Mixed prospects for local fashion industry

With no governing body, there is no strategic plan, leadership, policies, legal framework or structures that support, regulate or protect the nascent industry. PHOTO| FILE

What you need to know:

  • Our situation does not allow for this which is  why red carpets are such a novel concept in Kenya. They are expensive because the industry is yet to find a means of extracting business off of them.

  • Then there are events that cost more than they recoup. Fashion events are never cheap. For some reason, the price tag always exceeds Sh5,000.

  • Kenyans want complimentary tickets. Corporates are disinclined to participate. Sponsorship is insipid. What is left is a whiff of flakiness attached to fashion.

I have a confession to make. I am not sure there is such a thing as a Kenya fashion industry. I am beginning to wonder if I may have, in fact, made it all up.

This identity crisis peaked after 3rd annual Kenya Fashion Awards (KFA). It crowned winners Saturday night. I got what is now my 3rd award and the 2nd one from Kenya Fashion Awards.

This time it gave me food for thought. It lasted so long I missed my deadline. I was not sure what to write. For almost a decade I have rooted for fashion. My message, I have since learnt, had a distinctly optimistic vibe. A stance I acquired because the industry is very, very young. So young, I wonder if it qualifies to be considered industrious.

Much is skewed about our fashion. As a country we are averse to consuming it. Which shouldn’t be a surprise as creativity and patterns are linked, tied to our relationship with our music, film and theatre industry. As media, there are few outlets regularly breaking fashion down in a palatable, accessible way. The fashion community comprises sequestered hustlers.

But then there is a textile industry which has numbers, pays taxes and where apparel is exported.

But when it comes to fashion how do you quantify an industry so small, with figures so elusive and brands so insular? Should we include mitumba in this equation? Our ideology gifts us a weak celebrity culture. The kind that is pushed by personalities who can expand the consumer experience.

Instead there is a vacuum otherwise occupied by brand ambassadors and endorsements.

Clothing stores, retail outlets, cosmetics, hair products — all these serve to enhance the relationship the market has with fashion.

When I commissioned my KFA red carpet dress, the designer came up with a spectacular piece. I paid for all of it. This outfit I can only wear once then gets archived.

In the West, fashion houses collaborate with celebrities and cover the costs. The said outfit is worn then returned.

Or gifted. Or depending on the visibility of the event, the wearer and significance, it is auctioned, kept in a museum, finds its way into a sort of fashion hall of fame or even better, inspires a diffusion line. It happens because the houses make it a business practice.

INSIPID SPONSORSHIP

Our situation does not allow for this which is  why red carpets are such a novel concept in Kenya. They are expensive because the industry is yet to find a means of extracting business off of them.

Then there are events that cost more than they recoup. Fashion events are never cheap. For some reason, the price tag always exceeds Sh5,000.

Kenyans want complimentary tickets. Corporates are disinclined to participate. Sponsorship is insipid. What is left is a whiff of flakiness attached to fashion.

Then again there are about 50 fashion events in a year that follow no particular social calendar. This waters down any business prospects. 

This happens because the industry is driven by a recurrent philosophy: everyone for themselves. Politics is not new to fashion. The problem with self interest is it becomes impossible to see the big picture. With no governing body, there is no strategic plan, leadership, policies, legal framework or structures that support, regulate or protect the industry. Instead, things happen in small pockets, in random, disconnected corners. Politicking certainly makes for entertaining content in the US. But then, they can afford to quibble. Their companies are listed on the stock exchange.

Granted, the last five years have been significant for Kenya. Talent is coming in and there is quite a buzz in the air.

The Kenya Fashion Awards make sense, rewarding players who perhaps don’t have much, save the impact of that recognition and who are, in such a baby business, mostly pioneers. Lord knows bloggers, photographers, stylists, media, models, makeup artists and designers need celebrating. 

Except I have to wonder, what happens to graduates. Where do they go? How many designers gave up because they could not make ends meet or get on their feet fast enough?

Are we happy with the state of the fashion schools because the number of designers lacking pattern cutting, business, sales and marketing skills is tragic. Let’s not even talk about the absence of a distribution network.

But all is not lost. Events like FAFA, African Fashion Fair and KFA hold great promise.

They attract international attention, provide mentorship and build bridges. That there is no financial support for these ideas means there is no support for the bud. It would be heartbreaking if KFA’s celebration turned erratic because let’s be honest. Who doesn’t want money?