 Shizu and Kama Kawaidi Shizu, where we go in different businesses We get some ideas from them How are we working and how are we able to thrive in our business today I am joined by a very classy fashionable beautiful lady I will just let her introduce herself because wow Thanakawikitzuri thank you yes so please introduce yourself I am Immaculate Mwende CEO, founder, Lavoga Kenya which is a fashion brand Actually, I started it in 2018 while I was still in campus Elafu, you've told me that what you're wearing right now you prepared it yesterday with one hour One hour, like one hour I don't even need one hour to choose what you want I like to choose what you want in one week Elafu, you're so good This is so great, you look so nice So tell us about Lavoga fashion brand Where it started Where did the dream come from Okay I think my brand is more my passion I've had a passion of fashion still when I was young but I really didn't know whether I wanted to do fashion actually I enrolled in I was in high school then I enrolled in campus I didn't know what course I was doing actually when there I did education for one whole year but I was doing home science so I got skills from there about fashion I think from my experience in home science and I didn't I did home science back in high school too so I had a clue then it just found me I mean your passion found me So in the university or college you had an idea about fashion I did education one year and the following year Nika Phil, no it's not going Uka Phil East is not my calling then I talked to my mum and she's my number one supporter so she was like just what I want and I went ahead I was actually in second year that I noticed that I could start a fashion line and I started and went to just try to know whether this could be I could grow something to speak and I'm thinking like you're in second year right so you're around 20, 21 wasn't it hard for you to like start a business in school like what was your starting like where did you get the money to finance your business funny enough I don't think my business needed so much cash where I needed like an investor now I just got a machine actually and the machine I got it was so little my first order I remember it broke down so I went I tried repair it it was expensive I compared what I'm earning to repair the machine it was just little so since it was my passion I didn't stop my business so I'd go buy fabrics cut out and deliver and where did you get the fabrics from I buy my fabrics from Isli now where were you schooling at that time Kenyatta University so all the way from Isli to Kenyatta University to get fabric and you still got time to study you still got time to study so after clearing your school that's when you started Lavoga not really then but when it expanded to what it is right now so I concentrated so what kind of clothes do you deal with in Lavoga actually I think my brand is all about feminicity don't get me wrong like it's all about females I only design females baby girls weddings yeah it's what I'm doing and I'm hoping so I can venture into men's fashion so for a person who wants to start a fashion brand what are the requirements to start when passion just have don't let anything stop you just do it no matter what see I didn't have a machine but I still did my thing so apart from passion of course kunaizim it was in India you need skills one thing you can't start a brand without skills fashion skills actually you need to know how to dress people according to their bodies like you need to know how to how to advice your clients because you know one thing even if you stay sure a cloth which is not designed for their body it won't be so cute so you should have some little call it some little roots behind the question so when you meet a client for the first time like for example me and I want a dress so what is the first thing that you check like as you said you need that eye to know what type of clothes goes with the body of your client so when you meet a client for the first time what do you do before you start even designing and drawing the pieces when I meet you for the first time I'll first ask you what you want tell me if you have an idea maybe a picture on the phone I meet clients what they have they have it in mind they'll show you a picture I want a dress like this so I'll ask you do you have what you want no if you don't yes if you tell me yes we're going to work with your picture I'll advise you accordingly whether understand whether it's good for you whether it's not then after the process of advising I'll advise you then take your measurements there place an order place an order just I'll just get the measurements and deposit which is half the price and I'll start doing my thing if it's about fabrics I'll get there and with all this funds social media what's up I'll just take pictures of the fabrics available I'll send you you can choose what you want it's all about my clients choose action it's not about me what you want is what I'll give you and how long does it take to complete a dress or someone's all a dress depends on the style design but simple just like a dress it's not long like and how I'll be done I mean you've completed yours with one hour so it's not hard actually if you have it in hard you just cut out a stitch see singumu it's not hard actually so we've talked about having the skillset and apart from the skills like what do you what else do you need to have a complete fashion brand yes what is it it should be hard to work in one thing for me people have this mentality about tailor's life tailor's life oh and muskia you know so me I work with ten is my thing actually I think it's my main thing because I don't like every time I make sure that if I have promised that I'll deliver your dress by 12am I make sure I mean here in Nishonekwa gari come upuna you understand if there's anything remaining I'll do it in the march you can come to deliver and with that it has really given me a lot of clients so what about the resources some of the resources that one requires when starting a fashion brand I mean look what the resources a machine you need a machine one thing is there like other types of machines some are machine in machine yeah there are types of machine but all machines do the same work just that they are some which have different stitches different what they are some which are industrial but all machines work the same machine which is 30,000 I mean my first machine was 3000 I bought it actually on Jumi so you don't need you don't need a lot of money I bought from bricks worth 2000 actually for a start so this is a business that can be started by anyone as long as you have the passion and the skill set but I tend to think that when it comes to skills this is something in one like music in kituna zaliwa something you taught or made something that is in one can't be there are designers who become designers from school but there are others which you may like your passion in fashion you want to do it it's born with you yeah but you know when it's a passion from inside you have to go to school to get some skills to add up something specific skills that we do not know obviously when you see my fashion designers like kuna any special skills amma what did you get from school that has helped you get to where you are right now I really enjoyed fashion when I was little but I didn't know how to go about it I didn't know how to stitch like Priya Koo's teach she needs someone to show you how to to work with the machine so that one is taught in school yeah taking measurements too that one is taught in school yeah it was just a basics actually from my brand like from me I think those are just the basics it's just something so simple it turned out to be something I didn't expect it was just something so simple to just maybe chop up for me some little money and become something okay so and in your brand do you work alone amma you have a crew who help you like stitch and design amma is it one month show solo and doesn't that get like you don't get burn out because nafkiria like if you get like five orders today you have to do all of them by yourself yeah I know but sometimes like there are sometimes even sacrifice a night like but it's not so much I mean it's not exhausting I mean if it's two nights like in two months that is not something hard to sacrifice so you just need to work with your time and I think the 12 hours we have the 12 day time hours we have enough I mean if you're seriously what you're doing so in a day how many orders do you get okay my orders in a day it depends I want not every day I get orders but sometimes just come understand like my older clients I need you to trust me but most of the time I deal with my clients they my clients they the older ones this is more of a referral business where you make me a nice dress my friend wants that dress she refers you to me like that and you more and for that I'm so grateful for my clients they're so nice they're the best actually so up to now what's your client tell like how many clients do you have you worked for or who have you worked for I have worked for you know like mine is not you can just come by yourself and group so I'm not so sure if I can count the number of clients you've worked for I have worked with a good number not a big number but if a good number so you said your cloth line is more of a feminist one that is all about empowering women so where did that dream and vision come from funny enough I think I am the only baby when you're family to lady I mean I've been brought up with a lot of feminism around me I think the males in our home they are countable so I think I was brought up with a lot of feminicity and just grew in me and I just meant everything about ladies and is there like anything or anything that you've done in support to women like as your fashion brand in any way done anything in support to to women like other events like other events you attended actually I think right now I have done 2-3 fashion events we had creativity the creativity affair it was held at the not restaurant it's in westlands it was all about pads and boxers we were donating to pads and boxers we've done another one at club sevens in town with dynasty sorry it's a model we were raising funds I think for books for some news so I'm thinking about you've talked about the events so I'm thinking about this you're a designer once in a while or more often than not you come up with your own designs so after you do that maybe like what you're wearing right now how do you get that out there how do you market yourself or how can a fashion brand market their commodities out there in the business world as I said one thing my clients are the best actually you just wake up to posts like someone has posted social media is social media is my main I have my Instagram page my Facebook my Twitter and I think also the runway events have done like the ones I have told you the three ones they've really helped me get my name out there and how many original pieces do you have everything you make is original yeah I just go by fabric like everything so na nami I can come with my idea I tell you I want to address that is like this but you as a fashion designer how many how many things have you created or what's the creative process like I see all the runway events have showcased my work like my own designs yeah you just design one thing my campus teacher used to tell me is that design sequence they are top top like you know they are two arms designs here to nangaza another one we just work with the normal just work with the normal try to modify it a little a little bit just a little just the normal the color will remain to be the color so you are the one who is supposed to know how to make it look like design it and the finances part of the business how what's your earning like oh I try my level best to make at around 1500 pa clothes puppies what type of dress is that just a straight dress I mean every outfit I make I aim to make in at around 1500 it's not bad because you are a business maybe there are some processes that you need to go through before opening a shop so what requirements do you need actually I don't even have a shop I work from my house so I am not so sure what I need but I am so sure that I can work with a shop a shop comes with a little added rent but now it's easier because nafanya it's my house I go I rest you know it's convenient I think working for my house is very convenient because I can't stitch up tonight to understand like so I think the best decision is to make baby kutusku now where do you get your materials from like for a person who wants to join your business na klulu na klulu yote about where na zapata fabric where na zapata the machines for sewing where do you shop for your equipment I think along river road there are very nice machines there I have checked the shops some of the shops not all of them and fabrics I advise them to either go to gizurai they have a fabric market to you know like their fabric sold at gizurai easily not that they are different but the prices range so if you are starting I advise you to go to the market where you know it's cheap and talking about the fabrics again for a person who wants to get into the fashion business is there like a quality ama fabric zoteni in zuri yeah you have to check out on the you know you have to talk like every dress which will work perfect on it so atakuchu like fabric the design in mind like fabric in na datumia kutengeneza a straight dress zi fabric in na datumia kutengeneza a skater or a flare flare na need fabric hard don't use a form a straight dress doesn't need a hard fabric just not really a soft one but a nice fabric just something good okay that's really interesting okay so so what are some of the challenges that you're facing because na assume it's not it hasn't been like kibisa so what are some of the challenges you face as a brand oh this this you know it's my brand so I worked perfection it's my pink it's what represents me out here so I want to be perfect I'm really working hard I'm putting effort I'm trying to get the clients what they want like I do my level best it's my job anyway and like a dress and client they are there when they dress na kaji atajani bamba no it's what you love doing I mean so you're like okay tell me what you want us to do some complain about fabrics you know you're not perfect every time fabric maybe somewhere so you'll just talk to them ask them what you want you just have to be humble come out aki kibisa atajani just explain to me and if when I come I always go to a step of making another dress or I'll tell you let's meet next time I'll go rectify where tiza problem and what are some of the risks in this business because like any other business kuna risks na watupitia so what are some of the risks in the fashion business there is ten not much you just need to be I think the fashion this competition actually that is a challenge fashion designers so you have to remain relevant let's talk about relevancy so I'm just thinking me ataimu kumilta tami fashion designer in my own way kilaum tuwa na jeon kilaum tuwa na neza je dress so how do you stand out in this business how do you put your name out there and what work would you like to immaculate and how do you deal with competition so when I started I really work on feet and drip like and like most of the time actually when I introduced my business I was dealing with students baki you and them and back of my dress not bagi so you have to work on the feet you have to stand out from other designers as in kunaile no shunia allowance so when I can't take them inna zungushwa you've gone kupimango kunaia kwa take them inna zungushwa like wana bakisha allowance like the youth don't want that say attacking war I want a fitting so that is one way I stand out the other thing is what I just told you I make sure I deliver everything on time and maintaining a very good relationship with my clients actually 99% of my clients tend to be my friends so what's the dream like for immaculate when they are what where do you see yourself where do you see your brand brand in like 5 to 10 years what's the dream like for you I am really hoping that I will be actually they thought of I will open a shop someday when I am so sure about I have told you about male fashion I think that is what I am doing and I am so sure in the next 5 years I will be doing something good now I mean I meet friends my girlfriends have boyfriends I want you to dress me and my boyfriend and I am like I mean I could dress very well your boyfriend has to look for someone else so I mean in opportunity I will go for you sometime so for the fans who are watching you right now where can they find you I am on Facebook is Lavoga Kenya Instagram Lavoga Kenya Twitter Lavoga Kenya and you can also get to me through my WhatsApp number like I am always online like ever as in any time I think it is November in full time like 24-7 apart from now every time I think I am just talking to my clients that is something else that keeps me going in relevant to kus client atakia kwa pigi usimu kwa omteza sometime I get clients hi tomorrow I am going somewhere to dress and maybe that designer I want to do but he is a client thank you so much I am so grateful I really have to know how you made that that outfit in one hour it really look nice so that was Immaculate Mwende a fashion designer and the owner of Lavoga brand Kenya so don't go anywhere after the break we will be back with more