 Thank you very much for such an engagement with the man of the day. We get to visit something different. When you get to talk about business, of course entrepreneurship in Kenya, that's something that usually prompts into your mind. Talk about fashion and design. Well, this morning we get to have a look at fashion and design and how it's taking preeminence in the business sector. Well, I don't know how much may have dominated in the GDP but what I know is it's really taking its place. Well, this morning I'm joined by a young lady called Anne with her. She gets to talk to us about what she does and exactly let's do this. Anne, she must welcome. Thank you so much. You are the CEO, the founder and everything else that we can mention about Anne, John fashion creation. Yes, I am. So tell us, who is Anne, John fashion creations? My name is Sir Anne Itirano. I'm the CEO of Anne, John fashion creation. This is a brand where we create designs, we make, we stitch according to the client's test and even our own desires. Right, stitch, make. Oh, these things according to client's test. So lesson number one, client comes number one. That's it, right, that's good. Let's talk about the venture that you decided. What from the duty to begin all this that we are seeing right now? I think it all started as a passion, something I was really looking forward to do and when I knew I had a passion for fashion, I went to school. I did a diploma in fashion and design and after that I felt the need to be my own boss, to create my own designs, to be the change I wanted to see through the fashion industry and through what I love doing. And that's how I came up with the brand and John fashion creation. That's what I've been doing and it's pretty doing well. I can say it's doing well. Wow, I love it. I love it especially with what you're doing and everyone can attest whether you're a good worker or a singer. Right now Anne, you said that you went to class. You did fashion and design? Yes. As a career by itself? Yes. What from the duty to go to school? Because not many people would even think of it. People think you've got doctors, hoes, jewelloyas. I think before I cleared high school I was confused of what I could do because everyone out there was like, I wanna do this, I wanna do this, but for me I was empty but I prayed to God and I told God give me something. Be it hard or simple, I'll do it passionately. Then after that, that's when I started feeling something fashion, I started researching. I could visit terrers from my home. I could build them materials. I could go and cut them into design and I could display them in a book. That's why I started and eventually it has grown up to here. So for records you can say it's a passion that came out of that? Yes, it's a passion. Right, I love when people say it's a passion because business is sustained by passion when you have the courage to continue. So how long have you been in this business? This is my second year, I can say because I graduated 2017. Then 2018 I felt the need to open my own shop and continue doing it. Were you employed before? No. So you were just at home? I was just at home because my machine was at home. I could do it at home. I could get client at home but it was low because not everyone knew me. So I felt the need to go out and make myself known. So you decided to venture out and to launch you now to the wider spaces. But when at home, what were you thinking before you even vent into the industry by yourself? I think I was planning on how to do it and another thing I did, I opened a page where I could post my outfits, the design I've made to get client, to get views, even though it took time eventually people liked it and people were interested, they wanted to know who was this, they wanted to know the design. Roughly an estimated time when there was a struggle to launch out into the market how was it? I think 8 months before the page got people to engage because when I opened it I didn't have many I had 46 likes and people used to tell me share it, share it but people still didn't know it but eventually I could still be patient I could still continue posting things I believed in myself Alright and let's talk a little bit about marketing you've talked about your way of venturing to the market through the social media do you think marketing is one of the things that we need to emphasize when we are opening a brand? Yes, you have to base your products according to the market and you have to look for market for your own products you have to the product that you have you have to set targets to those people who you are targeting through your competitors through the people around you and that's how I did it I first checked the surrounding where I was the people, my friends if they are young and most of them they are young people so I did something like they would like it so that's how I got market and I'm still looking for it Okay, guys it's time that we get to learn lesson number two research get to know what exactly you want in the market place and get of course to diversify everything that you really want and when you say about the two years that you've been in the market how would you tell the market is right now kwa biesha rai are things really happening okay? I think the fashion industry is very competitive you have to work hard to push your product kus especially when you are doing it online on social media kus most people they don't have genuine things so whatever you post you have to make sure if someone tells you I want this you have to deliver Yes Right So you have to you have to like you have to work hard to push your product you have to be patient and at the same time you have to be genuine Alright what has sustained you all for the two years since the market is really flooded with all these kind of designs what has really sustained you? I think the fact that I love doing it and every day and when I look back I think they have come I think I can't go back You're not from the same point that you are when you begin Yes So every day it's a new challenge it's a new opportunity for me to do it and when people like it I'm like I can't quit I have to keep on doing it Definitely How is the market as you feel like manzai any passion it's a business I think it's not bad and it's not that good you have to work with the way it is because sometimes you can't force people to buy and at the same time you can't stop them so you have to be patient you have to be patient that sometimes they won't buy even if you have something which is awesome maybe sometimes it won't you won't have someone to buy so you have to be patient and you have to wait for people to like it Alright now let's talk deeply about the Anjan fashion creations you do so much there's bags there's shoes laces and the like what else do you do I also do home decors these are curtains Other than home decors I think only fashion and home decors That is the clothes outfits the bags the hoods You also do hoods? Yes I do hoods Alright we'll get to have a look at some of them that she has done and of course get to see probably you wanna buy one you'll get to see where to find her we've talked about when you are launching out from home or the way to you're now in your shop probably you can just first of all tell us why you based that I'm based at Moshada Rwaka Chawun Not far from there When looking at the place and the location where you need to place what are the things that you need to consider First you have to consider the location the market the security the people around the competition your competitors Well of course we all know that the market is really flooded with these uncorrelated designs we have quite a number and significant number of them and it talked about sustainability in the market The business and the sustainability bit of it where should we emphasize on like Kamsia Koumata Akulodj out where should we really emphasize on I think you have to do you have to first of all start with that thing you do best that will help you grow because for me when I realized I'm good at dresses and tops isn't isn't nearly another that's what I started with then the rest have come introducing so do that thing that you do best it will always keep you there What did you begin with exactly just the clothes Yeah the clothes, the tops then the bags and the hood have introduced later So it's a progress It's a progress you don't just do everything at once you take time and when you see maybe the market is not well maybe you remove some you add And that's how the business works Yeah that's how it works You get some, you remove some you do away some you bring in new In the aspect of bringing in something new there are things that you need to look at and especially when someone is trying to think of the design because people now are these people clad these things they wear them and people even buy these bags to put their stuff on and things are changing especially in the market with the ban of nylon papers How is the market for the bags I think it's amazing Can we compare with clothes? No I think bags are fast moving One thing is it's beautiful and when people you can wear it even when you are casual you can wear it when you are official you can do it So for bags I can say the industry of bag is growing more than compared to the clothes Let's talk about the clothes because we have men and the female side of it when someone comes to you and says these exactly what I want is there an opportunity for advice from the designer There is because sometimes you will come a client comes with a picture and they are like I want exactly like this forgetting that they don't have the same body size they won't look the same so if you don't deliver the client will bring it on you you didn't do it but they don't have the same body even if I do an outfit that exactly look that way if she wears if he or she wears it it won't look that way because they don't have the same body size the height the skin color so I think people need to change like their mind they need to do themselves Are we borrowing so much from outside? I think we are doing it so much people are borrowing so much and it's not good because and that's why so many times designers lack opportunities to get creative actually because they would say they didn't deliver I told them to do this and I even gave them the picture but it's not like what I told them so people need to change people need to do themselves people need to look at their body size the skin color everything just to yourself Do you think to me embrace people who are creative right now to come up with new ideas in terms of the design or rather we want the same to borrow from outside and bring them on board I think for me I have tried to to introduce mine to avoid borrowing because it's not good sometimes to copy everything you can copy some details but not everything so many people are borrowing so much I don't know I don't know what usually happens even from the cake industry I have heard people we have interviewed and people bring in those two screenshots but they can you do this for me well it's not bad anyway but let's have people from our own entrepreneurial field get to be creative enough and trust me they can make big things so Ann let's talk about the two years span if you compare how the turn of the profits from then and now what would be the range that you'll give that it was I think it's have make a big difference from how I started because that time you have to you know that period of a business the incubation period of a business for it to grow for it to go through the processes of growing people to know you I think as per now people have realized and they know me and I can say it's doing well compared to how I started I can say it's headed somewhere for you and business in terms of how was the business in terms of you personally in terms of the profits I think they were low and I could struggle sometimes even to parent but now I think sometimes I need to write down clients because they are many That's also a big deal so if you're thinking of launching on to the day fashion and diesel we need to rethink before even launch out some of the things that you need to do be clear and authentic and talking about the things that you've been making I don't know whether the clip is ready we can have a look probably but as they are getting ready when you compare yourself with other designers what are some of the things that you see yourself outstanding with I think for me first is the choice of material yes I usually go for the things that people don't see because in our culture or in our country people like being the same like if I see you with an aki tenge I want like Ile Alex but for me I want that thing that people don't see it because you take months before you see my material so for me I've always been looking forward to make something different and at the same time to deliver to do it myself because you will find so many designers they are not the one who teach they pay other people and they take the credit of this is my brand and stuff but they haven't said for it for me I thank God I do it from scratch everything let's talk about what we have right now on set and I'd like to begin with these and of course there are a few things inside when designing such kind of bag where do you begin with where should we even focus on primarily I think one you have to to measure because bags have different sizes you have to if it's small medium or big you have to measure the length, the width you have to even know what you're going to put inside you have to plan before you stitch everything you have to put everything on details all right and looking at it it's quite some sort of an African design compared to what you have in right there it's a bit different kidogo but now these compared to that what are some of the things that you would say like I need to change I think to blending materials because sometimes people don't want it the same material they will say combined mix I think even the arrangement of patterns matters according to your client according to you as the designer according to me all right that's a good deal I'd like you just to hold up on to that so as we can show the guys at home this is totally different from what we've just seen and what's this on the other side that has just popped out this is acts as a zip instead of putting a zip you put this thing when you want to open you just pull these things put your things here can we just illustrate it can you put your stuff here and you pull it so from the outside let me just have a look so from the outside probably just to try illustrate for just a minute so these are supposed to be then I pull it this way all right then we come all the way to these other side where do we go to the center at the center there is one so you just put the stuff here and remove then you put back you put back then it comes back to the design all right that's a good one that's a good one so if you think it's one for your girlfriend please come over it's as good as it is how much is this it's 1500 wow 1500 all right I hear someone say it's not a girlfriend but it's up you can still buy for your wife anyway it's far much worth it so this is just 1500 if you wish how much is this 12 1200 why the difference because if you here you have so many patterns like you have to put the plain fabric then you have to put another fabric which is inside with a pocket but for this it's only one fabric all right so the price will differ okay okay okay of weight how much can this carry 5 kg 5 kg and about this it seems to be like this is big but the size can hold all right these are good one these are good one all right let's talk about the hoods and the hoods and the like all those people you talk about the hoods are now taking preeminence in the market and they've seen quite a number of people buying them how much do they go for 2500 per piece but of late the market I think it's going down they were introduced and people have been doing them so people faked the hoods and so they could fake them they could buy the cheap materials they could buy the cheap hoods and they make they sell at a cheap price what's that cheap price? like 200 and for me I'm selling it at 2500 so for so many people they would go for the 200 and my 25 I remain with it but if you compare it won't last for 200 when you wash it 3 to 4 times the material is out the hood is faded I would prefer you cheap is expensive Thank you for saying cheap is expensive why do you think most people prefer cheap products I don't know why I don't know why because if someone ask me how much goes for a hood I'm like 2500 and they are like what and for me I'm buying a good quality I buy the hood at 1000 I undo it because you have to undo the hood you have to put the material then you have to stitch it again so it's work load there is work to be done so people don't see the work they see they will tell you these hoods is 100 kikomba but not putting in their mind that they are not the best alright we'll consider quality when you're thinking of buying any design product in the fashion products well I'd like us to have a look at a particular clip that we had prepared for what Ann does as we try and talk about more on what she does and all the clip is ready we can just take a look at it and what the she is probably can just try and focus just hold on to there this is just for the man that you're doing took to us about this this is a print fabric and it's also African it's African print with a Chinese collar and it's cost 2000 just the shot alright what about the trouser you do? no, not yet alright but still you're thinking of enjoying the same? in the near future alright, let me ask have you ever considered about the wedding occasions and the like? yes and I think most people are doing African thing during their wedding during everything I think every occasion they have to be an African thing somewhere so for me I think that's something that has encouraged me to do more of African outfits to get crayons and to get my market alright probably you can just hold on just for a moment right there we can just talk about the shoe you do the entire part of the shoe is just the shoe laces the shoe laces I buy the shoe then I do the laces I cover them with color fabric alright so do you consider the pattern as you said from this one? yes you do because you have to consider the color because you don't have to do a dull color on a black shoe it has to be bright alright it has to go in handy with the color of the shoe so it has also to go hand in hand the color that you are blending with it has too much alright these are exactly what Ann has been doing and we really approached such kind of people who are launching into the market trying to look at some of the things that they are venturing into and as we said any economic country that has to grow it has to naturally it's enterprise do you think entrepreneurs have really been nurtured in the country have they been given an open space for them to grow? not fully because if you look at how people are taking it they are like personal you have to find your own thing find your own ways of doing it because if you wait for maybe something to come out maybe a fashion show big one for maybe people to make it it will never happen or maybe you'll never have the space to make yourself known maybe they are so those people are up there so for you as you are growing you have to find something to do something unique about yourself stand that do that and eventually it will grow all right I'd like us to have just a view of what Ann has been doing live on studio let's just have one of the model probably just to try and see and of course show you what exactly she does I know we just watched the pictures but it's good for us to have a look at what she does you can just come over and we have a look at what she's doing yes this is a maxis cut all right with a belt maxis cut maxis cut all right with a belt and a bow tie even the bow tie is an African design yes so how do you design that the bow tie it's just simple you just have to measure the neck of the client then the size of the bow tie and that's it that's it then you put the elastic thing that's it but ladies never do you use to wear the bow tie I think the need for so many maxis are being worn by shirts with collars and they find a need to have something something African attach that's how bow tie folded came out all right that's amazing and we applaud the kind of work you're doing so let's talk about from head to toe how much is this or let's just talk about the cut itself how much is it 1800 8 along with the tie the bow tie comes 2000 2000 wow that's an amazing deal and we applaud such kind of things that you eventually bring it to well and we are coming to the end of this interview let just give us an opportunity to tell us where can we find you on social media my Facebook page and John fashion creation yeah all right if someone wanted probably to just come to your shop visit where exactly is your location Mushada so we just come and say Mushada we have dropped at the marketplace at the marketplace and then we go to Kwa Soko Kwa Soko all right so many thanks and for making time just give us your parting shot then we call it a day okay thank you so much for having me here it's a pleasure proud and grateful and to everyone out there who would like to do it who have a passion for something just do it just step out there you can do it if I did it and I'm here you still can do it it's possible yeah all right that's it from Anjoon fashion creations and well the venture is right things are getting better and better each and every single day you don't want to miss out in the entrepreneurial market well they are saying there is so much of retrenchment that is happening in the country which is of course a fact what can you do in the business that can earn you something that is it that I leave you with my name is Garanja Alex it's always a pleasure to have you every Monday through Friday 7 to 10 am Barry Moses is coming up next see you then oh awesome awesome awesome awesome Mato