How it all started from Adam’s apple

ANN MCREATH

Founder, KikoRomeo

Age: Ageless (“Fashion designers can get away with not declaring their age”)

High School: Douglas Ewart, Newton Stewart, followed by last two years at Fettes College, Edinburgh

University/College: University of Edinburgh, MA (Hons) General Arts (mainly History of Art, Italian & African History)
Koefia, Rome - Diploma in Fashion Design

Work Experience: Milan - freelance designer

Barcelona - Estrella G (couture womenswear designing/marketing), Mango (designing/sample production) & Freelance Designer (mens, kids, leather goods, shoes, hats...)

Lubango, Angola - MSF administrator

Kenya/Zimbabwe - MSF Spain, Head of Mission

Consultancies: - Operations Management with Pact Sudan, Ethical Fashion with ITC.

Awards: 2010 International Creativity Award - Notte en Fiore, Noto, Italy

It’s quite humbling – and somewhat embarrassing - to learn from a ‘mzungu’ that KikoRomeo is a Kiswahili word for Adam’s apple, as the fashion designer, and owner of the Kiko Romeo fashion house, informs me. ‘I initially started out making men’s clothes hence the reference,’ she explains.

Trained as a fashion designer in Rome, Ann who grew up on a farm in Scotland (‘in the middle of nowhere,’) has been, for the past 16 years, on a quest to create African-inspired contemporary fashion through her designs. Her work has been on some notable fashion platforms like The London and SA Fashion Week.

When we meet at her Yaya Centre store, she is in the process of preparing for a major fashion blitz on February 22 dubbed ‘The 007 Show’, which is fashioned around the Kenya Rugby team. ‘I love men’s fashion and initially that’s where I started from before getting into female fashion.

I think it’s time I built up my male collection and what better way to do this than dress up our rugby boys?’ she enthused.

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Do models have to be so ghastly thin?

Why can’t a woman with some flesh on her make a dress look good, especially here in Africa?

Well, the truth is, in this market, a few people like skinny, but most people prefer a woman with some flesh. And I have no trouble with women with some flesh but on a catwalk, the logistics are a different matter because I have to make a specific garment that fits the bigger woman. But going forward, my aim is to use fit models, not skinny or big, just fit.

How many hours do you spend dressing up in the morning…including make-up?

I’m a busy woman, I don’t have the luxury of spending too much time dressing up, and so, I dress up fast. I spend five minutes on make-up.

I guess this is also because I don’t strive to be immaculate in dressing.

I’m an artistic dresser, I prefer clothes that fit. I will mix my golds and silvers as you can see (shows me her rings) something most people wouldn’t do, but I don’t care. I also don’t care for precious stones. If I feel like throwing on a hat, I will throw on a hat. I love colour.

And how many minutes does your spouse spend dressing up?

(Laughs) I don’t have a spouse! I have never married so I have never been divorced (laughs). I have a 15-year-old daughter and her pet called Oki. That’s it.

Doesn’t marriage have any lure to you? Haven’t you met any man who rung your bell?