 All right, fantastic, welcome back. This is still a hashtag going in the morning at Brian's so corner one. I'd like to for channel everyone all social media and this segment is the last interview of the day. But as always, like I said, interact with us on social media will be something you'll feedback towards the tail end of this programming. And in this segment, you're gonna talk about how to ensure that fashion makes you money. In short, fashion entrepreneurship. And we have a very powerful guest who is live with us in the studio. His name is Leshaun Ketiania. But he said it's Le Tion Ketiania. First of all, good morning. Good morning. How are you feeling? I'm feeling good. It's a pleasure to be here. All right, you're welcome. Now let's get to know you a little bit. You're an artist as well as a fashion designer. At what point did you merge all of these things together? And now here you are on TV, talking about what you do. Okay, I would say it's not really physically, it's all organic. I did it at the same time. So I would say from a young age, I began painting, drawing people, drawing on paper. A young age at around what age? Around nine. That's when I was able to draw something really realistic. So from the age of nine, I began looking for other forms of art. I developed love for fashion. I realized also I'm good in poetry. So I kept going at every different angle possible. So until where I am right now. Interesting. You mentioned poetry and also developing interest for fashion. Was it like, did you find or draw inspiration from maybe someone close to you in your childhood? For me, I used to watch 106 and Park a lot way, way back. I used to love the likes of Terrence and The Free and Kisha Shante growing up as a person who would love to be in media. So for you, did you draw attention from like maybe a fashion designer? Was your mom dressing up well? Your other siblings? And who did the inspiration come from? I would say my mom. You know how during occasions, they usually go to the tailors. They get a nice outfit made. Yeah, she used to design her own outfits. Then she just takes it to the tailors. She doesn't take from the internet or anything. She designs everything. She draws the sketch and she takes to the tailor. So I think that opened up my mind in that direction for fashion. For art, I would say everything is an inspiration. I can go for a walk. I see how this body is looking. I like the way the body is looking. I'm gonna take a picture and go back and paint it. The sunshine and the flowers. Yeah, just I'm inspired by everything actually when it comes to art. I feel like that also can trickle down to photography. True, true. Do you do a lot of photography? Because fashion and photography, they're like twins in Indonesia. I wouldn't say I'm perfect at it, but I would take that as a reference. Interesting. Now you said you officially now began at 17. Probably maybe done with high school or maybe finishing. I was just finishing high school at year actually. So that's when you intentionally started pursuing this journey. Okay, talk about it. I began by printing t-shirts, heat transfer, very simple things. Just trying to see what it is I'm entering into. So I tried to sell a few. They didn't really sell. I just started going for pop-ups. Like doing like vendor medallion and events. And more like just getting myself out there. Yeah. So over time I realized which market I want to enter. Okay. And I started flowing with it. All right. Yeah. In terms of support, who are the biggest support system that you would say validated even what you loved most from a family setup and from a friendship setup? Are there people you could mention that played a big role in ensuring they nurture your gift? Yeah, I would say my parents, yes. But it took some time before they actually approved. Yeah. So they had to see a lot of the effort I was putting in. And you know, people are giving feedback. Oh, I saw your son doing this. I saw your son doing this. So over time they had to. For they saw that there's something here that's coming up strong. Also my friends, they really inspired me like to, they were mostly stylists. So they told me, try this, try this, try that. They showed me how screen printing is done, how heat transfer is done. You know, just techniques. You mentioned a heat. Heat transfer. Heat transfer. What does it mean? It's a form of putting the design on the clothing itself. So it's like vinyl. It's a vinyl printout. And then you press it on the actual t-shirt. It's like maybe we are trying to put a logo, press a logo on a plain t-shirt. Yeah, it's actually, it's like a very hot iron. Very hot. The machine. So you just press it in and it will stick for a long time. Or maybe forever. Maybe forever. Maybe, depending on the quality. Interesting. But function has really evolved before we talk about your painting, your painting gift. Function has really evolved, and especially nowadays, like we've seen a lot of function labels from the likes of Givenchy, Fendi, Fendachi, Versace. You can name them. There's so many, Christian, Lugatini, Zinginas, Netragesi, you know, like one of the very common. Gu? Gucci. Gucci, right. As in how do you manage to stay relevant in such a space where there's always something popping internationally and being receiving a lot of positive reception, especially us in Africa. Like you're likely to walk on the street and see somebody with a Gucci label, that somebody who has something African made or Kenyan made or something with a Kenyan flag, apart from the response that we've got here a lot. How do you manage to stay competitive in such a busy space? I think a lot of what is hot right now is from the past. So they take a lot of references from the 90s, and a lot of the fashions, like the bell bottoms, now that's what's hot right now. I've seen a lot of the baggy jackets and the baggy trousers. Exactly. So in 2001, that was a big thing, right? Now it's coming back. So a lot of the inspiration I get from designing is not from really other brands. I look at the old chains, I look at what's relevant right now, and how I can put in my taste also, and what Kenyans may actually like. Right. All right, from the people that have money to get some of your fashion pieces, maybe what were they? Like the first one you designed that a person bought and they liked, maybe you can talk about some of them, some of the ensembles, that is the word, some of the ensembles that you're managed to sell out. Okay, I would say the first one was a jacket which had a lace dress. So it was a lace dress. Yes, it had like a lace covering. An afro coat or something? No, it was a bomber jacket. Bomber jacket. Yeah, like a real puffy jacket. So below it, it had a removable lace. So like you could wear like a nice dress, a nice fitting dress. Oh, it was mostly female. Yeah, that one was for a female. So after that, now I kept like pushing the boundaries and for men, I also did another puffy one, but now it had like prints behind. Yeah, so I've been trying to develop my own aesthetic and kind of give you a sense of, let you own, not just the industry, just mainly. A sense of your own process. Exactly, exactly. And your own creams and visions. Exactly. It makes me remember the time we had the college jackets. They were really famous that time, college jackets. I don't know where they are. We saw them a lot with Chris Brown and Kinatai, I guess, in the video music as well. So I think we can have a let you own. They're coming back, actually. It's coming. It's coming. It's very strong, yeah. All right. In terms of now, fabric plays a huge role in fashion, especially in making some of these outfits. They call them ensembles. Where do you get your fabric? How do you buy them? Do you import them? Are they available in Kenya? And maybe what are some of your favorite types of fabric? Okay. I would say that was one of my first challenges, getting quality fabric. After I found out the market I wanted to pursue, that was one of my biggest challenges. But over time, if you keep asking around, you'll get nice places which can supply you with very good quality. So I would say the first place is Maziva, which is in Joko Road. Oh, Maziva and Joko Road. Yeah, it's more like a hidden place. It's not really known by everyone. So it's not easy to get every material. Like, you wouldn't find many people with that material. But it's a growing place. I would say that would be my best place to source materials. Okay. We're also looking into importing in the future. But right now it's usually sourced from Maziva. I like suede. This is suede actually. This is suede material to see how it's shining in the light. For me, what I've said is called droid. Yeah. Code droid is the one with the lines. Code droid or aslam, very tiny little stripes. Exactly, yeah. That's code droid. Now I get it. So this is suede? Suede. Meaning that you can add dye or something? No, not really. It's just, it's called suede. So, meaning even when you were like ionized, the shade and the way it shines when it's in the sun or in light, it's kind of different. Is it a wash and wear? Yeah, you can wash iron and whatever dry. Wash and wear. Yeah, yeah. But I would advise you for this material, for it to last, you take it to the dry clean. That's the best way possible. Laundry, manzee. Yeah. Hey, come on our place, it's a biddy. It's a biddy, man. Sure to invest in your fashion. Yeah, speaking of fashion in the first minute. Actually, there's a saying that says, you are addressed the way you're dressed. I don't know what that means to you as a creative in the fashion space. Does it mean a lot? Yeah, I would say the way you dress is your character. Everyone has a character of who they want to be, of what they are pursuing. And the way you dress really shapes of, she really shapes that character. How people see you, your first impression. How people perceive you. Exactly, the respect you will get when you walk in. So I would say, that's investing. You really need to invest in your character, actually. It's a part of your character. It should be a part of your character, yeah. Because it introduces you. Exactly, even before you say a word. So as soon as you walk in the room, the first thing someone sees, how you dress. A well-dressed gentleman. Exactly. And still on that note, perhaps, are there maybe like fashion mistakes that a lot of people make from a designer's perspective that you'd say, eh, but they were a real revival, high-five. But then you can't tell them, because you are not related to them. But then maybe if you have a chance to tell them, you'd say, eh, real revival, yeah, and in buyer. Like, also in terms of color coordination, or I know you call it in fashion color-blocking. Like, how do you help somebody to color-block and put all these outfits or these ensembles together and come out functionally? It could just be a simple outfit, like shirt, toes, jeans, whatever, some good shoes, or a good coat, and like the way you dress. How would you help a person walk down through that journey of coming up with a perfect outfit that's fashionable? Or a fashion statement? Okay, I would say the most important thing is fit. Fit? It's the fit. Oh, the fit. Yeah, if the fit is wrong, the rest will be wrong. Even though the color-blocking is right. So if something is oversized, it doesn't fit you nicely. Oh, it's too tight on you. Right. Actually, that's the first direction when I'm looking at your style. So you should know your body type. Yes, know your body type. Exactly, exactly. Don't over, don't dress oversized. There's oversized, which is nice, but there's oversized, which is too much. Like, wear out. Exactly. And then there's also that tight. That's too tight. Especially a person who is well-built. Exactly. And then they're extremely tight jeans, tight coats. Unless you want to show that off, yeah. Unless you want to show it off because people want to show their body muscles. Yeah, but still, it won't look as good as getting the right fit. Getting the right fit is very important. After that, now you look at the colors. There's some colors which can go together. I wouldn't say these are really the right colors, but I would say if you have more than three colors on one outfit. Yeah. Like for me, I have more than three colors. Would you say I'm fashionable? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You would say I'm fashionable. I like your shoes. I like your shirts, the different colors. Like, I wouldn't say you have... Red belt. I'm not a rainbow. Not really. They go together. They're all cohesive. All right. So maybe only we change the red belt. The red belt. But the red belt also complements the shoes. The shoes, okay. So I would say, yeah, I'm fashionable, yeah. Nice. Nice. Nice. Nice. All right. So how would you help now, Prasim, to come up? For example, now, let me imagine a person who is working in an office, an official job like a banker. A banker who is fashionable. You know you can be a banker, but you can have money, but you're not fashionable. Meaning like you're not up to later to the trends. You're not dressing in a classy way. Like, how do you help someone who is just dressing foie, that is the word. Foie to come up with a stylish outfit for the day to work. Okay, I would say, like I said, the fit. You look at your body size. After that, I would say, what are you comfortable with? You know, I can dress you, yes, but are you really comfortable? Will you work it? Will you work how you dress? Right. Yeah, so I would say those are very important, especially the body size. Like know yourself. Know where you're going, know what you want, the occasion. The occasion is really important. The occasion is as important as the body size. Because those are wedding eyes too, and the MC is dressed completely off. You know, the rest are in suit and tie, black and tie, black tie, whatever. Yeah, of course, you call some khaki, whatever. So I think that, but they say, you know, there should be a difference between the bride, the bridegroom and the MC. So I was like, maybe that was cool. What do you think, especially in a wedding setup, if somebody wants to come up with the best outfits, I would perhaps also think they should consider, because weddings are really sensitive, especially to the lady, because she's sensitive about colors, about how the bride-maids would look apart from the bridegroom. Weddings, we need to pay attention to their team, the bride-maids, their grooms, friends, as in the whole lineup. I would say the bride and the groom, it's not that important, because yes, they have the primary colors, white and black, or they'll compliment each other. But if the lineup doesn't compliment the groom and the bride, it will mess up everything. And also, you know, at weddings, the reception usually has colors on the tins and everything. So I would say we look at a color palette for everything. If there's a color palette for the tins, we match it. We find how we can match it with the lineup of the people, the bride's maids, the MCs. So the MC should also match. There should be a difference between the MC and the rest. It shouldn't be too loud, too different. Right, not too different. They're not too different. Not too opulent. Something in the same line. Yes, close. In terms of the color shades, you mentioned color palettes. All right, now back to your designs. Maybe are you looking forward to maybe also design suits, or also what are some of the main fashion statements that you're purely focused on right now? Like for you, purely? I wouldn't say we're focused on something purely, but at this moment right now, we're focused on streetwear. Streetwear. Streetwear. Something for the youths. Something where you can wear to a casual occasion. Something that's not always suit and tie. Because I personally, I don't always wear a suit. You're not a suit person. Very rarely. I don't like ties. So I would say right now we're focusing on streetwear. And something not really like, which is too playful. Something which is just casual. Like warm. Yes, exactly. But you aren't fit, the one you got right now. Would you say this is streetwear now? For me, I feel like it's casual. Just casual. I would say the jacket, the way I've put it with the shoes, like the jays, I would say it's streetwear. You've got Jordans. Not really Jordans, they're called Nike. Okay. The name trousers and then the jacket and then the t-shirt and then you've got a chain statement. So what do you call this altogether? I would just say streetwear. Streetwear. For a person who wants to maybe to get such an outfit, the one that you've got, like on a budget, Koda, how much does it range from water mount to water mount? Roughly, just roughly. I would say depending on the quality that you want, it would start from a full outfit. Yeah, yeah, the one you got. I would say 5000. That's for example from the jacket. The jacket alone is just 5000. 5000. That's a lot of money for a person who doesn't have money. You need to invest, you need to invest in your partner. I love the way you're saying, you need to invest in your fashion. Jacket is 5000, let's go. The jacket won't just be thrown away. This can be something you even pass down to someone because of the quality of the fabric. And it's not just for the jeans only. You can also pair it with a khaki. Can at some point do this jacket with a khaki pants? Exactly. Khaki pants, coat dry pants, even black pants. Yeah, black pants, a white t-shirt. Coat dry pants with maybe a red t-shirt. You know, there are so many possibilities. All right. Yeah, so even with this alone can give you like three extra outfits. Three extra outfits. Just on top of it. Yeah, just on top of it. I understand we have the photos. Are they ready so that we can take a look? But there's one here at the background. But I can say there's two gentlemen and two ladies. Yeah. In it. So this is, I think it's also photography best. Oh, there you go. There you have it on your screen. We'll talk about it. Does it sell a story? Is there a story in this four gentlemen and ladies? Actually, this is our latest collection. It's called Welcome Home, Karybunyumbani. It represents Kenya and our heritage. We chose to focus on pieces which are not too loud and which are not too old or dull. This collection just touches on our home Kenya. Okay. Yeah. All right. I can say the background display is, okay. What about this one? This is still part of the collection. This whole collection actually, we focused on tailoring more. If you notice on the sleeves of the t-shirt, it doesn't have a hole. Okay. Yeah, so it flows like a kimono. All right. So the way I've heard the word kimono, but I've not gotten it exactly. A kimono is a Japanese outfit, but it usually doesn't have an armhole. See like it's armhole. So it's like almost close to a vest or something. Not really a vest. It just flows. Oh. Like so. There's a big, it's a different shape. It gives you a different shape here. All right. What about this one? It's still part of the whole collection. Like you see even on the print, we took a Kenya Airways plane and we made it our own. It's like a plane taking off for landing or something. Yeah, exactly. It's like taking off. So we're taking off. All right. The next one? Still part of the collection. What is the name of this? Can a person dress like this to the office? No, maybe you are something... Underneath, like tights or something. Maybe to an event, yes, you can dress like this. To an event. All right. You see even the bag. That's not a normal bag. Called a clutch bag. All right. You see, this is now what I was telling you about. It's called Karibunyumbani. That's our latest collection. You see, do you notice on the armhole? There's no armhole. Okay. I can see it. Yeah, you see it. And the print even, it glows in the dark. All right. It's in Nairobi, Kenya, 2023. Yeah, so that's when we're launching the collection, actually. We're launching in July first. Yeah. Almost close to the Yuzi by Kanye. Almost, but not really from there, yeah. Not inspiration from there. Exactly. All right, so who is this? This is Ahudi and the rest. Yeah, this Ahudi is a model. My model, his name is Jeff. Okay. So this is the hoodie I was telling you about. It's just the silhouette alone, the shape of it alone. Just takes it to a different level. This is not something normal. So that's why I was trying to elevate streetwear now. Do something you can wear even to somewhere presentable. Not just to the gym or somewhere normal. At least you can wear it for an outfit, like a lean outfit you get. For person who is color sensitive, like they don't want to mix pink with the red, purple, yellow, you know. How do you design now outfits that may be top to people who are extremely color sensitive and those that maybe are not? Like they can put on anything. You know, there's a friend who was saying like function, ensure that you just pick things that match and then you get out there. If they match, then it's okay. I don't know, or your philosophy on that. As part of the collection, I would say we are giving you what you should buy. We're kind of dictating the market. You know, everyone has their own staples of what they like. But I would say we also expand your vision. Yeah, you know, sometimes people have never really tried something bright. Yeah. Maybe are there like places you drew inspiration, especially when it comes to designing this? Because the other one you said has a Kenya AO is a plan taking off. I don't understand this shirt. Is it like African print or something? Or just khaki? Or is it khaki? It's a camouflage shirt. It's a camouflage, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a camouflage print. I didn't want to design something like Ankara. You know, Ankara is everywhere now. So I wanted to design something similar, you know. But to a wider market, to even maybe a global market. Right. I didn't know there's a camouflage shirt. It's a camouflage shirt. Maybe like a million can land on you and it just come off largest to your skin type. Yeah. All right. Did you maybe have like family support that helped you come up with this launch out? Or it was just me finances, me printing, me putting together, even paying the models. Some of the models are also volunteering to work with you. No, no, everything is paid. Everything is paid. Yeah, so I would say I have a lot of mentors. Yeah. I wouldn't say I was helped everywhere. But yeah, I was helped sometimes in even direction of how I should launch it. Marketing strategies, you know, from family members, from friends, from people who are already in the industry. Right. Yeah, yeah. But anyone in the industry that you can mention and give credit to that were supportive. Do you know Salika Rago? Sounds familiar. Yeah, yeah, she was actually from our school. Yeah, okay. Yeah, she's the owner of the school where I went to. Right. So she gave me a lot of inspiration, yeah. Right, yeah. And now here you are. Here I am now. Right, as we sum up on that fashion initiative because we get to your artist part and then painting. Maybe there are like fashion mistakes you think, a lot of, maybe I'd like you to say, the creative is fashion mistakes that men make and fashion mistakes women make. The ones you see are like no, no up or down. Like generally on a day to day walk, walking through the street and you meet a person and you're like, red flag, red flag. I would say it's just to fit. Like I've seen a lot of oversized suits. It doesn't fit right. The pockets are laying almost to your knees. It doesn't really look good for men. For women, I would say the colors, they over color. Like they over dress. So there's over dressing. There's over coloring. It's like, like 10 colors like I've seen. The bag is this different color. The heels are different color. The makeup is different. The shirt, you get like, we should have like some color palette for each outfit. If you want four colors, try to make everything something like cohesive. You've explained of a coloring and you've mentioned like different colors, shoes together. So for example, for Pansana going through, does this event relate to our color first? I don't know if it's not the event for people who have so many colors. That's the right event. Literally. That's the best event for them. For people who have so many colors. For a man, would you advise them? You know, part of your background is pink. Your backdrop, right, that is pink. I've heard a lot of ladies say, I don't want my man to be in pink. You know, he shouldn't be in pink. But for me, I think a color is just a color. But then there's somebody who mentioned that pink, when a man puts on pink, it means he's overly confident. I don't know what's your ideology on that. Can man put on pink and be fashionable and be okay? And so be confident and not people give them a side. I'd be like, are you part of the rainbow or something? Because it's associated with that. True, true. Yeah, pink is just a color like any other color. I feel like pink can be for men, for women. It's not really gender when it comes to color. I've seen even women wearing black. I've seen women wearing blue. So I would say pink is also okay for women. For men, I would wear pink myself. You would wear pink. I would wear pink, yeah. Maybe like a pink hoodie. Right. But a pink hoodie, pink snapback or a card. And then trouser. And not everything pink. Opposite of what I'm overdue. Yeah, I'm over-colored. I don't care about the tensions. But why do people have this facades in their mindsets? Like once you see somebody in a certain outfit, you're like, and I don't know to just be happy. You don't know where this person is coming from. Maybe they've been expressing themselves through colors because colors are really expressive. Actually, I feel like fashion is a language. Like one of our biggest languages, actually. So if my language doesn't, I can't understand your language. Of course, I criticize it. Right. So if I see your language, it's just working. And it's everywhere. And that may not be what I like. Of course, criticism is open. It's like it's normal. Not everyone will like your outfit. Right. I think that pink color thing received a lot of reception from Jay-Z when he dressed up in mauve. He said his is mauve, not pink. I've even seen him in a whole suit. A whole pink suit. Pink head, too. And he calls it mauve, not pink. I think that's when it became trendy. And a lot of men received a lot of reception with the pink suits. And it's a lot to switch. Now let's switch back to your painting part. Now how do you integrate now fashion and painting all together and also strike that balance? Here you are. You have to deliver outfits, plan outfits, structure them, and then also become a painter. Come up with artwork and what not. How do you harness that together? I don't really do it strategically. It just happens organically. When I started going back to painting in 2020, when during COVID, so I had to look back and actually see where I want to, which art form I want to explore. So I went back to painting. I knew I had talent in painting. And over time, it has also helped in my graphics for the camouflage that you've seen. I created that. I didn't buy that fabric. I just printed on it on the plane. I make graphics from the art direction. So I wouldn't say I really plan for it. It just happens organically, actually. And in the future, I want to have exhibitions for my artwork and keep growing. Fantastic. And when do you usually do your artwork? And most of the time, like, what parts of the week are you like really? Because I understand there's a lot of creativity. You have to be function creative and then art creative in terms of now painting. And there's times, you know, they say as creatives, you experience a creative block. That days, you feel like you've run out of ideas. You just don't want to do anything through. In fact, you're sitting down trying to combine ideas in your head, coming up with a masterpiece or something. So which one are your most productive days, especially field days for your painting? When it comes to painting, I work a lot at night. I don't know. Inspiration just comes at night. It's hard for me to sleep when I've not done it. Sometimes inspiration comes. I just wake up and I start painting. Or I get an idea. I start sketching out. You get? Like, during the day, I'm busy on fashion. Yes, but I may go home and just something hits. Or I see something during my day and I say, OK, I'm going to work on it in the night. Yeah, so creative blocks happen, yes. And when they happen, I just go for a walk. And you know, the world... You have to work something and do it. A little mind on a summer. You could burn something. Like you want to get in your creative zone. Actually, most creatives drink something. That's those who say, I may just go to a corner and pray. But for you, you're like, I could take a walk. Come back, I feel awakened or something. Nature is enough. Nature is enough. You just see there's so much in the world. Like, you can just get inspiration from anything. Even a conversation, like this conversation we're having. Like on the red belt, like that has already struck something in me. So I wouldn't say I take anything. So I take inspiration from the world. So all the way, yeah. But it's interesting, you know, how you monitor, like tap into both faces and still be OK. Because you know, I can only imagine the time you now be extremely commercial. You're busy, there's so many orders, there's so many printers and you have to actually deliver all of them. At least you need maybe a little bit of management or something, or maybe like a number of support group that will help you to execute some of these tasks. Now, when it comes to drawing, I'm also most interested to know, do you draw people? Do you draw nature? Do you just draw anything that comes to your mind? Like, how does that process happen for you? Mostly, I do a series. Like, I can pick a storyline of one character and different experiences the character may be going through that relate to my life right now. Sometimes I get commissions and I'm told to draw a certain portrait when someone is there. And yeah, so it all depends, but most times it comes from a series, a narrative. I think of, I'm inspired by, let's say, a topic, let's say it's war. And I create a character and I can make 10 different paintings that represent war in that character. It may be a storyline taking you down, why he ended up in war, you know, something like that. All on one portrait? Not in one. It may be, that may be the beginning of a whole series. So mostly I just design in series, yeah. So in short, it's imaginative creativity. Exactly. Since you're a creative and you can imagine things and bring them to reality, if you're to imagine the economy right now and put it into a canvas or into a portrait, what would the image look like? I would say someone fishing. Someone fishing? Yeah, you know, like, the hook has been dropped. The hook? In the ocean? Yeah, the hook has been dropped in the ocean. Asked who are the fish now. And this person is in a boat? Yeah, I would say, yeah, he's maybe even on the show. On the show. Okay. A hook. Oh, that's like the government, like economy now. It's taking us. So the one I inch here, the water. Yeah, they're in the water, like the fish now. The fish in the water. Yeah, now the hook is economy. The person fishing in the government. Gripping them. Yeah, taking us, no remorse. No retreat, squeeze on squeeze. Yeah, yeah. That's creative. I think I've seen that picture because I'm also imaginative as well. Thank you. Which creative, which creative, which creative crazy can I think of right now? There's this incidence of, now it has come. The opposition leader and the government, if you were to create or paint a picture on a portrait of how that maybe could look on a splash of a newspaper, what could be the imagination on that portrait? Two bulls. Two bulls? Fighting, yeah. Two bulls. You know, as you're saying them, I'm imagining them on the newspaper. Maybe like different colors of bulls, like one color is this, one color is the opposition. And then maybe the grass is us now, the people, yeah. And what are these two bulls doing? Are they just fighting each other? They're fighting, yeah. So it's collision. Yeah, but you can see even the grass is getting messed up. And scattered. Yeah, it's scattered, yeah. So yeah, when two bulls fight, the grass, yeah. Nice, interesting, interesting, interesting. Got it. As you move away from that. Now, are you able to draw like people? For example, somebody lands on some of your, lands on some of your portraits online. I don't know if you're online on digital as well, because you know, it's a digital space. If somebody lands on your pages online and they DM you and send your text, they say, I'll take on each of them to him and take on each of them. Do you also, have you also ventured into that kind of drawing or painting? I can do anything, actually. So it all depends on what you, the direction you want us to go. So most times I like to paint when you're actually there to get the emotions. But also if you send your picture, I can interpret it also. Yeah, so I do anything. I'm open to anything when it comes to art and fashion. I don't have any boundaries. I try to push those boundaries. You try to push the envelope. To break them all, yeah. Those rules, I break them. Yeah. Now maybe are they also the ones you managed to sell out that you say, if you see that one on the street, you are young. Are they ones that are the ones that are really out there? They don't usually go to the street. They go to like maybe like hotels or maybe like a house. Even households. Yeah, even households. Most of my things which have gone to the household are flower paintings. Okay. Yeah, flower paintings, things which just correspond with their home decorations. But why flower paintings though? Is it because a lot of people like flowers? I see inspiration. Like I told you, I can go for a walk. I just see how the colors on maybe that bush or that tree maybe glowing in a different way. Maybe there's a bud getting nectar from it you get. So I would say it just comes down to inspiration. And also if you want a commission, yes. Yeah, I also do commission pieces. Right, yeah. There's a place in your description where you mentioned your brand represents tranquility and happiness. Some of the adjectives you've given in there. Does it mean something to you or even to the client? Mostly to me. Okay. When it comes to the client, everyone has a different inspiration, a different interpretation. But to me, I try to design from a standpoint where everything is more like at peace. I'm at peace when I'm designing. I'm happy when I'm designing. So that tends to come out like that now. Yeah. Right. So, personally it's from self-inspiration. Exactly. But then it's like you're giving out that energy. I'm expressing it now, yeah. I'm expressing it on the actual converse. Which is really amazing. Thank you. Because a lot of people out here need good energy. True. Because we know other people are so stressed and people hold on to different things in life. So depending on the experiences you've gone through in life. True. Now, still on that drawing part, are there maybe like a time you've won an award or you've been awarded or somebody has recognized your art and they gave you credit? If yes, please talk about it as well. Not yet, not yet, not yet. Mostly I've just been doing commissions. But now I want to do exhibitions of now the series I was telling you about. Right. Like a whole like 15 paintings just to show you the narrative of that storyline. Right. So I hope from that, after doing exhibitions and the tours, I'll get that award. Right. Amen. Amen. To the heavens. Yes. But there's a place where you participate in a competition. Maybe you can briefly talk about it and how it went down. Did it favor you or not, you know, what happened shortly? It was a fashion competition during 2021. Okay. Yeah, so there were about 100 participants. I made it to top 10 and I was chosen and we designed outfits. The whole thing was about Africa. We were given fabrics. They were all Ankara fabrics. Right. Ankara. Yeah, so that's already like, they've given you already like. It's like they've squeezed you into a space. Yeah, that's already a limitation. So you can't go beyond your creativity. Yeah, but I still did my thing. I tried my best. Unfortunately, I didn't win. Yeah, but at least I was top 10. Yeah. Right. And also like, have farmed what you do. Exactly. Like, at least someone has seen this guy. There's something about him. Yeah, there's something about his work. The person who possibly won that, what do you think made them become the winner? I would say when it comes to like judges, it's your personal connection with them, with the work. Okay. As in, maybe they connected more, the work connected more with the judges, with the people, with the crowd, you know. So yeah, I think that's actually favoured them, the connection. And sometimes you can't know what will connect and what will not connect. Right. Yeah. So you just have to design from a truthful and honest. Right. Yeah. Unless you talk about money a lot, is entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship. And I'm interested to know if, have you made money? Are you making money? Or are you still in your baby making business? Baby making, not literally, but business baby making. Yeah. Have you made some little cash yet? Are you making it, are you going to make it, or it's in store loading? We've made a little bit, yes, from the paintings, from the fashion, from the previous collections. But what we're doing right now, is going to take it to a whole another level. Right. This new collection that I'm telling you about, it's called Welcome Home. It's going to be a huge deal. I hope it will change history, like for fashion, yeah. Right. Are there people that you've networked with in that space as well, painting slash fashion? Yeah. I've met a lot of incredible artists also. Like many who are also emerging. And we know we help each other out with ideas, sometimes techniques. If you don't know how to paint like this, I can help you with this side. So everyone is, I feel like the more we help each other, the more we grow. Right. The importance of unity, because a lot of people would prefer I'd better go solo, so that I don't mix up with anybody who doesn't rhyme with my brand, especially when they're already famous and they have the numbers. And get keeping. Speaking of numbers. Are you massively present on digital platforms? Because, you know, we live in a digital space. If you want to receive a lot of feedback, you must be making use of the digital platforms. Personally, are you on some of them? Yes, I'm on all, actually all of them. My art, my fashion, everything is online. We also have a website for the fashion. And you can mention the website. Okay, the website is called intrigstore.com. The first one, Instagram is called i.intrig. Yeah, my personal is called badmintonletsy. All right. Yeah. But you give it to your number just in case somebody wants to contact you. Yeah, my number is 0758-44-64-66. All right. As we sum it up, maybe looking forward in the future, maybe what should we expect from Lettune's brand? And perhaps if there are any fashion collaboos that you'd like to do, as well as in the painting aspect as well, maybe other things we should look forward to, especially for the people that are solely dependent on what you do? Yeah, I would say look for new designs in the market. Look for new trends set by us, not just referencing people. Look for collabs, we want to expand into collabs. After this collection, we will for sure do more collabs. I even want to do shows in Paris, fashion shows in Paris. The likes of the New York Fashion Week. Exactly, the New York Fashion Week. Maybe even next year we might be in Tokyo. You never know. You never know. So the possibilities are limited as well. The girls, yes. Big goals. Are there also fashion icons that you look up to? I know Gianni Versace is really common because of the brand Versace and the sister as well. Are there maybe the most internationally that you look up to? Or also Africans as well, because in Kenya you have, I don't know if you're hard of Brian Babu. Yeah, he's a stylist. But he's really common in the celebrity space. Yeah, I've seen his work on mostly South East Wall. Oh, he's dressed a lot of South East Wall. Yeah, I've seen that. And then I've also seen Vagilablo. Yes, I've heard of that. And then also the founder of Vivo. You know Vivo, the Kenyan brand. It's amazing. I like what she's doing. There are so many incredible icons who are coming up, especially in Kenya. But mostly for my peers, I like what my peers are doing. Alonno, do you think Kenyans are fashionable? Do you think Kenyans, we are fashionable and marketable in terms of fashion if we were to send a Kenyan on New York Fashion Week? Would you pinpoint and say, ah, maybe we like our vet Vivo or vet Brian Babu and put them on that space? I don't know if you agree. Are we fashionable or not? Or are we walking through that path still? Yeah, exactly. We're walking through that path. Because if you look 10 years ago, the industry wasn't barely even there. But if you look right now, there are so many more people who have come up in the fashion industry. So I would say we're walking there. And maybe in the next five years, this would be something big in the industry. Like Kenya will be a big part of fashion in Africa. But for now, you feel like the industry is still young, pretty much young. Not really young, but it's not yet reached to the peak. It's not yet reached to the peak. Yeah, it's still growing. Yeah, it's still growing. Who are some of the most fashionable personalities in Kenya? I'd like you to point out maybe in politics as we exit. In politics, who is more fashionable in the political space, in the entertainment space, on TV maybe? Who is the perhaps most fashionable TV couples that you've had of? Could have been even read about? In sports also in Kenya and maybe outside, who is also most fashionable? And then on, did I say church? Do we have a fashion? Yes, I think we have one lady who's our preacher. She's exquisitely fashionable. So I'd like you to maybe say, you can start off with the one you remember. Who do you think is the most fashionable in politics in Kenya? Putting me on with the sport right now. You know, most of them wear suits. So I don't really have an opinion on that. I feel like Jalansi is fashionable. Have you seen his outfits lately? Yeah, I've seen the shirts. Mostly the shirts. The president on the weekend, was it on the weekend of the week? If you saw that outfit, oh my goodness, and the watch, I liked that ensemble. I saw he had worn like a short sleeved coat. Yeah, that was very... My grandma would call it Kaondasuit. With a t-shirt actually. He changed the formal aspect. Just all black. Very fashionable. I would say that's a step. In TV, who do you think is the most fashionable, the ones you've landed across? I've seen the host of the trend. That is Amina. Yeah, I've seen her. Her style is actually good. She's dressed by Brand Babu. Exactly, yeah. So yeah, she has a lot of fashion. Male personality fashionable in TV, in Kenya. Or male couple. Not male couple. Hey, where? Where? Maybe a couple that's fashionable on TV. In Kenya. And Lulu. Yeah, I see them actually matching. Yeah, I usually see them matching. In sports, as we sum up, in sports, any sporty or athletic person that you know is fashionable. Maybe you helped me there. Neymar. Neymar is fashionable. Ronaldo is fashionable. Oh, I bet you've seen in Kenya. Oh, in Kenya. In Kenya. Do we have... Kipchoge, is Kipchoge fashionable? Yeah, actually, I've seen his work with Nike. Right. Yeah, I've seen his work with Nike. Right, impressive, impressive. Kipchoge. Impressive. Any religious person in the religious sector? I think Reverend Lucy Natasha is extremely fashionable. Like, she doesn't look like a prostitute. Definitely thinks she's a model or something. Yeah, and it's really interesting, like you said, like, we are not yet there, but at least we have people... We have a direction, yeah. Yes, we are yet there. Now, again, as we exit, give us a number for person who wants to consult you, not even consult as well, to buy your outfits, get to book you for gigs. How can they plug in and get you? Our website is intriguestore.com. My number is 0758 44, that's 466. My Instagram is i.intrigue. My email is letionketianya at gmail.com. So, there's so many ways you can reach me. All right. Yeah. Thank you. We have been speaking to Letion. Yeah. Ketianya. Ketianya. Yeah. You know, you can be sued for mispronouncing people's names. And thank you so much for sharing your art and everything that you do. Thank you for having me. Pretty much, we should be the best of luck. Thank you. All right, you're welcome. And at this point, that's when we call it a day. Thank you so much for keeping us company from the beginning till right now. Hashtag is why in the morning. At BrianSakwa101, Y2 for Food Channel, everyone on all social media, underscore on the ground, verified with the blue check mark. I'm Brian Sakwa. We'll see you next time right here on Why In The Morning.