Sally Karago finally comes out of the shadows to test name as brand

Last month, Sally Karago, a seasoned fashion designer, was on the runway of the Africa Fashion Week New York after a 14-year hiatus on international runways to show her Turkana collections.

Although she continued to participate in the local fashion parades, Karago’s New York show was her first deliberate step to building a fashion brand that carries her name.

She is not shy taking on yet another task when it seems that her plate is full. Karago recently opened a shop — SK Collection — at the Lavington Shopping Mall to carry her first ever ready-to-wear collection.

Karago is the managing director and founder of the Mcensal School of Fashion which started in 2009. A year later, she was involved in setting up the Association of Fashion Designers, where she is the chairperson. The association has been organising the annual Safari Fashion Week since inception.

This year, the association went a notch higher and put together a fashion competition reality show, Safari Fashion Runway.

INDEPTH EXPERIENCE

She is a known name in Kenya’s fashion design having been at it for the last 23 years.

“People have always known me as Sally Karago not as Mcensal. Yet, I have never capitalised on that. I have always remained in the shadows. I mean the designers I met in New York were trading using their names. In fact, when I was introduced as Sally Karago, they dropped Mcensal Kenya,” she says laughing during the interview at the small back office of the new shop.

She started Mcensal brand in 1991 on returning from the UK where she was studying fashion. Dealing with corporate uniform and made-to-measure for individual clients has been the business all those years.

“I was to separate myself from Mcensal. I want to grow Sally Karago as a fashion designer,” she says.

It has been lucrative thus far, but a slight dent on the tourism industry (majority of her clients are hotels) means she had to let go of some staff.

At the beginning of this year, she had to let go of some to cut costs. “It is one of the many of the reasons I opened the shop. I wanted to keep my staff of 25 to work on my ready-to-wear collections,” she says.

HUNTING FOR ACCESSORY DESIGNER

The shop has wrought iron rail racks, glass cabinets for jewellery and mannequins in SK Collection loose fitting blouses, tops and shirts for women.

“Timing, knowing what product will be appreciated and knowing your customers is key because with time we have built a data of customers. Knowing what to specialise in. Prepare the staff by having internal workshops because we believe a brand must start from within then explore the market place beginning with baby steps, have faith and move,” she explains on why she took so long to have a ready-to-wear collection.

She plans to stick with one item (different styles of tops), perfect it before adding others like dresses or trousers. The shop also carries accessories (bags, jewellery and scarfs) from designers based in France, UK and the US.

Karago is looking for a local accessory designer who can match her brand vision inspired by contemporary Africa.

She cites her achievements at her school, where she teaches fashion design twice a week. “I like to believe that I have a special gift, that of delegation. I love to grow and mentor people around me,” she says.

TRUST AND ATTITUDE

Joy Kangai, the purchasing manager, joined Mcensal as a cleaner while the workshop manager Josphat Mayaka was an engineer who loved fashion but did not know where to start. For the fittings, she has trusted tailors who do the job from the shop.

Zipporah Musau, who heads the tailoring team, is a former student of Mcensal Fashion School.

Trust and attitude she has in her employees has bred the culture of ‘We must succeed’ even if it means burning the midnight oil to meet the expectations of the customers, some giving short-notice requests.

Now back from New York, where one website said her collection “portrayed a mastery that only comes from years of honing the craft,” Karago says it is time for the fashion designer in Africa to shine across the globe.

“Time has come for many more Africans or international citizens have come to appreciate clothes made locally. We (Kenyan designers) also need to be visible to the world. I believe if one has a product and believes in it, head to the market place and grow your business.”

This story was first published in the Business Daily.