Kwasi Paul’s Keepsakes Collection Revives Childhood Memories
For Spring 2026, the Ghanaian-American brand favored by Colman Domingo, Leon Bridges and Caleb McLaughlin turns back the clock.
Remnants of our past always have a way of reappearing in our present but, that is the beauty of life after all. Our world is formed by figments of our younger selves that’ll inform the ways in which we navigate the nuances of life – the good, the bad and everything in between. When it comes to our childhood, it can often be a mix of the two – that’s the human experience – but, in the latest Kwasi Paul line, Keepsakes, by Sam Boayke, the brand shines a light on the touching, transformative moments that defined his youth and now, his new Spring 2026 collection.
Keepsakes is more than a collection of traditional Ghanaian tailoring matched with meticulous craftsmanship, although that in and of itself is incredibly remarkable – and impactful – as one would expect from its founder. It’s a love letter to the cherished childhood memories that New York native, Boayke, holds dear, and it more importantly, acts as a follow-up to his debut appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Exhibit last year. After showcasing his cross-cultural approach to menswear for the 2025 Met Gala theme: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, Boayke returns with a new range of menswear and womenswear for the masses.
Woven in the selection’s heritage-honoring suiting and diaspora-infused artwork are subtle yet significant references to Ghanaian folktales and ancestral narratives that colored his childhood bedtime stories. The storytelling spirit of Anansi – a character in Ghana’s Akan religion and folklore – is alive and well in this array, helping Kwasi Paul imagine a world where memories are cherished and cultivated. For Spring 2026, in conversation with Hypebae, Sam Boayke of Kwasi Paul invites you to ignite your imagination and revisit the past.
Continue scrolling for the full conversation.
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
Hypebae: The theme of the Keepsakes Collection centers on memory, specifically your childhood. What core moments from your childhood contributed to the development of this collection?
Sam Boayke: It really began with family, with objects, with the quiet rituals of being a child. Visiting my grandparents in Ghana for the first time, being surrounded by cousins, playing games without structure or urgency – just presence. Sitting in my mother’s room at a young age, always following her everywhere, and just being so curious about the world.
As kids, we said that we wanted to grow up so fast. I look back like why, haha. Life felt [freer]. Barely any responsibilities. There were also the softer influences – books and my favorite shows like The Berenstain Bears, Reading Rainbow, and Mr. Rogers. Things that carried warmth. That feeling of safety, imagination, and ease.
Keepsakes is built from those fragments. The things you don’t realize are shaping you until much later.
Kwasi Paul is deeply rooted in your rich Ghanaian culture, and the Keepsakes Collection continues this tradition. For Spring 2026, you drew inspiration from Ghanaian folklore, pointedly, “the storytelling spirit of Anansi.” How did the spirit Anansi shape the narrative of this collection?
I was introduced to Anansi as a child – the trickster, clever, always thinking beyond what’s in front of him. But, what stayed with me over time was the symbolism of the spider. The act of weaving. The patience, the intention. The way a web is both structure and story. That became a parallel for the collection – how we weave fabric, but also how we weave memory. Anansi isn’t just a character here; he’s a method. A way of building narrative through process.
What inspired you to revisit your childhood and center your collection around those memories, while also weaving in aspects of adulthood?
There’s a certain honesty in childhood that gets lost as you grow. Nostalgia, for me, isn’t about looking back – it’s about reconnecting with joy. As an adult, there’s more pressure, more noise. I needed to step out of that for a moment and return to something simpler. Something freer. This collection sits in that in-between space. It holds the innocence of childhood, but it’s shaped by the awareness of adulthood.
In what ways did this collection challenge you? How did the process of designing the Keepsakes Collection differ from previous collections?
It didn’t necessarily change me, but it reminded me [that] as the brand has grown, the business side naturally gets louder and sometimes that can pull against creativity. This collection challenged me to quiet that and approach design differently. Children create without overthinking. They trust instinct. I had to tap back into that – into that inner child – and let that guide the process.
To celebrate your Spring 2026 collection, you released the “Keepsakes” short film, which dives deep into the themes of your latest work. Can you share more about the creative process behind the film?
That process was special. I worked closely with Jazira Clahar and her team – she’s an incredible storyteller and producer. What made it even more meaningful is that Anansi exists across the diaspora. With her Jamaican background and mine in Ghana, we were able to connect through shared cultural memory.
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
Kwasi Paul
We spent time in Ghana together, talking through our childhoods, speaking with our parents about what they held onto growing up. We even connected with historians to better understand folklore on a deeper level. We found this space, Elle Lokko, that felt almost surreal – like stepping into memory itself. Once we had the story, everything flowed from there.
Almost a year ago, Kwasi Paul debuted at the Met Costume Exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Reflecting on this milestone, how have you grown as an individual and brand since then?
That moment gave me a certain clarity. It affirmed that this is what I’m meant to be doing. That this is a gift I’ve been entrusted with. Since then, the growth has been less about validation and more about responsibility. How I continue to build, to tell stories, to represent something bigger than myself. All glory to Jesus Christ on that.
For more on Sam Boayke of Kwasi Paul, check out our Behind the Atelier feature on the designer.
