 So I went in for clothing technology. So in clothing technology fashion design is just a unit. Just one single unit, it has about five units. Textile science, it had so many units. But now for me, I think I was best in mainly fashion design, garment making, and I was not so good in textile science because chemistry has not always been my thing. So because I was so good in the fashion and garment making part, I decided to try do something. So my lecturers started taking notes on what I used to wear to school and they were like, wow, you have a nice top. Who made that? I did. I need something like that. So my first clients were my lecturers from school. So that's how I started, small, small. I started making for my teachers, tell a friend to tell a friend. People used to see my work. So mainly I started dealing with referrals. I make something for a friend, the friend to that friend sees and comes and makes something. So I used to make clothes for like 800 shillings those days. So instead of people going to, the fund is in town, who did it at between 1500 to 1800 at that time. So I used to get a lot of clients from within the institution. So that's how I decided to start. I just used to make things from my mother's living room and send them to clients. Yes. How was the chani pin? I won't say it's been that tough for me because I worked from home for some time, for a very long time. Then when I finished college, I decided to work for some people, the internships and that kind of stuff. So when I finished college immediately, I had a referral from one of my lecturers in college to some fashion designer in Malindi, V Fashion House. They needed someone to help with the fashion shows, to work as an assistant designer. So imagine just finishing college and you land your first job before even your results come out after exams. So yeah. So I went to work for V Fashion House before even my results came out. So I worked for V Fashion House for one year, I saved up money. So after one year, I decided no, a lot of work for people, it's hectic. So I did this, do that, move around, go somewhere, do this. So I decided to save up my money because they were offering me like everything accommodation, meals. So my money was like untaxed. So I saved good money. After one year, that was back in 2015. So after one year, I decided to come back to Nairobi. I was so used, you know, when you get so used to this city, my friend, you cannot live. Especially the coast. Life there is a bit slow, so I could not cope. I decided to come back to Nairobi. Bought my own machines, rented the shops. That's how I started. So it hasn't been that complicated for me. Ah, nice. Good to know that. As you progress with career, you deal with different kind of clients. What's your client, how best like? Mostly I deal with women, mostly. I do all around, even for men. But many of my clients are women. Women love lovely stuff. A man can buy an outfit today and buy another outfit after two years. But a woman will buy an outfit today after a week. She'll feel that outfit is old. She needs a new thing. So you will have one woman who will buy like six outfits from you in a month. But you can get a man who will promote you after one year, two years. Anoktu ye. Faiti bada una kuwangapa bieshara. I need something new. Faiti bada una kuwangapa bieshara. So most of my clients are women and kids. Because women, you know women love to make nice stuff for their children. Yes. True, true, true. So as you deal with people, how would you say your growth, now that you've said it wasn't complicated, how would you attribute your growth trajectory in terms of your clientele, you've worked with fashion models and all that? I can say it's not very easy working with people sometimes, but patience, patience takes us through. So to so many clients, we've been, it's been like, niseme family, our business is like a family. Many clients of mine are known to me personally. We are like, niseme tu najiwa na personal basis. One to one, we talk on a daily basis. So models we hire from outside once or twice. So as the business grows, you know, you start with people unalipa kidogo kidogo. As the business grows, Shara nanda eki panda panda. Yes. Amazing, amazing. I will, I will want to shift gas to women, that is because today we talk about women a lot. We have women, I, I, I, there's a conversation we were having some time back and someone was like, ato we a jushipi ake sizi nini yameva. Yeah, you hear a lot of things out here. Someone was talking to that. And then I was like, who will tell women you are pear shaped, where this, you are this shaped? Do you mind taking us through that? Yes, yes, yes. Like for me specifically, I advise my clients, you know, they are clients who come with something specific in mind. I want this and this because she saw it somewhere on somebody else. So women, different women should wear different kind of outfits. So for me, my clients, if you come with a design specific design in mind and I see that that design will not fit you well, I'll tell you, because they are designed for different body shape. Like an hourglass figure will not just wear anything, there are type of outfits that will not go with them. So women should know their different body shape. There is a pear shaped woman with a very small upper body, very large hips. You should know what to wear. You should not wear clothes that are very wide downwards because they make you look even bigger. Yes, so you just wear nice fitting outfits, pencil outfits. Hourglass figure too. You know what the hourglass figure? They have a large bust, small waist wide hips. So it's like the bust and the hips. Yes, it's in a balance, a very tiny waist here. Huyo piya, awezi vanguo, ikawaii disana chini. You know, fitting at that. You should just wear something that goes with your body shape. Now we have the pear shaped woman. Larger upper body, small lower body. Now that one should wear there. Skater, what we call skater mostly. We are fitting at the top, wide down to flaunt your hips, make you look like you have hips and then you should look at the stripes too. We have striped fabrics. Play a lot with stripes fabrics. For people with larger bodies like us, we should not wear the stripes that go horizontal. Yes. I hope mila land, the long miletawam to up off. Yes, they make the eyes run in this direction. So it widens you. So if you have, if you're well endowed, that is if you're big, don't wear stripes in the hivi. Use vertical stripes. Wear stripes. Amada yagunol. Or this. Yes, chesesha macho. Chini hivi. Ah, so if you wear this, I've never known. If you wear this, the eyes play like this. Like this? Yes. We are learning. Keep telling us. Yes, and also the well endowed people wear a lot of black. Play a lot with black. They make you look smaller, a bit smaller. Ah, people who are smaller? People who are smaller, try to wear outfits that are a bit large. Play with horizontal stripes. This one says a good job. Yes. Kamu kuna hips ndugo. Gweza ko thatchini make the stripes a bit horizontal. They make you look bigger. Downward. I'm interested. Like na feel na land. Yes, and use colors that pop out if you are a bit smaller. They make you pop out more. Someone like me? You okay? I can say your middle size to your average. You are not big. You are not small. So you will do okay in so many designs. Yes. Okay. Colors. How do we choose colors for different functions? Because we will come. I will come as a woman. Yes. Nenda sidri events. Trust you to nenda. What I'd wear for a wedding is not what I'd wear for a burial. It's not what I'd wear for a cocktail party with my girlfriends. No, I have come to you. I want to go for this cocktail and I'm not sure if I'm going to buy it or not. I have come and I am insisting if you are not. So probably tell us what do we wear for the office? What can we wear for weddings? What colors pop for funerals? Like what can we do? So functions is categorized. We have happy occasions, weddings, birthday parties. Mostly parties and weddings wear colors that are happy. Colors that pop out bright colors, red, yellow, play around with bright colors for happy occasions. Office, in the office we don't need much of color because in a diverse attention you want to from the working environment. So that's where we use. That's why we use cool colors for the office like gray, brown, navy blue, a bit of cool colors. For funerals, we don't want people to be diverting attention from the matter at hand and keep on looking at you. You don't need to be the center of attraction in somebody else's funeral. That's why we always black or white for funerals. Cool colors. Everybody will be in black. Everybody will be in white. So nobody will be looking at you like, wow, who's that? When you pop out in a red outfit. Ya, he doesn't go. So how do you keep up with the current trends in fashion? Fashion, with fashion, it's always a learning process. You have to keep up. So you keep on reading. Social media, where you work a candle because you have to know how the world is moving because fashion moves with the times. Ya, so it's a learning process. We call it a learning process. Every day we keep on learning. You'll find me I wake up to kusoma too. You keep up with YouTube and all that. You wake up at like you have to keep reading? Yes. We have to keep reading. You know fashion, you can't say that what I learned in school is what I'm still doing today. In school you are only taught the basics. A basic skirt pattern. So with so many changing designs, you have to learn every day because design mevaliwa leo siye nye tavaliwa next month. So you have to keep learning what is new in the market. You know like designs reach Kenya, they come from the up up countries kina U.S. and all that. Ziki kudya hu kuchini. So we have to keep up with fashion here. Who could you? As they come, mostly fashion new ones here in Italy. Have a lot of love for Italian fashion if you want to keep up because that's where fashion lives. So you have to keep updating yourself on what's going on. There's a new design in the market. How can I come up with such patterns to come out with such and such an outfit? So fashion is a learning process. You never stop learning when you are a designer. So how do you think your role or rather your career as a fashion designer now that you started a world back has changed over the years? Even if you look at our social media handles, what I used to make in 2016 is not what I make today. Like last week, my mum was laughing. I made my mum a dress. She was going for sanfena and in Tanzania. And she was laughing. She was telling me, where? Skwizi hu maongezeka. And I was like, where? Skwizi hu maongezeka. So you can see improvement in our work. If you just look at our social media handles, what we used to make back in the days and what we are making right now. We keep growing. We keep learning new stuff. You deal with clients every day. Yes. So tell me about a moment you've had to deal with a very difficult client. Wow, we deal with those like every week. Yeah, exactly. But of course we are there. Yeah, maybe you remember one or two here with there. We are looking for a place where we can tell our little stress. Yeah, there are people who are just complicated. They come, I want such and such a thing. You make it. After you make that outfit and you say, now I don't think hapa itchaka na mimi vizuri. Can we change it to something else? You know, you've made a whole outfit. You've spent like two, three days coming up with an outfit. Now you have to change something. Ye hi lewi in order for you to change that thing, you have to undo the whole outfit. Okay, I tell them, okay, so we can do that but at an extra cost. You have to pay for that because that is like I'm starting afresh. We do that. And then there are these clients who come, they fit. You know, wuki mwangalia ngoi memtoshi ako sawa kabisa ato yaki diyangalia kwa kibani she's like apa utafiniyaki dogo. Batwe kumendi aku no na haponi kipunguza iyunguo ita haribika but we try to explain hi lewi and I insist so ya like, okay, sawa tuta punguza. I don't even touch it. And when she comes back, she fits and she's like, wow, hey, it's now perfect and I didn't do anything about it. So the people were just complicated, ya. This is the mind, ya. It's a mindset. Ya, the people were just complicated. So for these business to succeed, you have to be very patient, deal with each and every person according to their personality. How do you handle criticism? Because of course it counts a lot. Yes. And now you take criticism positively. Yes, those are the things that make you grow. Ya. So tell us how far you've come with where Africa, of course you're not where you started. You've had people, you've employed, you've hired, you've done a lot. Tell us what's the growth to check to where Africa. With hiring people, that's a challenge. Specially when you're starting, when you're still young, you need to work with the big, big companies. You know, obviously everyone looks for greener pastures. And in this field, we really lack skills. The people who have started fashion, but I think they just do it for the sake. Like for me, I'm very keen with the details. You have to do my dress details the way I want them to be. That gives me a lot of problem with employees. So most of the time you'll find me working alone. But we've grown, I started alone, definitely. So far I've employed three tailors. Yes, and I have trainees too. Yes, I have two people who are under training from time to time. So it's been a journey. What's that one thing that would surprise people about your career? Surprise. I would say for many, the comments I get from people every day are, we're fei, kwe li weweni fundi. You know, we are called fundis and we're used to that thing. So atama what we want and we are feitu, niku se wewaji fei fundi. Fei kwe li weweni fundi. Many, the main thing that surprises people about me is you don't find many women tailors making men outfits, male outfits. I make even male suits. So that surprises many people. Like the other day I had a... You make male suits? Yes. Okay, I'm also surprised. Yeah, I make even, yeah, you see. So that is the main thing that surprise people about my business. Like I had a client last week. They're supposed to go for a chade ii yawakamba. So the wife was telling him, 20 upimwe, she was like, nana ni? No, the lady making my outfit is the one who's going to make your outfit. And he was like, okay, 22 to 1, but manumkenu ngoza wanawume. I doubt. So when the outfits were out, he came to fit and he was like, okay, neme kubali. So I personally, and I'm the one who makes the male outfits. I'm the only one who makes the male outfits in my workshop. Oh, that's nice. It's also something like, I'm also in for a surprise. Because when I was asking, I don't know what I expected when he asked you what surprises people about your career. So how do you know what fabrics match together? Fabrics go with the textures. So you have to understand fabric textures to know what will go with what. They are light fabrics, they are heavy fabrics, they are rough ones, they are the soft ones. So you have to really learn textures. You know what textures goes with what design. So in order for you to know how to blend fabrics and you have to know colors very well. You have to be kalakoshias to know how to mix fabrics. Yeah, because there's a time we tell Fundi this green. Yes. You show Fundi this green. The green... Hey! I told you she wanna trust me. The green they give you. Oh, you tell them this shade of pink. Pink has a lot of shades. Let's even talk about pink. Pink has so many shades. Fushias, jewe pitch, jewe what. So you've shown Fundi this. You've shown Fundi how to blend fabrics. You've shown me how to mix fabrics. And it's also good for the Fundi is the designers to have a color chart. You know, if you have green, have a color chart for green. Have a color chart for blue. So that when a client tell you I want this and this type of blue, mum, they choose from that color chart. The kind of blue you want. Because someone will come and tell you I need royal blue. Ya, kwa mind ya ke hajuiroyolu blue. Anafkiru no mambiya. Anafkiriya royalu blue anami nevi blue. So it's also good for designers and tailors to have a color chart in their workshops with them. So that the client chooses exactly what they want. Yes, na takahi. Kaisu za nils. Yes. Yes, so na label maluma ni kame shaman zake, you label nevi blue chart color number one. Ah, okay. Okay. No, I'm learning. No, I know. It's good to have a color chart for you not to have disappointments with clients. I think a lot of those disappointments have personally made me stop shonai in kwa. So me would rather go pick what I like in the Nile. Ya, so many people need to shop. Nime pata clients wengi when yome kwa disappointed before. But I always tell them hapa umefika. No, na peremi ni kujende onifika. Kujya please. Kujya. So once you've completed the design how do you know it's finished? From Afundi's perspective now? Like we do quality control, you know. We have so many people kuna mtu anakata. Like for me specifically, I count out the patterns myself to make sure everything comes out the way it's supposed to be. So na perefundi wakushikanesha, kuna mtu wakumalizia finishings, these are overlocks na pasi. And then I also do quality control myself. I have to check, you have to check is the quality what the client wanted. Is the fabric okay? How long can this fabric last? Inafakupigwa pasi. Amha ifa ikupigwa pasi. Overlock imefanya vizurin diyonguwa isi, isi frei. You have to check such and such things. Pasi ime pigwa. So you also know that this fabric, ifa ikupigwa pasi direct, you advise clients on such things when they are picking their outfits. Thank you for saying that. Because I have not fit kwa mbuas fai pigwa pasi juhu. Exactly. Sisa ina shine kap. We have a lot of that. Ifa ikupiwa pasi mouto. So what we always do, chukua kitamba, akoton fabric, deep inside the water, kamua, wakelea juhu, pigwa pasi. You won't have problems with your clothes. Ah, we are learning. Today I'm also learning quite a lot. Because the times you have, I have address that nile kelea pasi kwa ika shine. Yeah, I was like... Ngini una pata ime pata stain nani permanent. Especially for the artificially processed fabrics like nylon, polyester. They burn like plastic. So if you place a very hot iron, it will burn like plastic. So just take a cotton fabric, deep inside water, rinse all the water out, place on top of your cloth, iron. As a fashion designer, what will you wish people knew about fashion? Fashion pays. You know, we hear comments from people every day that ii oni kwa suwe zifanya. Tailoring, isunimajina wana tengeneza tuati fashion maranini. But people should know that parents especially, parents who are ages, I was as a way too. They don't believe that this is a cause that can help a child in any way. But I can tell people that fashion is a beautiful thing. Fashion is all round. Even if we go hungry, to takosa chakula and all that, to zatembe a uchi, we cannot walk naked. So clothes goes all the way. Parents watch what our toto ofanya is heko says. Let the kids do what they love. Fashion pays. That one I can say. It has paid my bills for years and it has fed many people because I have employees who feeds from this job. So fashion is a beautiful thing. Because our houses, fashion is everywhere. Our houses, can we go without curtains? You do tropillos in your seats. That is fashion. You do a carpet in your house that matches your couch. So fashion is all round. It's a very wide cost. So what are some of the challenges you've faced throughout the years? Challenges mostly in Kenya. Rising costs of living with reduced revenue. So like this year, you know, we are heading towards Christmas, but business is not that much blooming. Kromatidols are very expensive. So we end up increasing the prices of clothes. But like in Kenya today, not so many families can afford to get a tailor-made outfit. So many people go from tumbas. So the main challenge in this kind of business has been the high cost of living and reduced revenue. Yes, and lack of skilled people, lack of skilled tailors. Tuna nyanganyana, especially Yama Biashara, competitors, nyanganyana wafani kazi, all that, those have been the main challenges in the business. During times like now, Christmas or Easter, when there are festive seasons, you usually are very busy. I've seen your husband has come with you. So how do you balance family, work, children? We try to balance, but sometimes it becomes complicated because like now we sometimes stay in the workshop until midnight. So sometimes it becomes hard, but most of the times we try as much to time ourselves. Like normal days, we usually the workshop from eight to five. So at five, go back home, drop the career woman clothes, pick up the mommy and wife staff. Yes. So it's mainly timing, but at times like this, when it's a high season, it becomes difficult to balance. So yeah, no one can be perfect. Sometimes we have to chase the papers. How does your work look like? My normal day, just me waking up, doing the normal things people do in the morning, have a shower, put on go to the workshop. Sometimes I spend a whole day in the market, in the shop, shopping for fabrics because we have new things every day, new fabrics come in every day. So most of the time, wake up to my drive to my workshop, to the market, mostly we shop at Isili and Karyubangi market. Nairobi textile not so much, only a few things that you don't find in Isili because the aromaterios are a bit expensive. So my normal day, just wake up, go to my workshop, go to the market when I need to go to the market, back to the workshop, baka mi usemasi na life, kwa maisha yanguni wakshop nyumbani, wakshop nyumbani. What's the most satisfying thing about being a fashion designer? I can make my own clothes. I can dress myself and my family. You know, kununwanguni expensive. I know that. Yes. So the most satisfying thing is, I can dress myself, dress my family. I can furnish my own house. I can design my house the way I want it to be. What's that one thing as we come to almost the close to an end of this conversation? What's that one thing you will tell women about fashion? Women, we need to love ourselves. The way you said when we started that sometimes we judge, yes. There are a lot of women who doesn't love themselves. They don't. Our jipendi at all. Ununomtu wa mewa anguwa ununa we? No. For as a woman you need to be fashion cautious, please. Dress up, look nice. Nguwa, mi usema anguwa ina fichaw maskini. You know. Dress like a millionaire. Dress like a million dollars, even if you have only two shillings in your pocket. So, when I work at a jipendi. To jipendi to dress like a million. Eh, yopatia anguwa fichaw maskini. I'm taking that home. Yeah, it's true. And like for my business, we deal with all kinds of clients. Kuna wale wa garamayachini, middle, garamayaju. They are materials that are of good qualities, but are very, mi usema chip, because chip is relative, very friendly price. So, you don't have to like dress in a million dollars for you to look nice. You can look nice even in the cheapest outfit in the market. So, dress like a million dollars, even if you only own two thousand shillings. Thank you. Please use that camera to give us a parting shot. And tell us where we can find you on social media and where your shop is. We are located in Siokimau, Beijing Road, Great Wall Apartments, phase two. You can find us on Facebook where Africa designs. You can also find us on Instagram where Africa. Where Africa, W-E-A-R-F-R-I-K-A. So, many people use it's K-A where Africa. You can also find us on 0727 637 225 Please come and promote us. You love working with us. Amazing. I rarely do this in this segment, but today, having seen your family, I want you to give them a shout out. She came with her family, I mean. Hey, this must be love. I want you to give her a shout out. I want you to give her a shout out. I want you to give her a shout out. I'm here with my husband, Tyson, who's always been my number one cheerleader. Yes. And I have my two babies, Zuri and Taraji. Also in my designs. You see, they're wearing very nice bomber jackets. Yes, I love them. I love my family. Any day, any time, family comes first. That's so beautiful. Like I saw them and I was like, Oh, I mean, they woke up in the morning to bring you. Yes, when I woke up, they were like, Mami, where are you going? Can we go with you? Yes, that is so nice. We appreciate your husband for bringing you. It's not many, many who would do that. You know, manumeta kwa like, kizun, we do so amama, and that too, you know, niko busy, but it's so we appreciate you for coming. Thank you so much, Faith, for coming. We really appreciate you. I love asking this question on the road. Are you a cheetah or a tortoise? Maybe both depends with when. Sorry? I can say both. It depends on what piece and what piece. So sometimes this life is not balanced. Now that we are dealing with fashion, I know that we are dealing with fashion. Are you a heel person or a flat shoe person? I am a heel person, definitely. Once in a while, when I am running day to day stuff, like going to the market, I cannot go to the market in heels. I cannot be on the sewing machine in heels. But I love fine, I love dressing up nicely. So I am definitely a heel person. Yes. So can we have Taji? Taraji. And Zuri. Come. Come babies. Come babies. Shupush out. Melita mami asubu yote. Oh, such a pretty girl. Sasa. Hi you. Hi you mama. Say hi to the camera. Ile. Say ma, hi. Hi. They came this morning. They brought their mother to the studio. And we love appreciating women. We love appreciating what women do. And we love appreciating women who support families. That was it from a strength of a woman. It has been amazing to have Faith Etienne. She is doing wear freaker. That is dressing. She is doing fashion dressing women. Name it, call it anything. Are you cold? It has been such an educative and impactful session we've had. And I hope you've grabbed something for yourself. Just in case you missed the interview it will be uploaded on our YouTube channel on Y254 channel. We are taking a very short break but we are coming back with more.