54 | FORBES AFRICA APRIL 2020 FORBESAFRICA.COM
hada betterunderstandingof
whoandwhatthekeyplayers
androleswere,”shesays.“I
wasdeterminedtocomeback
toKenyatocreatea business
thatI couldthenoffernotjust
tothelocalconsumer,buttoa
globalmarket.”
Hersecondmajorbreak
camewithaninvitationto
presentatGenArt’s‘FreshFacesinFashion’show
atNewYorkFashionWeekin2012.Shearrived“by
myselfwithtwosuitcases,runningaroundNewYork
lostandconfused,”aftertwosleeplessmonthsof
franticsewing.
“Itwasexciting,butextremelynerve-wracking,”
shesays.“Iremembersomepeoplesaying,‘butyour
stuffdoesn’treallylookAfrican...’Theywerewaiting
forsomethingwithmorecolor,withmoreprints,
andI hadthispost-apocalyptic,nomadicthinggoing
on!AndI struggledwiththatatthebeginning– the
wholeconceptofbeingtoldI’mnotAfricanenough- andI usedtowonderwhatthatmeant.These
days,I’mlike,no,that’snotmybattle.AndnowI’m
designingwhatI liketomake.”
Shecitestheessentialimpactofopportunities
suchastheHEVAinvestmentfund,whichsupports
entrepreneurshipintheEastAfricancreativesector.
“Iwasverygratefultothem,”shesays,“forat
leastbeingpatientandinterestedinthoseofuswho
wouldnotnecessarilygetfinancialsupport,because
weareconsideredsucha high-riskbusiness.”She
nowinvolveslocalartisanalgroups,suchasbrassand
aluminiumcasters,inhercreativeprojects,andis
sensitivetothechallengesfacingcottageindustries
whosetraditionalskillsoftenlieoutsidethepurview
ofa ruthless,churning,unpredictableindustry.
“I’mcuriousabouttheevolutionofculture,and
practicesandaestheticsrelevanttoourday-to-day
lives,”shesays(seeher‘DinkaTranslation’collection,
whichtransfusesanancientSouthSudanese
iconographyintotheclippedgeometriclinesofthe
boardroomorthecocktailparty).“Retainingspecific
culturalpractices,asopposedtocopyingandpasting,
iscriticalinunderstandinghowtomanoeuvre
throughsomeofthechallengesweface.”
Shesaysthatmuchmorecanandshouldbedone
to bring these local industries into the fold. “These
I struggled
withthatat the
beginning– the
wholeconceptof
beingtoldI’mnot
African enough.A modelina
mud-wrapdress;(right)
‘a workinprogress’ by
the designer