During Wednesday’s opening ceremony of Freedom Skatepark in Accra, Ghana, designer labels Off-White and Daily Paper paid their respects to the late fashion icon Virgil Abloh with music and skate sessions at Ghana’s first-ever skate park.
Daily Paper co-founder Jefferson Osei said in a statement, “With this initiative, we hope to evolve the skate culture in Ghana to the next level and give locals a platform to grow their talents within a space that will hopefully become their biggest training ground to date.”
He continued, “More than board sports, the park will be a creative hub for young Ghanaians to come together, exchange ideas, inspire each other, and build their futures through recreational activities. They now have a place where they can be themselves, freely develop their skills together with like-minded people, and reach their true potential. Hence the name, Freedom Skate Park.”
A year ago, Virgil Abloh, Off-White, and Daily Paper teamed up with Surf Ghana, a non-profit that supports outdoor sports in the West African country, began raising funds for Freedom Skatepark to make it become more of a reality.
Abloh was raised in Rockford, Illinois, by Ghanaian immigrant parents and was heavily influenced by hip hop and skate culture.
