A few months after engaging with a team of student consultants from Ashesi University, Kelvin Agyei Darko, Founder and Creative Director of AJ Vanush Bespoke, a leatherworks company that produces shoes, pouches, and bags, began to notice something different about his business.
Customer engagement increased online, more orders came in, and communication with clients became more structured. “It shows that what my consultants proposed is working to some extent,” Darko said.
How did this happen?
It began with a delayed order.
An Ashesi student who had purchased a pair of shoes experienced a delay in delivery, which led him to have a conversation with Darko on how similar issues could be prevented in the future. During their discussion, Darko apologized and explained some operational challenges affecting the business and customer experience. He also shared that efforts were already underway to strengthen operations and improve reliability.
Moved by the exchange, the student encouraged Darko to consider Ashesi’s applied capstone program. In this program, businesses collaborate with students to diagnose challenges and develop practical solutions that improve operations and enhance customer experience. Upon applying and being admitted into the capstone program, Keli Koku Dey ’26, Zion Thannie ’26, and Christine Agyeman Prempeh ’26 were assigned as consultants to AJ Vanush Bespoke.
“I came in with no expectations, but during my initial interactions with the team, I received a convincing response to a question I posed,” Darko said. “This piqued my interest, and from that instance, I was certain of very good results from this.” Working closely with the founder, the team identified several key challenges. The business relied heavily on one primary artisan, lacked a structured training process for new recruits, and had no formal documentation to guide production. Much of the knowledge required to make products existed only in practice, not in a system others could easily learn from. At the same time, the brand lacked a clear identity and a structured approach to customer engagement. Social media posts were irregular, and the website did little to support visibility or sales. Growth depended largely on referrals, limiting expansion.
