Accountant dares to dream big in fashion

For the love of fashion, Wambui Mukenyi made her first bold decision in 2009, quitting her accountancy job to launch her collection.

Ms Mukenyi, 30, worked for two years as an accountant in a real estate firm but always felt that she was in the wrong profession.

Quite often, she could look at her colleagues trying to figure out what dresses could fit them well, she told Money.

“I knew that I had to quit accounting. Fashion was too alluring for me, I couldn’t keep my hands off it,” she said.

A self-taught designer, her love for luxurious fabric that reflects the rich African heritage would act as her stepping stone into the lucrative fashion business. 

Her first collection of designs in 2009 was not very appealing, she says, and not come close to what a professional designer could have delivered.

“I liked designing clothes, especially women wear, so I piled up a collection that I had designed and steered up models to showcase it for me,” said Ms Mukenyi, “I knew there was no turning back.”

Having graduated from Kenya College of Accountancy in 2006, she was welcomed to the real fashion world by Ms Wambui Muchiri whom she worked for as an assistant designer.

“I designed some of her pieces, steered social media marketing for her collection as well as went to workshops and saw how fashions are designed,” said Ms Mukenyi.

From her job, she made Sh300,000 seeing her launch her outfit — Wambui Mukenyi collection.

She decided to design ladies clothes especially wedding gowns and office wear from her studio at Diamond Plaza, Nairobi. The studio cost her Sh180,000 to rent, she could display her work at the centre after tailoring.

Her equipment includes fabrics, overlock sewing machines, button-hole machines among others. The first month in fashion was quite slow; she launched a collection consisting of eight pieces women clothes.

“The collection was so dramatised and far from my notion and target of making clothes meant for a working woman,” said Ms Mukenyi.

From a capital of Sh300,000, she made Sh100,000 profit. It was demoralising it to see her hard-earned money dwindle, she told Money.

“I vowed to work smarter, put pen to paper drawing real trendy fashion designs, I spent time watching Fashion TV and reading fashion magazines,” said Ms Mukenyi.

This, she says, shaped her vision and sharpened her skills, “I enjoyed every bit of it just drafting down what I felt could make a statement.”

Her passion and hard work yielded fruits after three consecutive years of perseverance to make her first Sh500,000 profit per month which put a smile on her face. As her collection broadened in style, fabric and colour she hit Sh1.3 million profit in a month. She has since been making millions of shillings in profit every month.

Ms Mukenyi has dressed television presenters, for example, NTV’s Victoria Rubadiri, Citizen TV’s Lilian Muli, Janet Mbugua, as well as Kubamba show host Kambua Manundu.

In 2012, she collaborated with Ms Janet Mbugua to launch Janet Mbugua collection.

Ms Mukenyi noted that she is an avid reader of Trend Report — surveys that detail fashion trends across the world.

“This keeps me posted on new and upcoming designs and what fabrics could best go along with the trends,” she says.

For instance, she told Money, Emerald green and checkered prints in black and white or red will be the in thing this year.

“Women are likely to wear illusion dresses more this year, these are dresses that give an illusion that one is slim; it is enhanced by colours in the mid part of the dress,” she said.

Her role models in the Kenyan industry are KikoRomeo design and fashion house as well as Patricia Mbela.

Ms Mukenyi who imports most of her fabrics from Africa and European countries is determined to hit international stores this year: “I am working on ways of spreading my wings to Nigeria, Tanzania, Morocco, Uganda and Europe. I want women there to appreciate my wears.”