Travel With Tamara | Kenya's Fashionistas in the Spotlight

Anyango Mpinga

Anyango Mpinga’s high-end brand emphasises a conscious consumption of fashion products. She focuses on a clean transparent supply chain that is sustainable and ethical. Anyango was selected as one of the top finalists in the 2014 competition ‘Africa designers for tomorrow’ organised by Berlin Agency FA254, and was nominated designer of the year at the Kenya Fashion Awards of 2015.

How did you get into the fashion industry?

I’ve always loved dressing up, buying clothes and restyling them. When I was working in Ethiopia, I used to come back to Nairobi on vacation, buy fabric, design something, and ask my tailor in Ethiopia to make it. It was when my friends started asking me to make them dresses that I began toying with the idea of doing fashion full-time. Despite the fact that I knew little about running a business, and armed only with determination, talent and passion, after returning to Nairobi I decided to quit my job and start my brand.

What inspires you?

This beautiful, rich continent. Whether it’s cultural practices that have a special significance, the colours a particular tribe loves to wear or even traditional architecture, there’s so much art and life here to draw inspiration from.

What fabrics do you like working with?

Silks. I started designing my own prints, which I use as a way to tell the African story in a way that is modern and can be consumed easily all over the world. I also love cottons, and am known for my detailed and bold shirts and shirt dresses. I have a special affinity for textiles that are produced ethically and can be exclusively created for my brand.

What’s next?

I’m officially launching my latest collection, ‘Literary Disenthrallment,’ in the next few weeks. This collection is about embracing freedom in its various forms, and is inspired by a trip I made to Lamu. It draws strong parallels between the island having been a port of slavery and the need for freedom at a time when society is still mentally imprisoned by its misogynistic views of women individually, professionally and at a societal level.

Adele Dejak

Adele Dejak has been inspired by African tribes, textiles, culture and traditions to make a brand of handcrafted fashion jewellery. She is known for her edgy collections of bags, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings. Using Her brand is based on an ethical and sustainable business model with the objective of empowering women through adornment. She has collaborated with Samsung and Salvatore Ferragamo, and participated in events including Vogue Talents in Milan.

How did you get into the fashion industry?

It was after completing my studies in England. I’d worked in the UK for a few years when inspiration hit and I decided it was the right time for me to pursue my passion and dreams to develop my creative side and design unique statement pieces through my own brand.

Where do you get your inspiration?

So many places! My experiences of living in Nigeria, Kenya, the UK and Italy have all inspired me, as have the nature and landscapes of East and West Africa, ancient cultures, symbolism, textiles and prints, and art. My daily experience is emotional and visual: emotions turn into visual concepts. How I’m feeling about life plays a definite role. I think artists communicate visually through patterns of design. At least, I certainly do!

What’s next?

At the moment, we’re focusing on the pieces that we have, and concentrating on boosting sales. We have a shop at Village Market, and a showroom in Kiambu, both of which display our current collections of jewellery and bags.

Deepa Dosaja

Deepa Dosaja provides a bespoke, made-to-measure service and an off-the-rack collection. Her collections and business use only natural fabrics, and abstinence from using any harmful or environmentally unfriendly products. In 2015, she dressed Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong’o, and in 2017 she presented ‘My Flowers’ collection at Studio 450 at the New York Fashion Week.

How did you get into the fashion industry?

I’ve loved the industry since I was 13. I did all sorts of fashion courses, then went to fashion school in Montreal, which was the culmination of my dreams. I got a diploma in fashion design from La Salle College, which is what gave me the knowledge and confidence to start my own business. When I relocated back to Kenya, where I was born, I started Vabene Couture, which was later rebranded with the introduction of the Deepa Dosaja label.

What inspires you?

I get my inspiration from nature. I’m inspired by flowers, butterflies, the sea. The colours in nature and the colours in fish. Really, I’m inspired by all things natural.

What fabrics do you like working with?

I only work with natural fabrics. My current collection is 80% silk, and it also uses linen, cotton and wool. I don’t use any synthetic fabrics at all.

What’s next?

I’m working up to the Paris Fashion Week next March. In preparation for that, I’m working on a new collection that I’m currently in the process of designing. The themes will be love, freedom and joy which I believe everyone needs, especially now. I find with the climate today these are themes that need to be reiterated.