“In Swahili, we have the popular saying ‘mtu ni watu’, which translates as ‘a person is people’. Symbolically, it means that every single great person is a sum total of individual contributions by the people or community around them. The more collaboration there is, the better a person or an outcome is.” So says Navalayo Osembo of Enda, Kenya’s first performance shoe brand, who compares the Kenyan concept of togetherness with the core mission of Creative DNA (CDNA) - a British Council East Africa Arts programme dedicated to developing Kenya’s budding fashion ecosystem and connecting it to UK and international audiences.

“Thus, engaging with London’s creative community is a great opportunity for everyone involved in CDNA,” continues Navalayo, who joined 10 other fashion entrepreneurs on the programme this year. “There’s a lot of talk about ‘emerging markets’ but if you haven’t lived and worked in Africa, it may be challenging to appreciate the opportunities available here. On the other hand, London is ahead in some areas of product design, creation, sales and marketing, especially where technology is involved. There are so many things to learn from each other.”

CDNA comes at a crucial moment for Kenyan fashion. For a long time, the scene struggled to define itself. With mitumba (second hand clothing) providing the most accessible way to dress for the majority of people, in addition to cheap imports, the lack of a significant textile industry and with limited cultural dress practices to draw on due to the rift of colonialism, designers found it hard to make their mark. However, Kenya's broader creative landscape has found a new confidence in recent years, fed by tech and social media, as well as the thirst for more positive, home-grown representation.

Early fashion pioneers such as Ann McCreath of Kikoromeo, Adèle Dejak, Deepa Dosaja and John Kaveke helped pave the way for the current wave of designers and creatives such as Katungulu Mwendwa, Kepha Maina, M+K Nairobi, Lilabare, Ami Doshi Shah and 2ManySiblings. Meanwhile across the continent, there is now a groundswell of fashion capitals and brands beginning to garner serious international attention. While the scenes in Lagos and Joburg are stealing the limelight, now the next generation of Nairobian talents are ready to step it up, which is where CDNA comes in.

At the outset of 2020, British Council partnered with innovation hub Mettā Nairobi and international platform Fashion Scout in London to offer its cohort of selected apparel and accessories designers a year-long incubator programme. The line-up included Enda Running, Epica, Favoloso by Nanu, Genteel, The Nisisi Factory, Ohana, Sevaria, Styletech by Teshie, Suited by Gordon, Vintara and We Are NBO. They each received skills and capacity training through mentoring and workshops as well as seed grant funding to help grow their businesses. The Covid-19 lockdown inevitably impacted the delivery of CDNA but a pivot to digital and virtual activations kept plans on track.

“Over the course of the programme, we addressed a variety of topics from pricing and sustainability to positioning and branding. We also discussed the importance of community and how the creatives can have a wider impact around them. Many of the designers were already doing this but, together, more fresh ideas were born,” says Biljana Poposka-Roberts, director at Fashion Scout. “As the designers and project teams in the UK and Kenya became part of one big family, we saw first-hand the power of cross-collaboration and building networks.”

The designers have naturally begun collaborating with each other. In response to the pandemic, Genteel joined forces with Vintara to make re-usable masks while Ohana and Epica shot a campaign together. Enda and Sevarina (Jamie Bryan Kimani’s androgynous brand) also came together for the capsule Pride collection with profits going to LGBTQ+ centres in Kenya. This was a new move for both brands, Enda into clothing and Sevaria into sportswear.

“Jamie’s work is so strong and speaks to issues around gender and sexuality,” says fashion curator Sunny Dolat, who has creatively directed the fashion shoots in Wauzine. “But at the same time, he is still giving Kenyans a twist on what they are comfortable in. His new collection features a trouser suit with sculptural shoulders that is smart and proper yet gives tailoring a remarkable update.” Sevaria represents a brave new direction for fashion in a country that remains conversative and where homosexuality is illegal. “In the past couple of years, the young generation are liberating themselves from the ideas of their country. You see these gangs of kids making out on Tik Tok. I haven’t witnessed this level of freedom or boldness in Kenya before,” adds Sunny.

‘Bold’ is a word that comes up often in conversation with Kenyan fashion practitioners. From colours and prints to attitudes and personalities, Kenya’s creative landscape is busy shaping its own identity. “In the scene now everyone is bold,” says Esther Mwikali, general manager at Mettā Nairobi. “They are not looking for external validation and are unafraid of saying who they are and what their brand stands for. Sharon Wendo of Epica uses typical African women to model her body jewellery. Gordon Luchini at Suited by Gordon is innovating upcycling. Neema Nkatha’s Ohana swimwear is unashamedly sexy. All of the designers in CDNA are shaping a different narrative about what Kenyan fashion is capable of.”

Of course, many very real challenges still face the industry, including access to funding and working capital, struggles in terms of scaling production, a lack of fashion education or media and precious little government support. So as part of CDNA, the British Council commissioned a number of research reports in partnership with HEVA Fund and Fashion Revolution in Kenya, consultant Jan Miller in the UK and Collective RW in Rwanda in order to investigate innovative solutions.

“CDNA explores Kenya’s fashion through research, creative enterprise and storytelling,” says Sandra Chege, arts and communication manager at British Council Kenya. “In their report, Fashion Revolution looked at sustainable practices and the potential for alternative textiles to enhance environmental sustainability and contribute to a sense of local agency and ownership across the value chain. They found an opportunity for home grown textiles like fish skin leather, wool, and fibres from pineapple, coconut and banana; and farming approaches that draw on vernacular knowledge.”

Clever ideas such as this leapfrog over the dearth of local printed textiles beyond the kanga, kitenge and kikoy. These insights also open up new thinking around re-inventing Kenya’s cultural heritage and caring for the environment while sustaining under privileged and traditional communities. Sam Omindo of menswear brand Genteel employs artisans in the Kibera neighbourhood while Sharon Wendo learnt her beading and jewellery techniques from the Maasai. “There’s a lot of mind-blowing creativity that’s based on research on traditional African societies,” says Navalayo. “I think this is great, because it makes people aware that our fashion has existed for many centuries and builds pride in what is being created here. Others can only love what you do when you love it first, and can help them understand why it is so special.”

CDNA rounds off the year with a pop-up at Nairobi concept store Designing Africa Collective and the launch of Wauzine, itself a cross cultural collaborating between writers, illustrators and creative teams in both London and Nairobi. There will also be a film and digital showcase with Fashion Scout at London Fashion Week in February 2021, taking the designers’ work to the world. “The films and photoshoots in Wauzine are striking and deeply reflective of a people who are reinventing themselves constantly and bringing to life fresh perspectives. The work is beautiful and necessary and that is what global audiences can take from this project,” says Sandra.

Jamie Bryan Kimani wholeheartedly agrees. Despite the upheavals the global community has endured in 2020, he’s positive about what’s next. “The scene is being driven forward by the young artists, photographers and stylists who are hungry to make it. They are bringing their A-game and the standard has been set,” he asserts. “Now what we need is the opportunities that will come from sharing knowledge and skills with our peers in London. It’s time for the international scene to recognise our talents.”