ARTISAN COLLECTIVE will be presenting their SS25 collections on the runway at VFW on Sun., October 27th, at 5:40 p.m. You can purchase your tickets HERE.
ARTISAN COLLECTIVE LTD., is a Kenyan company that is specialized in slow fashion, established in 2020.
The company has three distinct brands under the umbrella: nomadic artisan (women’s wear), Hayan Collection (men’s wear), and My Little Samurai (baby and kids’ wear). Each brand has its unique style yet operates under the common theme of creating one-of-a-kind pieces.
As a multi-cultural Kenyan fashion house, our goal is to be a world-class fashion brand. Each and every day, we strive as a team to create a garment that is carefully crafted, with attention to finer details.
Interview -
I traveled around the world from 2014 to the end of 2018, wandering through 45 countries and regions, and 171 cities in five years, I finally settled in Kenya to start my brand - nomadic artisan. Kenya is where we met in 2019 at a music festival while Rayzak was visiting the region where he was born. We instantly connected in fashion complimented on each other’s attire before knowing we had the same interest and that both of us were wearing our creations that are made of African fabric. Fast forward to 2020, Rayzak moved back to Africa after over thirty years in the US and as faith would have it we became husband and wife. That same year we decided to merge our brands under one umbrella called ARTISAN COLLECTIVE.
Can you share some of the highlights so far of building this collective? What have been some of the challenges or limitations you have faced?
Some of the highlights of building our brand have been sharing the new lines in major pop-ups in Kenya and having been well received in the markets. We are blessed to have returning loyal customers who understand the brand and appreciate our unique take on African fabric. Another highlight has been opening our flagship store in Nairobi in 2022. We have also been lucky to have notable international artist wear our clothing. The challenges we face are those of a growing sustainable business, scaling, and trying to market outside of Africa.
Can you share a little about the brands you offer - designer name, how they learned their skills, and what their brand offers.
Since this is our first runway show, we wanted to make something that resonates with both of us. That is why we picked the theme “Nomad” as both of us were nomads at some point in our lives. While discussing the designs, we wanted to focus on Kitenge/African prints as it is our primary material that we usually use, and we decided to utilize the line of Kitenge Tie dye as it was the perfect taste to create a sense of nature that we wanted to showcase. All our looks are inspired by the elements in nomadic life – Oasis, Pasture, Desert, Sun, etc. We hope you can enjoy our take on creating the feeling and textures of the nomadic surroundings.
We wanted to focus on Kitenge which is 100% cotton, but this means we have a limitation on materials, that is why we did a lot of the experiment of manipulation and fabrication of fabric. Our favorite looks are 5th and 6th look, where we created garments inspired by the desert.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
Readers can access our websites for any purchases at www.nomadicartisan.com and www.hayancollection.com.
What does the future hold for the Artisan Collective? What goals do you have for your business over the next few years?
We want to be more known on a global scale and have more people experience the craftsmanship of Kenyan artisans. Over the next few years, we would like to participate in more fashion weeks, and by keep growing, we would like to highlight the beauty of the continent that we live in, and hopefully more people can experience what we are fascinated by.
Links -
- Website - www.nomadicartisan.com
- Website - www.hayancollection.com/
- Instagram: @nomadicartisan_bytaki
- Instagram - @hayancollection
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