THE JOURNAL | In Conversation with Charlene Prempeh

Style, Stories & Self Expression from Mother & Founder Charlene Prempeh

We spend time with Charlene Prempeh, founder of the creative agency A Vibe Called Tech, author, entrepreneur, and mother. Charlene reflects on her multifaceted creative life, family, and the influence of culture, craft, and community on both her work and home.

Q: As a creative who is committed to celebrating and studying heritage & culture, how do you connect with your own heritage outside of work?

A.: Both of my parents were Ghanaian and food is absolutely central to our culture. I’ve found that it’s not so much that I replicate my Mum’s dishes, but I do consider meal-times to be almost spiritual affairs. My love language is very much based on the making and serving of considered food and I think, for me, that embodies a key part of my Ghanaian culture and heritage.

Q: Your book ‘Now You See Me’ spotlights and reveres some incredibly important black creatives who were, as you put it ‘sheathed in an invisible cloak’ - how do you, as a mother, help your children feel seen and find self-expression?

A.: My two boys are distinctly different characters. The eldest, Lucky, loves to wear skirts and jewellery and spends much of his time preparing to see a new musical. Story is obsessed with Arsenal and trains (specifically Transport for London). We’ve tried to create a household that embraces both of them by encouraging any hobby or interest they have but I think a huge reason they feel comfortable being who they are is because of the diverse cast of characters we count as friends and family. Since they’ve been able to blink, it’s been clear to them that our world is full of people from all sorts of different backgrounds who hold wildly different views and I think that’s helped them believe that they can be an honest version of themselves.

Q.: As a professional story-teller, with a child named Story - what kind of stories do you share with your family? And does your family help inspire your writing in any form?

A.: I would say that almost 90% of our books at home are from the Little People, Big Dreams series by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. I feel like they provide a portal into historic moments and sub-cultures, exploring the lives of notable people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists, but what I love most about them is how many of the stories are about resilience.

My children don’t serve as inspiration for the actual texts I write, but they do motivate me to work through the sticky moments when it all feels too hard. It feels hypocritical to encourage them to move through difficult tasks with grace while lying on the table with my head in my hands.

Charlene Prempeh

Q.: Your mother was a seamstress, how has this impacted your own style & how has having children influenced it too?

A.: Living with my Mum felt like living in a live dress up box; random bits of material could become a dress in thirty minutes and all that was needed to make that dress happen was vision. Unfortunately, I never learnt to sew but I’ve tried to adopt the idea that you can turn whatever exists in your wardrobe into a fabulous outfit by just taking some time and imagining how you want to feel.

Children can be the harshest critics and I find this helpful. I was leaving the house the other day in a sleeveless mac over a knit and Lucky looked up from his breakfast to point out that the ‘textures didn’t work’ and he was right.

Q.: Your agency; A Vibe Called Tech, branches across a multitude of creative sectors from fashion to film, music, art and beyond. What medium or artist is inspiring you most in the current moment?

A.: Literature is a huge inspiration for me, always, and I’ve read some great books by female authors lately but what has stuck is Famesick by Lena Dunham. I think as women, and as mothers, we have been told that we have to soldier through, that pain and exhaustion is normal and we are somehow not the priority in the chaos of living. Dunham’s book highlights the grave outcomes of this mindset but also provides a lifeline by showing what it can look like to take care of yourself unapologetically.