacq Sempre has a workshop full of fabrics in her garden workspace

She said: "The fabrics, the patterns some of them are used for ceremonies, for rituals... they are weaved with the different materials that come from that part of Africa, but most importantly they mean something.

"It can mean wealth or good luck... so you wear it and you think blessings to people or to yourself, so it's just a message; each pattern means a positive message," she said.

She said that whatever financial position someone was in, it was about showcasing what was on the inside of that person and using clothing as an expression of that.

"Why wouldn't you want colour? I went from black to beige and I absolutely love colour now, especially on a dull day and when I see someone wearing colour, it brings a smile to my face," she said.

The fashion show takes place at The Halls, St Andrew's Plain, in Norwich, as part of Norfolk Black History Month.