Musician and designer Henry Wanjala on the runway with one of his models at the Eco Fashion Week last November. PHOTO | COURTESY
A Kenyan musician, who took up fashion design after being inspired by his late mother’s crotchet designs, is scaling the heights of global fashion after showcasing his first ever collection at a major event in the US.
Henry Wanjala, the founder and designer of Henry Wanjala Clothing, presented his finest creations during the Eco Fashion Week (EFW) in November 2016. The event, which started in 2010, takes place in Kenyan Boys Choir, and Seattle, US.
The event is a blend of fashion, education and activism with two days of runway action, showrooms and industry panel discussions to address the ethics of the business. Participation is also open to select international designers and, as luck would have it, Wanjala was invited to launch his first full collection before some of the industry’s most established names.
Spring fashion
In October 2015, while on tour with the Kenyan Boys Choir, he met the president and founder of Eco Fashion Week, Myriam Laroche, during an after-party in Vancouver. As he recalls: “I was wearing a shirt that I designed and this immediately caught her eye.” “After we spoke she enquired if I would be interested in designing a collection for the Eco Fashion Week and I jumped at the opportunity.”
He was invited for the Spring fashion show in March 2016 but the garments were not ready at the time, so he chose to attend the November edition. The 10 pieces in the collection were designed and stitched in the space of about a month in collaboration with Larry Abucheri, a professional tailor and co-designer. “He is very talented and executes my designs perfectly,” says Wanjala of his partner.
Wanjala is a founder member and is the current production manager of the internationally acclaimed Kenyan Boys Choir. He describes himself as a self-taught musician, a dance choreographer, vocalist, and guitarist. The choir has been wearing his costume designs for the past six years but this is the first time he has formally stepped on the runway with his creations.
The Peris collection, named after his mother who died in June 2013, consists of garments made of recycled crotchet and traditional trays created from reeds.
The collection was first presented in September 2016 during the Fashion, Arts & Culture Take Nairobi for a day at the Michael Joseph Centre in Nairobi. “The local event gave me a platform to scrutinise the collection and make some adjustments on the design and the sizes to fit the specifications of the models who were assigned to me for the Seattle event,” says Wanjala.
The Eco Fashion week is the world’s first and largest sustainable fashion event that aims to showcase a more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable fashion industry.
Fourteen designers utilised reusable textiles and treatments while adhering to strict labour standards in the production of their fashion lines.
Wanjala says having his designs on this renowned platform has been a fulfillment of a dream.
“Fashion and design is a passion I have had from a tender age mainly from watching my mother stitch together garments, “ says Wanjala. The crotchet pieces in his collection are a vivid representation of garments that he has seen since childhood.
“It was very emotional seeing my mum’s spirit right there on the runway during the show in the US,” he says. The Eco Fashion Week was also an opportunity for the designer to prepare a professional portfolio, and to establish connections with top fashion professionals in Seattle and Vancouver.
The Peris collection received a standing ovation on the second night of the Eco Fashion Week drawing a lot of interest from other designers, fashion photographers and models. There was also enthusiastic reaction to the designs on the Eco Fashion Week website and social media platforms.
Packed schedule
Wanjala is currently working on his 2017 collection that he plans to present in Vancouver, in April. Meanwhile, music also remains a priority with a packed schedule of local and international engagements with the Kenyan Boys Choir. “It was through music that I got on the path of achieving my dream in fashion,” he says.
“Designing outfits for the choir is part of the exposure of my work and I hope I can get to dress many global stars.” He’s already making progress in this regard because celebrities like American singer and actress Demi Lovato and the Grammy Award sinning Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado have worn shoes that he has designed.
So, what happens to the outfits after the runway event? “ “Since this was my first collection, I am still figuring out what to do with the outfits,” he says. “I would be very happy especially if one piece, the golden pants, is bought.”
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