Cracking Kenya market with Africa-inspired fashion

Unlike other girls who depend on their mothers to pick their outfits, Muna Yemane was already choosing and designing her own wardrobe by the time she was nine.

“I was always interested in clothes, especially colourful ones. I used to watch Indian movies, the saris and the music was just fascinating.

Through the years, I have also been sketching. I knew this (fashion) is what I wanted to do after high school. So, I went to study in Australia,” says the young fashion designer.

After graduating with a fashion degree in 2011, she took another year to study business before coming back home.

“When I returned, I noticed that life had changed. It had been six years since I was home. The cost of living had gone up and the fashion industry was picking up. More people were appreciating and wearing locally made clothes. Previously, I used to visit during holidays then go back. I realised that I could not start immediately. I needed more money,” she says.

Furthermore, she had to familiarise herself with the fashion market’s likes and dislikes. So when she got a job in Tanzania, she took it. Working as the public relation communications manager at Abel and Fernandes Communications gave her more confidence and new skills; communication, research, writing, creative skills and an international mindset.

In January this year, Muna decided it was time to dive into her passion and introduced her style to the Kenyan market. She sent sketches of her first capsule collection to Festival for African Fashion & Arts (FAFA) and got to share the runway with other Kenyan fashion designers like KikoRomeo, Kooroo and Wambui Kibue in the April gala show.

“I am looking to the international markets as well. I want people to know my brand. I want people to wear my brand, and it does not matter where they are wearing it. It could be here in Kenya or abroad. I want my brand exposed and the best way I feel is getting involved in fashion shows. You do not feature in every show, but it is more of an investment. You have to pick the ones that suit your brand,” she says.

Muna Yemane (the brand) stands for sophisticated, classy and still edgy and targets the middle and upper classes.

“I would rather use my name so people can identify my brand. It is from me to everyone else,” says the young designer.

The White Maasai, Experience Africa 2014 Collection was a tribute to all things synonymous to Africa; tribal fashion, warm people and cool/hot climate.

“My collection is more Tribo-Eclectic because it has drawn inspiration from various sources with the tribal backdrop being the main focus. Geometric printed African fabrics with tribal motifs giving off an African vibe and the use of the oriental orgami folding influence on the detailing of the garments,” says Muna.

Using the bright fabrics of silk, taffeta and Maasai blanket, the collection was a testament to her style. Her show stopper was a red-hot silk strapless gown made with 10 metres of silk.

Although the bodice was fitted, the skirt was full with plenty of draping. It can be worn as a wedding dress, evening dress or on the red carpet.

“My clothes are structured. I did a foundation course in art and architecture which led me to the fashion course at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. I studied photography, so I do my own photography, and illustrations. I did life drawing and architecture mostly learning to build things in the 3D form. This prepared me for the actual fashion degree course,” she says.

There are plenty of images from her previous collections as a fashion student, and on her tablet the structured style seems to have started a while back. Study of architecture might have also influenced this aesthetic, but in the end she like her designs to be wearable.

“I like to embracing trends in terms of colours and fabric choices but I give it my own unique twist. I pick and mix different elements that may look out of place but fall in place,” she says.

Since starting her fashion business, Muna has realised something about herself. She likes sketching, conceptualising the design, pattern-making and shopping for fabrics, but sees the sewing as time consuming. So, she had hired tailors to do it for her.

“The advantage of going to fashion school is to learn the technical aspects, the ins and outs. You can direct someone on how you want your stuff done because the tailors we have here know the basics of sewing.”

During the interview, she stood up to show the near-perfect finishing on a pencil taffeta skirt that she stitched herself and what she expects from her tailors. She is also looking forward to having her own workshop.

“Fashion is 90 per cent business and 10 per cent creativity. It is all about how you sell yourself and you cannot run away from doing the business side of it. The fashion degree course taught me marketing, production planning, supply chain management and quality assurance. The business course was more accounts, finance and how to do a business plan,” says Muna.

Although she did not manage to take part, Muna had also been invited to participate in the inaugural Mercedes-Benz fashion week in Ghana.

Other designers, Niku Singh and Mirjana Deletic, took part and won in the best designer and best accessory designer of the year in Africa and best designer in East Africa categories respectively.

Juggling between finishing her collection by September and making clothes for clients through referrals, Muna is also working on getting her website done before going into social media.

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