LEATHAFREEK: Kenyan Fashion Suppliers Series

So LeathaFreek debuts this series on Kenyan Fashion Suppliers. Looking at what they have to offer I must say their leather shoes and bags make me want to grab some for myself and my man!!!! They are that good and that funky. They certainly have a voice and bring something necessary to the fashion sphere in Kenya. I must say they are truly professional, when I approached them to do this series their response was prompt , organized and detailed. I really respect that. More than that they have a clear vision of who they are, what they have to offer and what their target market is; key ingredients that will ensure they will take this continent by storm.

So below is LeathaFreek in their own words:

LeathaFreek was founded in 2014, July 21st in Nairobi Kenya as a Partnership Company under Obell J. Humphrey and Daniel M. Makonga. LeatherFreek's Vision is to become an influential representative of a strong African fashion brand on the global fashion market.

LeathaFreek’s source of inspiration is derived from the belief that everyone is their own designer and  each person has  the unique ability to create what will truly satisfy them. Therefore, they feel deeply responsible to bring that out of them.

About the designers

Obell J. Humphrey

Obell strongly believes in the ability of human mind to achieve what it conceives, without any limitations to educational levels. He therefore urges that everyone should be given an opportunity to design and define their own fashion in a unique way that squarely fits their personality so as to realize maximum satisfaction. In person the designer, tends to find fascination in sophistication and originality in simplicity.Therefore, finding it thrilling working with co-designer and director Daniel to achieve their shared vision in building the LeathaFreek brand.

Daniel M. Makonga

Daniel is a picky designer disturbed with the need to find elegance in simplicity and portray that to the world. He also strongly believes that Africa harbors a youth full of innovation and passionate creativity unfortunately shunned by world trends. With Leathafreek and amazing co-designer and director Humphrey, he intends to change Africa's corrupt view of fashion and turn Africa into an influential fashion statement.

Target Market:
We mostly target the middle and high-end clientele, who have a burning desire for originality and who appreciate the African heritage. We accommodate people of all ages since our products are very dynamic.

To contact LeathaFreek, Check out their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter

Vendor Recommendations: WAZAWAZI, DRESS 2 IMPRESS, KAREN MASERRATI

Other than being a stylist,I'm also a personal shopper and in the course of shopping for my clients I come across all kinds of vendors. I must say below are a few that have impressed me and I would encourage those in Kenya to certainly check them out.  They have impressed me in their creativity, efficiency, customer service,diligence, pricing, use of social media, good taste excellence and/or product quality. Individually they may not possess all  these qualities but they certainly have good combination of some to earn a recommendation from me. While most of my readers and followers may be reluctant to leave a comment on this blog quite a number do call me for fashion advice, questions regarding where to get particular outfits and accessories hence I may as well share my experience.

1. WAZAWAZI 

 A dear friend of mine, Maria, told me about Katie Chebet the founder of Wazawazi and I purposed I would have to meet her. Unlike some professionals in the Kenyan Fashion industry I must say Katie was beyond polite and willing to listen to me despite having never met me. A full story of my interview with her will be another post as I believe she is one inspirational woman, a young one making  measurable impact in this country. Her corporate knowledge is fully applied in her running of her fashion house which has pattern cutters, tailors, and herself as the designer and face of the brand.. She has a separate production house from where she does her sales and fittings.

She showed me the custom made outfits as well as the ready made outfits and accessories. They are very well executed and you can see the simple but sophisticated style that is incorporated in all that is Wazawazi. 

For quality bag lovers be sure to look at Wazawazi stock which can be found on their Facebook page  and I'll share a few of their pictures from their album.

Contact: Adams Arcade, Ngong Road, Nairobi, Kenya, 00101 Phone: 0722 792359

Katie Chebet

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2. DRESS 2 IMPRESS

 Emma Mumma is another sweetheart doing really awesome online business. I discovered dress 2 impress while compiling a directory of good fashion vendors. As per my practice I did a look book for my client on Pinterest, and to my delight she had the staples that I needed with fair prices to boot. My client on seeing the lookbook was over the moon. Dress 2 Impress is an online business with deliveries made as per agreement between the buyer and the brand. Initially some of the looks my client wanted were out of stock but within two weeks Emma was able to give me details of new stock and deliver to my client who I suspect was on the verge of clearing her bank to have all  of Emma's outfits. She stocks classic clothes as well as a few trendy pieces. I am in love with her pencil skirts which are part of my own shopping list. She responds promptly on phone and email. It's been a pleasure dealing with her and her prices are really fair considering the ridiculous prices at times quoted in exhibitions. Her skirts cost between Ksh 1600 to Ksh. 2000.

Contact: Phone   0725 521852 Email     emmy.mumma@gmail.com

Emma Mumma

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MASERATTI'S KAREN KAY

 Again this was a vendor I discovered while updating my directory. As I do this post I am yet to personally meet Karen but have communicated via phone and online. Karen is establishing her brand here in Kenya from Tanzania. She is quite soft spoken and polite. Her talent and execution of work is what has impressed me. This is one vendor I will be using for quite some time. She makes custom made outfits more so draped, flowy or modern African print outfits for women of all sizes. From her portfolio I would say she really understand's a woman's body and does exquisite outfits   She also does separates such as maxi skirts and pencil skirts at less than ksh 2,000.Her turnaround time is between 3 to 5 days which is quite a feat! Her prices are the best in town so before you all deluge her with orders, I think I will be placing mine :-). Check out her facebook page.

Contact: 072508892