Fashion entrepreneur and style commentator Osebo the ZaraMan has reignited debate around Ghana’s entertainment fashion standards after taking aim at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards red carpet, urging organisers to consider relocating the event outside the country if expectations around dressing are not tightened.
His comments follow the backlash that trailed the 27th edition of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards, where the “A Touch of Glitter” dress directive was widely seen as unmet. Social media conversations were dominated by criticism of several celebrity appearances, with many looks described as underwhelming for a stage of that magnitude.
For Osebo, the issue goes beyond isolated fashion missteps. He argues that the red carpet has become too loosely regulated to preserve its intended prestige, especially when contrasted with international standards he believes Ghana should be aspiring toward.
“I’d have preferred that the awards be held outside Ghana. Because you will go and buy €1,000, €2,000 worth of shoes, and someone will wear slippers and join you on a red carpet. Does it make sense?” he said.
While he acknowledged that the TGMA red carpet is not designed exclusively for celebrities, he insisted that inclusion should still be guided by style merit rather than status alone.
“The red carpet is not just for celebrities. Anybody whose outfit is of good standing can get the chance to go on the red carpet to grace. But someone wears ‘chale wote’ and just because that person is a celebrity, he will be allowed on that red carpet. To me it doesn’t make sense,” he added.
He further pointed to what he sees as a wider cultural gap in fashion discipline, arguing that the problem reflects more than just event-day styling decisions.
“It is also because the fashion sense of Ghanaians are very poor,” Osebo stressed.
His remarks have added momentum to an ongoing regional conversation about entertainment aesthetics, with many drawing comparisons between Ghana’s award show presentation and the African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, held the same weekend, which some online commentators have praised for a more polished red carpet standard.
The debate continues to circulate across entertainment circles in Ghana and Nigeria, where expectations around celebrity fashion and event branding remain a recurring point of contention.
