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Favoloso by Nanu is a womenswear brand offering confident styles in a wide range of sizes. Founder Lynda Nanu Ng’eno is committed to creating expressive fashion for all. Although the growth of Kenya’s clothing industry has been slow, she’s excited by Nairobi’s emerging creative scene and the increased interest Favoloso is now receiving.
Selected for the 2017 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur Programme, the brand remains authentically local and uncompromisingly individual while still stepping onto the global stage.
We caught up with Lynda to learn more about her core ethos of inclusivity.
In conversation With Favoloso By Nanu
Words by Shado.Mag
Can you tell us how Favoloso came about?
Lynda: When I started the brand four years ago, the experience of most older women would be to go to shops and not be able to find clothes that fitted or suited them. That was certainly my own experience, and I was getting increasingly frustrated by the lack of options, so this was where the idea for Favoloso came from. We have a very wide size range as well as offering bold, bright colours that most people can feel empowered in.
Inclusivity is clearly important to you.
Lynda: Yes. I created Favoloso for women who usually don’t get considered by the fashion industry. My brand doesn’t leave anybody behind. I want to create timeless pieces that allow women to express their identity. I want those who wear Favoloso to feel safe and to feel a part of something. I want them to feel comfortable in themselves, in the clothes they are wearing and also in their bodies.
How do you find your clientele?
Lynda: Many of them come through referrals, it’s quite organic. The Creative DNA programme has helped me think about how to branch out my customer base but prior to that, it was just women I met here through my network. In this way, my brand is like a family, a sisterhood.
“My brand doesn’t
leave anybody behind”
Lynda Nanu Ng’eno
So, community plays a really important role in your brand?
Lynda: Community is a huge part of our ethos and commitment. When we started out, we trained women with sewing skills to become seamstresses so that they become part of the story.
In our part of the world, many designers would prefer to have male tailors because men's time is never interrupted, whereas most of our women are housekeepers and have a lot of demands on their time, including childcare. Therefore, I have tried to create a flexible working environment.
It needs to be a full circle. The women who are buying our clothes have been empowered by something so we need to be the force that is in turn empowering the women making the clothes. Many brands put out products that aren’t having a positive impact, whereas we want to take care of everyone along the way.
And finally, if you could create clothes for one celebrity who would it be?
Lynda: Lupita Nyong'o definitely! I love her, she would be the person I would like to make clothes for.
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Isabella Pearce is the co-founder and co-editor of shado mag
@shado.mag
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