Fashion Week hits Kenya's biggest urban slum
Oct 15, 2023
"People don’t get to see it because the image they have about Kibera is post-electoral violence, prostitution, drug abuse," explains the 27-year-old, whose real name is David Ochieng.
A model stands on the catwalk at the main fashion show during the Kibera Fashion Week in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, on October 15, 2023. (AFP)
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@New Vision
________________________ Amateur fashion models practice their catwalk moves as they listen to the indications given by a professional model during a modelling class and training in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, on September 28, 2023 ahead of the Kibera Fashion Week. Vitiligo model Julie Nasuju looks at herself in a portable mirror after getting her make up done before the main fashion show during the Kibera Fashion Week in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, on October 15, 2023. A model is helped by an assistant to get her hair done at the backstage of the main show of the Kibera Fashion Week in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi Models walk on the catwalk while showcasing designs at the main fashion show during the Kibera Fashion Week in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, on October 15, 2023. Kibera Fashion Week is a platform created from the community to redefine fashion and creativity while showcasing beauty and talent as a way to change the narrative about Nairobi's largest informal settlement. Attendees stand next to a banner at the entrance of the main fashion show during the Kibera Fashion Week in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, on October 15, 2023. Kibera Fashion Week is a platform created from the community to redefine fashion and creativity while showcasing beauty and talent as a way to change the narrative about Nairobi's largest informal settlement.
Towering models parade down a three-meter (10-foot) high catwalk overlooking the rusting tin roofs of Kibera, the Kenyan capital's biggest urban slum.
It's the second edition of Kibera Fashion Week in the heart of the sprawling area and the place is packed.
For six hours, interspersed with pop music performances, hundreds of spectators from Kibera and across the city, watch the diverse collections float by on Saturday.
"Kibera is full of style," says designer Avido, who launched the first show last year.
"People don’t get to see it because the image they have about Kibera is post-electoral violence, prostitution, drug abuse," explains the 27-year-old, whose real name is David Ochieng.
"We want to show that here, we have style and creativity. What we lack here is opportunities."
Avido was born and bred in Kibera, a population of about 250,000, where he works.
His creations have attracted global stars from Bruno Mars to Beyonce.
Boasting a range of partnerships from the Goethe Institute to the European Union, Nairobi Design, and the Masai Mbili group, the show has brought together 11 projects from 376 candidates with a wide variety of styles using cotton, jute, wool, pearls, and even metal.
Empty pockets
Designer Pius Ochieng, who is not related to Avido, chose a "Mad Max" post-apocalyptic approach.
The 26-year-old harvested computer motherboards, spark plugs, LED lighting, chains, springs, and other metal bits from dumps and the streets.
Back home he sewed them into clothes and produced a 15-square-metre piece lit up with rose, green, and blue neons that was installed in one of the backstreets of Kibera.
Helen Wanjiru grew up in Nairobi's far-from-wealthy Kawangware district and has covered her clothing with broad pockets, from the back to front, including the legs.
"The pockets are big but they are empty," said the 26-year-old, who moved into fashion after working in data processing.
"It is an analogy -- a lot of youths in Kenya, they have education, they have ideas but they don’t get jobs because there is no opportunity."
The Fashion Week is quite distinct from often stuffy Western shows. The audience, mostly young, loudly acclaims the models and reserves a noisy welcome for designers who come out onto the catwalk.
'Not just about Paris and Milan'
The extravaganza also offers a chance for local fashionistas to show themselves, often in extraordinary outfits.
But in a country used to wearing second-hand goods and a market dominated by expensive imports, the haute-couture fashion world remains remote.
Avido wants to change that.
"Many people here have only seen fashion shows on TV," he said. "We want to show the people what fashion is.
"People like our parents used to think that fashion and design was not an art ... They used to think that if you were involved in fashion and design, you were like a tailor
"And if you were involved in modelling, they would see you maybe like a prostitute."
Project manager Violet Omulo said she attended the show, "to chill, have fun and discover upcoming designers.
"African fashion is special and it's coming up.
"We need to promote it with such events so that people know that we can be creative ... that it's not just about Paris or Milan.
"Kenya, also in Africa in general, has talented designers." she said.
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