My Girl Wambui which is a guest writer on Ciaafrique was able to score an interview with Beatrice from Sanabora Designs. Enjoy !!!!1
Wambui: I know a little bit about Sanabora, tell our readers, what does Sanaa bora do?
Beatrice: Sanabora Design House is a social enterprise whose Goal is to contribute to society’s well being through encouraging effective use of design. The word ‘Sanabora’ is a literal translation of the Swahili words “very good”, a metaphor for the reputation we are committed to uphold.Sanabora works to enable businesses in Kenya to produce competitive products for local and international markets. This is achieved through offering design support and business training tailored to permit active participation in developing the thousands of products required by consumers each year. In addition, we offer communication support to enterprises to help them conceive and execute ideas and promotional materials that inform, motivate and educate consumers on services and products offered.It is in line with our capacity building initiatives that Sanabora offers SMEs in the Fashion Industry in Kenya a full range of product development and manufacturing support. This includes mapping the gap between consumers and products, leading to realization of refined product ideas, enhanced functionality, quality and innovation.
Wambui: Fashion in Kenya is fast growing, have you observed this?
Beatrice: Yes, the fashion industry in Kenya is growing, thanks to renewed interest and appreciation for ethnic concepts in fashion both locally and internationally. The growth can also be attributed to the increased number of platforms available to showcase local fashion. If you walk the streets of Nairobi, New York, Paris and London nowadays, you are likely to see a good number of people dressed in African influenced attires. This gives us the impetus to forge forward despite a number of challenges facing the industry, chief among them being increased global competition. To sustain the upward move therefore we need to establish business infrastructure that yields competitive products and that is what keeps Sanabora busy.
Wambui: What are some of the advantages of being an African Design house?
Beatrice: Kenya, like other countries in Africa is blessed with a rich diversity of indigenous cultures, evident in the vibrant colours and motifs, dazzling patterns, rich fabrics that characterize the African style. A design firm like Sanabora can only be blessed to be part of this rich heritage amidst a bounty of natural resources to draw from. However, operating a design firm in Kenya with the intention to support growth of enterprises is both rewarding and challenging. Rewarding in the sense that it is usually gratifying when we see businesses grow and lives improve through the design support we offer. On the other hand however, it is challenging due to the fact that appreciation for design is still at its infancy in Kenya. A small fraction of the local population values design enough to pay for it, hence, most of us are left eyeing the west for market opportunities. And yet, while at the market one still has to contend with a number of challenges that include; competition from highly acclaimed design and manufacturing houses from the East and West, cheap imports from china and second hand clothing and accessories at the local market.
Wambui: How is the textile industry in Kenya? Where do you get fabric and other accessories?
Beatrice: The textile sector in Kenya is on its way to recovery. I’m informed by literature that trouble in the sector started around the 90s with the liberalization of the economy. This saw an influx of textile goods into Kenya reducing the average capacity utilization in local textile mills substantially bringing the once fifth largest foreign exchange earner in Kenya to its knees. However, data available for the last 5 years indicates that the sector is on its way up largely due to African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and increased Government support. Other initiatives that have contributed to the growth of the initiative include the Caribbean and Pacific - European Union (ACP-EU) and the Cotonou Agreement that have rekindled interest in the industry. In the meantime we have to source for fabrics, fittings and accessories from importers who bring them in mainly from Asia, India and Europe.
Wambui: Have you worked with any clients outside Kenya? If so what would you say is the difference between the Kenyan markets vs. other markets outside Kenya.
Beatrice: Our international clients will stop at nothing but high quality products, competitively priced, delivered on time and to required quantities. The Kenyan client on the other hand is after the ‘made-to-measure’ and customized fashion items. Although the ‘made-to-measure’ items take more time to make, they fetch more money per piece. The total revenue generated from local sales is less that generated from exports accrued from large quantities although prices per piece are lower.
Wambui: Are there a consistent fashion weeks in Kenya?
Beatrice: There was a time when the Kenyan fashion week was consistent. What is left of the event nowadays is a hodgepodge of designers united by their social belonging each trying to do their thing. I have met many creative fashion designers during my capacity building initiatives that call for such a forum. An all-inclusive forum that would assist in bringing what they have to offer to the limelight. This is a group that feels that existing fashion platforms do not adequately cater for them and yet they have so much to offer.
Wambui: Who is the perfect Sanabora client?
Beatrice: Sanabora’s core customer is an entrepreneur who seeks to attain market leadership through design. This we do through capacity building in terms of training, manufacturing and communication support. The second category of customers are organizations keen on enabling development through trade enhancement. Such clients have been instrumental in helping Sanabora subsidize the cost of imparting skills as well as offering marketing support to marginalized entrepreneurs.
Wambui: Where do you see Kenyan fashion five years from now?
Beatrice: Kenyan fashion is big, unique and unexploited. I have a feeling that we are at the point where the bubble is about to break and the true image of Kenya fashion brought out to the world. Those anticipating for the same are already laying infrastructure to take advantage of the new image in the world fashion industry. As we speak, a number of foreign designers are crisscrossing the country picking up indigenous concepts to spice up their collections. My only hope is that local designers are keen enough not to be left out.
Wambui: Where do you see sanabora five years from now?
Beatrice: Driven by the vision of a society empowered socially and economically through design, Sanabora works towards becoming the leading Design capacity building house in East Africa within 5 years. We are currently the pioneer and only corporate design capacity building organization in Kenya keen on encouraging the use of vast talents and resources available for development.
Wambui: How can Ciaafrique readers contact you about the services and products of Sanabora?
Beatrice: Sanabora is situated at Aqua Plaza on Murang'a Road, Opposite Kenya Institute of Education in Nairobi Kenya. You can reach us through the Managing Director on the following address:
P. O. Box 7689 - 00100,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: +254 20 3741240, +254 20 3741246,
Fax: +254 20 3741229,
Email: info@sanabora.com, Website:
http://www.sanabora.com/
Note: I would like to thank wambui for the this great interview . if any of you would like to be a guest writer on Ciaafrique just hit me with an email.
Do you like what you see? then don't forget to check out my African designers Directory to Discover more talents.
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