Designer pulls in clients with daring African collections

It has been quite some time since Ihsani Culture put together a clothes collection.

This is because head designer Nkatha Karauri has focused her time and energy on custom-made tailoring and following instructions from her clients.

“At the beginning it was just me designing, then we opened a shop and started giving clients what they wanted. But they also need direction,” she said.

With her main clients being families, Ms Karauri said she has been doing her best to save them from bad tailors.

She creates outfits for family occasions including traditional and Africa-inspired wedding dresses.

This year, Ms Karauri started reviving the designing side of her business. The outlet, which is also her workshop, is two years old and located at Suraj Plaza, Limuru Road, Nairobi.

Over time, Ihsani Culture has built a large database of clients who appreciate the brand’s daring designs. Ms Karauri’s brand has been acknowledged publicly; earning a mention on a public radio station.

When she started out after leaving her full-time job, Ms Karauri hosted a collection that was well received.

Turning to her love for colour, she layered the African lace fabric with contrasting colours to make attractive clothes.

It was at that time that she discovered her signature style; embroidery.

“I was inspired by ancient cultures. I was reading an excerpt on embroidered gowns in the Old Testament then,’’ she said.

Closer home, West Africans use embroidery to make their clothes look regal, adding a distinct touch of style, she said.

‘‘So, I came up with my own style made up of lines and geometric shapes on layers of embroidered fabric to add new texture to the garments,” she said.

After a long break from designing, Ms Karauri put together a show at the Michael Joseph Centre, owned by Safaricom, together with another fashion designer.

The collection made use of locally available batik fused with contemporary fabric to signify a Kenyan girl’s coming of age story.

An embroidery in the shape of a bird in flight was used to adorn necklines and waistlines.

“I believe that designers should organise shows and invite clients to see new products on offer. People tend to forget you when you share a show with many designers,” said Ms Karauri. She had also invited a make-up artist, a stylist and a photographer to advice her.

The collection targeted middle income earners between the ages of 25 and 40.

“After seeing people appreciate and buy from the collection, I know that as much as I will keep tailoring I will also keep designing,” said Ms Karauri.

Variations

Balancing both will be easy, she said. She will use every January, when shopping and wedding parties decline, to design and put together a collection.

“If you do not use that time to create you end up with no collection. I will use January and February to create one collection and offer different variations of it throughout the year,” she said.

In 2011 Ms Karauri put together a collection where only one jacket was a hit. The loose-fitting jacket had bell-shaped sleeves, big buttons on the side and a satin collar with her signature embroidery.

She learnt from the event that each collection has its own risks; trends change and can leave one with dead stock.

To minimise risks, Ms Karauri plans to email her clients a book of impending collections to enable them to place orders.

Ihsani Culture will continue to offer custom-made tailoring even as it expands to producing a variety of works, she said.

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