While finding homes for 60 acrobats, preparing an order of 900 cupcakes & scheduling an opening (in 6” heels), Aba Kwawu let us hijack her office.
By Hilary Adleberg
Founder of the D.C.-based integrated marketing, PR and special events boutique The Aba Agency, Aba Kwawu always knew what she wanted to do but detoured into neuropsychology first. Born in Ghana, her family’s heritage was not the only thing intended to be passed down to her. “My dad is a geneticist. He wanted his kids to follow in his footsteps,” she shares. The turning point? While working at Lombardi Cancer Center in Georgetown, the fashion-lover read a Vogue piece on designer Lawrence Steele. “I felt so inspired by him. I packed my bags, and I moved to London.” She was the only person coming from the U.S. to get into the graduate marketing program at London College of Fashion.
After moving back to the U.S., Kwawu taught fashion merchandising at Howard University while building her business, which promotes esteemed brands like Rag & Bone and Cirque du Soleil. Kwawu says, “What we do with our clients goes beyond the event. We look to elevate their status; we look to create this feeling of excitement where people think, ‘I want to be associated with that brand.’”
One benefit of Kwawu’s influential work has been witnessing the fashion evolution in D.C. “We did the opening of Intermix … they brought the brands that a lot of people were craving right into our backyard.”
Each month get behind the scenes and find out what everyday life is really like for local VIPs.
(October 2012)