Local designers make elegant gowns inspired by artistic carvings on door frames of old buildings, flowers that grow on old buildings for the Kenyan bride.
Hours upon hours are spent meticulously sewing, embroidering and embellishing her elegant pieces.
Kenyan brides slowly realise they can have dream gowns made locally but to international standards.
For Ogake Mosomi, a fashion designer who has made a name for herself in the high-end bridal market, stitching of any piece is a labour of love.
Hours upon hours are spent meticulously sewing, embroidering and embellishing her elegant pieces.
On a chilly Tuesday morning, two assistant designers carefully add a lace overlay to the snowy fabric that has been transformed into a stunning wedding gown.
Ogake, the founder and head designer at Ogake fashion house, keenly inspects their work with attentiveness that exudes confidence in the brand’s quality control processes.
She instructs the two to ensure that the overlay is symmetrical; they all agree that nothing should be left to chance.
Ogake Mosomi of Ogake at her bridal studio in Kilimani in Nairobi. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG
In another room, at the fashion house’s workshop at Yaya Court in Nairobi, a young man is carefully draping tulle (a soft shear fabric) using pins atop a silk fabric to make another gown.
The tall slender man has been in that position for hours and he is barely done with the first quarter of the dress.
“Putting details on a dress is the hardest part because it also involves hand stitching. You cannot hurry such a process because one mistake might require you to start the whole process afresh,” she says, adding that the longest they have ever taken to put details on a gown is 20 days.
But she has also made a gown in two weeks, after a last minute order from a bride.
Ogake’s success confirms that the Kenyan bride is getting more exposed and slowly realising that she can have her dream gown made locally but to international standards.
And the local designers are taking the growing demand head on by perfecting their skills and ensuring that unique demands from brides are ably met.
Maryanne Njeri, a luxury brand management consultant based in Paris, explains that the demand for locally-made outfits will continue to grow as more Kenyans seek high or low cost designers.
“The number of Kenyans with disposable income is growing and evidently this group is willing to spend more on locally-made outfits, which are different and not necessarily unique, but different in comparison to what is often seen,” says Maryanne.
Another designer
Galina Tatarinova, a Kenyan-based professional fashion designer, who has been in the business for 10 years, is the face behind a number of celebrity wedding gowns locally and is famously known for designing and making fashion stylist’s Annabel Onyango’s and blogger Sharon Mundia’s dresses.
Anabelle Onyango in a gown from 'Only You' fashion house, owned by Kenyan/Russian designer Galina Tatarinova. PHOTO | COURTESY
Ogake is the face behind Chantal Gathu’s mermaid gown, which bore a gold floral detail on the upper part.
The fashion house, too, has made dresses for a number of other famous brides, whose identities could not be revealed.
A scroll through Ogake’s and Tatarinova’s Instagram profiles gives a clear picture of the calibre of workmanship the two are capable of achieving.
Tatarinova began making wedding gowns four years ago when a customer asked for one, and that led to her latest clothing line which has exclusive evening wear and wedding gowns.
“Designing was a childhood passion that came true but it took time to get to where I am at the moment,” she told BDLife.
Ogake, a fashion design graduate from the University for Creative Arts in UK began her journey in 2011, but it was not until 2014 when she made a switch to wedding gowns.
She says that over the last two years, business has grown, with orders streaming in from locals and people living in the diaspora.
“Last year, the business grew to levels that I did not anticipate. The number of orders keep growing every day and this goes to show that locals are appreciating our quality of work,” she says.
These wedding gown designers are now helping brides break tradition by giving them options as there is no challenge they will not take.
If you fancy beads, crystals or colour on the gown, all you need to do is say and just like that, metres of fabric will be turned into a timeless piece of art.
Good quality
Arguably, the quality of their work puts these Kenyan designers on the same pedestal as world famous wedding fashion houses like Valentino’s or Monica Lhuillier.
The designers are optimistic that the growing market will boost the local fashion industry.
“I like the fact that our brides are embracing fashion and style more than before, they are also coming to understanding that wedding day it very special and what they are going to wear on that day is very important: it has to reflect the personality, need to be special, beautiful and timeless, even if it a simple wedding gown —it should reflect you,” says Tatarinova.
“So today’s market is very promising and very exciting, brides are ready to work with the designers and get customised unique wedding gowns.”
Among the reasons why local brides are increasingly settling on local brands, Ogake says, is the confidence that they get from being able to supervise the process.
“The brides are well aware that buying items overseas does not always guarantee quality,” she says.
Bridal belts by Ogake Mosomi of Ogake. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG
Satin, silk, tulle, chiffon, raw silk, linen, cotton, organza and lace are some of the popular fabrics that the designers use to make the timeless dresses. But buying the fabric locally, they say, is expensive, something that forces them to directly source material from other markets like China.
The price of each gown depends on its detailing. The full lace gown made by Ogake, for instance, is priced from Sh120,000.
The cheapest dress from the brand goes for Sh85,000. Currently, she is currently working on a dress whose price tag is over Sh200,000 because it involves a lot of beadwork.
“The prices are different it depends on what I will be doing: is it a handmade gown or not? Which kind of fabric I am going to use, how complicated the design is and so on. The price of the handmade gown is much higher than just a normal gown,” says Tatarinova.
