Kenyan designer Isabel Nyamgero, creative director at iss by iss studio share her journey as a fashion and jewelry designer read her full interview inspiration and challenges she face as a designer.
Brief introduction about issa by issa
Isabel Nyamgero: It’s actually iss by iss iss…. Iss….. which mean it simply simple but iss iss being me many of my friend call me iss iss I decided to name it iss by iss so a brief on my company is I started around 2010 but the company was registered in 2011 and I stared by doing jewelry,
I will do jewelry because growing up I liked doing stich book my father has and my mother stich a sewing machine in the house sewing machine , I liked doing dresses I want to make and look nice ,then I start doing that’s was when I was in high school when I left iss tried to do jewel I will do jewel so that’s what i started doing mainly for sale.
around 2010 so I will do it what I used to do was custom made I used to do bespoke, my friend she is a designer when she would have to do an outfit for her client I would go for the meeting and we decide on and will help her decide on if a client want jewelry I would design a piece for the neck, jewelry.
that’s how I started small small but then continuing through the years I started gaining interest on other things and I have also through the years the same 2011 I got into Theatrical production where I did wardrobe mistressing, a chief stern, I was doing commercials, I did mostly movies Leo. Shattered them. ,I went to do edit Shuga and in 2012 I did a 1 year shoot with m-net called corner that is another thing that I started doing and I got a last walk and doing costumes as well.
I would get one or two, I have a client who her daughters and sons are in Aghakan academy they normally do these costumes so she normally contracts me I think the time I did and I did tomato basically my company has different arms I have jewelry, I do the costuming, costuming for the tv production, a normal costume, a pregnancy kit, and then I also do my company has different lengths there is a line I have I do it is called refarb,
it is when your wardrobe you have old styled outfit and you want them look better or you want a different modern style so I add something and do something like add something to make it look modern or just have a different twist.
And then I have also what i have started this year I am getting into It is called a blog, a blog where I talk about myths I don’t say myths or lies and want to call them myths or lies let me say it’s like things that the world has insisted on designs or fashion or let me call them myths of fashion things like why do we wear black in weddings is this what we know now or standard thing or this is mystifying fashion.
That is among the things I want to start this year basically that is me in a nutshell ,that is what I am or if you ask me about the company that is the company and if you ask me about Isabel I pride myself as a distractor.
I am industry distractor meaning I have worked with different people and in different industries, when they need, different twist in their companies what I do I do a different twist in the company you used to doing things like this but what niche do you want in your company or in the market I am able to advise that is the other thing I used to do with clothes, friends , or companies that that is me now that is Isabella and the other is the company. I don’t know if I have explained to you what is a nutshell.
What inspired your fashion Journey?Isabel Nyamgero: What inspired me in my fashion journey, when I started it came when I was a child I used to love flashy things, making things, then I was fortunate that in the house we had a machine and when I was in form three and four I did home science in school so I had the knowledge but actually I don’t think i had the support because everyone would go like Isabella I am an industrial chemist by academics.
I didn’t do fashion I am a scientist, so I was better in sciences when I was in school my sciences were always at the top i did A levels and then joined campus and did industrial chemist I was always top in my sciences so in a normal world people who told no Isabella scientist make more money.
they didn’t see it as a design you will be told,” why do you want to be a tailor,” am like is not being a tailor I always wanted something better I will have my dress I will not like it I will take a fabric and add something I want to take a fabric and make a skirt that looks different I grew up not liking normal , common I always wanted something different I think that is where my passion came from,
I always wanted something different despite that the world kept pushing me to science which i still did i came out of it saying no… no… no… so to date I have never worked in any company or any industrial chemistry we work in industries,labs.
apart from my attachment when I was in school for my internship but after that I am not and even every time go for an interview unless I go because someone has insisted I go and has an obligation and someone has been contacted in the company but my heart always want something different I think that is what design is that is what a creation is.
it started with my mum she would tell me this top looks nice you can make a skirt to go with it I think that is where my drive comes from.
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First ever creation you made?
Isabel Nyamgero: i am not sure but I think it was an Aline skirt I stitched when I finished form four it was handmade I remember when we are in school we used pattern but when in school we always say teacher has said but when I left school I remembered that skirt which was grayish brown navy blue in color and whenever I would make a re- collection that skirt was always in my mind when I joined campus I took that skirt and cut it but I don’t even remember where it went don’t remember whether I gave it out, cause the jewelry came later.
What challenges do you face as designer from Africa?
Isabel Nyamgero: ohh lets start from there that is why I do not do made to measure, because in Kenya I do not know if it is in other countries but In Nigeria and south Africa I think they have a better chance, but in Kenya we are not protected by the copy right for designs but also Kenyans do not appreciate you will do something nice you use your intellectual knowledge and you will do something quality get it out in the market the next week someone has imitated with a cheaper quality fabric, cheap quality stitching , ill-fitting designs and it is design Kenyans don’t mind buying that, because a designer,
I would do a piece and I do very a small mark up and it will still be higher than the cheap quality, and people will tell you the stuff is very nice but it is very expensive, I remember there was a time I did a piece of jewelry for someone we agreed on the amount because I do for the bridal party’s I agreed for all of them to do for 800 instead for 1000 that was for a particular bead, when I was doing the delivery to her because she wanted lower than that but I refused and she asked it is not 600 am like the price was 1200 but because they were many I did 800 yes you requested but it can’t go lower than that, “those things of yours I can even go down to Kamukunji and buy at a cheaper price”
they do not appreciate coz I am like there are intellectual properties involved here because what I do with those things I look at what you are wearing and came up with a design and I will make a piece from there I am not even charge for my intellectuals knowledge and that is the challenge we get,
because Kenyans do not appreciate at all they will look at it but for me I appreciating in the sense like they like but for me I also look at it is the way like when you like something it’s like buying a car it’s like even when you buy a Toyota or Mercedes people who love Mercedes will always buy Mercedes,
I love my eyes even on cheaper option it’s called appreciating the quality and the work you put into it in that piece you have put on that piece but Kenyans want to say it’s nice and they will go buy down town, they will not want to build also the government do not protect us and even people themselves they are not supportive at all and that’s is why I do not do made to measure because you do something for someone they come complaining why don’t I look like the picture it doesn’t fit well and they even refuse to pay or they pay you half and they complain so for me with regard fashion I do refarbing, styling , of the shelf because made to measure actually most times I made to measure,
I have never made money i even wonder whether other designers make money on made to measure , but Kenya is not very supportive most of the time I concentrate mostly on marketing outside and depend on communicating on people and friends and request them to help me do this or that, and for this it has really affected me because for very long time,
I will not get in the market I will make pieces and wear them and one for someone and and I will ask myself I put them in social media even if I put I will not be appreciated so this has really pulled me down people will complain about the pricing and I said you know if I am going to put the pricing down I will not breaking even then why do it and even before I started In 2010 and even before that out of the passion,
at some point there are years I would say I I am not doing it this year I am tired of Kenyans but because my passion is too big its my oxygen, its what I eat what I breathe otherwise that is what keeps going back otherwise I would be like any other person looking for a desk job so basically those are the challenges that have affected my company.
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What’s your target market?
Isabel Nyamgero: my target market is…. as a people I am not being biased but my target is definitely not Kenyan,because of what I have told you basically its 18-35 years mostly, but If find I get like my mums age which is 60 that kind of age I customize for them because they don’t like at all so mostly is 18-40 years you find most people at 40 want to look young, but when I started the company I found it was mostly 18-35 years, people who approached me were 18-35.
but now I found most people approaching me are 32-45.mostly the people who appreciate my work are upper class, middle class mostly don’t appreciate my work I found myself mostly struggled with middle class, mostly upper class and lower class are the people who support me most , middle don’t support me much but you find one or two do, but you find most are complainers you know most of them are corporate people but mostly I decided to go target outside market market and decided like let me humble and deal with my Kenyan market.
What does fashion mean to you?
Isabel Nyamgero: many people look fashion as the the clothes i wear, how I look, but for me I think fashion is what I see myself to be, because I can think of fashion this way but how i do it, it can’t look well on you because fashion depend on my personality because i can’t wear my look then I shouldn’t even think about it ,
for me fashion is how as an individual looks for example Isabel what do I see myself when it comes to clothing , accessorizing it is me bringing out my personality to my clothing as opposed to many people look at fashion as what the designer are telling us.
I prefer to look at it as it is my personality described in my outfit described in how I put myself together , so then when me Isabel as your designer will help you bring yourself out to your clothing because I have the knowledge so i help you bringing yourself out and tell you this is what you like,
this is who you are but how can we make your outfit still look modern look trendy and still be you so is you wearing yourself not me telling you we are all wearing yellow and you wear. for me is how I bring out my personality but still look trendy for me that is fashion.
What’s your Unforgettable experience as a designer?
Isabel Nyamgero : I will not name names not even as a designer I am saying it because I will always go back to it when I get a challenge, it is when I had just left campus and I went to do a course it is called adifer a certificate course I realized it didn’t have much because It was more of the stitching , the machine stuff which I knew yet I wanted the knowledge.
Anyway later on you know you want to go and work with people there was a day I went for a meeting with one of the designers in this town they had asked me to do some pieces and few jewelry for some outfit that has been made by someone else who was in the team so I did the stitching , and I remember we went for the meeting in the meeting as we were presenting the drawing and the sketches ,
I think someone was like wow so this jewelry how does it look , coz you know when you sketch you are sketching on the sketch stereo end so the designer who was under said I don’t even know why the person who drew this did I was the one design had drawn these things I was seated there and she knew because she was the one who asked me to do it coz I was learning but I was doing different things that are not in line with design but she knew my passion and I had gone to work in the company because I wanted to learn I wanted to be attached but because of the position that was open hat entailed that I can be paid I decided to take it ,
so and she says I don’t even understand that thing always rings in my head . why would she put me down like that in front of people ? and does that mean it’s how she actually puts me down that pushed me to know that you know what she is looking down at me for some reason when people put me down my drive has always be the negative vibe from other people, are what push me when you tell me I can’t I always believe I can , there are times I get challenges it always take me back to that lady putting me down in front of people of coz she did not say that is the person but knowing that I was the one who had done the pieces and in times I was there I had made 2 or 3 pieces jewelry pieces ,
I knew I was good some people told me I was good and upcoming you don’t put me down like that in front of people so in my designs I know I have had other experiences but this always stick in my head, coz this came when I was deciding to get into the market and leave science behind I am not totally left science because there are things I want to endeavor , but that was one of the drive I got , someone telling me that your stuff is nonsense in front of everyone and this is a corporate sitting this is a big company and you are putting me down knowing that I have done it so that is one of the experiences as a designer, just as I was getting into design that was the thought I had, I can give you many others but that is the one that always rings in my head.
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What’s your take about fashion growth in Africa?Isabel Nyamgero : actually I would tell it has really grown since I started or since I have been on earth I think it is really growing and we are getting many people are appreciating , first of all Africa has started to understand our potential of who we are and the outside world that had shunned us are starting to appreciate what we have , so you find even the white want to wear something print.
they want to buy print , everyone want to market they want to buy stuff from Africa, sell in Africa and our fashion has really grown, it is sad that when you go outside Africa you see many people are appreciating Africa more than we do and you see we are having a challenge in Kenya we are appreciating yes what we have but we want to wear Kenyan , but we don’t want to talk of Kenya so the industry is growing and even when you go outside you are getting colour band , you are getting kitenge ,
everything is leather everything is African , it has really grown from when I was young when kitenge would be my mother’s age , like you see a kitenge you are like navaa kitenge and when you are told to wear you don’t want, now we have some kids wearing and it has really shot up in a very big percentage and appreciation is growing, its just the appreciation of Kenyan artisan as opposed to Kenyan products is not but it has really grown much in Africa ,let me talk about Kenya because when I talk about south Africa , Nigeria its very different but it has really grown .
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 year from now?
Isabel Nyamgero : in the next 5 years,let me tell you I see myself as an industry receptor , meaning I am not just going to be making what I am making,
I endeavor I will have built my company in the sense that I will head the design and then someone else is taking over or I will get a partner who decide, okay fine I am taking the company you have shares because for me in five years I want to be a person changing the fashion industry to change how people are looking at fashion ,looking at designs, how people are looking the world in the eyes of creativity,
because what I would like to be In five years is not what I am doing right now coz right now I am building pieces , making jewelry , making clothes but for me that is not the bigger vision .the bigger vision is that fine we have made outfits ,fine we have made jewelry? but fine how do about these jewelry?
what does the need to know about fashion in Africa, how do I educate the mass about yes you can have nice your nice clothes, you can have nice pieces , but how do I put myself together, how do I use what I like I do to change my surrounding , to change my country what I see myself being is a change , someone who will change the outlook of the world towards designs ,world towards Africa , what I see myself doing In five years , and I see myself doing using my fashion knowledge to incorporate with that side of me.
Who would you like to work with or collaborate in fashion industry?
Isabel Nyamgero: Who I would like to work with in Africa in the world , actually that question I cannot give you a specific person , because we all have different trends , but I will give you but I cannot have specific person because I used to be that specific person who I will say I would like to work with Kiko , I would like to work with Rialto , I would like to work with Lupita stuff like that , But then I got to realize in my endeavor to look for that one person.
I worked with so many people got so many different insight that to date I don’t have to look for someone to work with , I look at what kind of mind, you find there people you would work with but they do good work they are very good but don’t have an open mind you find they probably are stingy with their fame they want you to remain under you but they are very good intellectually.
But I know I would love to work internationally, I know I would love to work under the Tv production and directors who mostly do these Epic movies where you have the old English times, clothes that you have not cleaned, how to create hero movies doing a new kind of outfit for me it’s not about who but what? what kind of situation? or what kind of surrounding?
I would like to work under but honestly I can’t give you a name because I stopped looking for names , but when people come my way I try to get the best out of it coz I realized everyone has something you can pick from . but I have worked with people before.
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Comparison between Kenya and Uganda in terms of fashion?
Isabel Nyamgero : Ugandans love dressing , A Ugandan will wake up in the morning she is going to the shop but she will even do her makeup tie her head , when I was doing my A-level , I did my A-levels in Uganda , I remember there was a time I remained back in school and I was in town C.B.D and see this person who looks very familiar and I can ‘t recognize him and he is just saying hey how are you?
He is dressed very well and he is in a suit and he having his brief case and I am like who is this? so I just said hey nicely, the next day when I was in school , actually this is when it hits me when I see the guard at the gate and even the way he is greeting me hey , how are you? Did you finish shopping what you were shopping and I am like oh my goodness it was you he was looking very sharp even his walking style let me tell you here you find watchman now they will not disappoint you with the way they dress because they will look like watchman even in their daily dressing, so when you go to Uganda you will not tell who is the office person? Who is the watchman?
That’s to tell that they appreciate dressing they appreciate looking good, Kenya we don’t appreciate it much now we have joined certain trends in different parts Kenyans will go to a wedding with jeans, when the industry start growing that’s when they want to do a nice black dress, want to do kitenge but Ugandans appreciate fashion and I think their fashion is far much more than ours.
Is just us we love to do made to measure, them they do off the shelf, off the shelf sells more there, so you find they have designers their designers are very good, here we know more of our fundi’s they are so called fundi’s, off the shelf you will find most people will buy from second hand but I find they love fashion they love dressing up compared to Kenya.
Do you have any advice for upcoming designer?
Isabel Nyamgero : Be open minded , and always know you are not the only designer on earth people are upcoming and there people who have come before you, the challenge we face as designers is i will do a very nice creation but in my head I don’t want to share it ,and I spend that challenge a lot here in Kenya ,because designers we do not love each other we always feel like someone is a threat , yes we have always been great with different strength ,
I might be great with strength of working with glass , be great with strength of working with beads, someone else with silver, and if we don’t share our knowledge there is no way we are going to build our generation and that’s why Kenya is also shocking, so as an upcoming designer is one do not listen to voices around you , coz those things pulls you down and if when you are a creative people will not understand your vision until they see it ,
one or two people around you will understand but when you are creative it is a struggle when people don’t see what you see, so you have to push yourself not to listen to voices around you to always know this is my vision do not give up on your vision don’t give up on your goal .and another thing is consistency wake up and do it if you have been waking up at 8 everyday , wake up at 8 do it even when you don’t feel like doing it, create even when you don’t have market ,
when you don’t have anything you are doing create create because there will come a time when you will be so busy and you want to create on your off peak is what you will need , create create don’t listen to the voices around you consistency consistency even when things are looking bad there is always a way out even without money you are creative find something to do use papers , use grass ,use whatever and don’t stop keep going coz i know i stopped and it really pulled me down I stopped because of those voices but for upcoming never stop keep going.
Your closing remarks
Isabel Nyamgero: currently I am doing it online, and I am on discussion with one or two people to stock my pieces in their shops but currently I will be found online in face book handle they can use my name or iss, iss by iss studio , but then I will be putting soon on the page as well my direction to the shop that I will be partnering with incase there is anything new .my closing remarks is just to encourage not just designers but everyone ,
I know myself I have learnt a lot from my failures but my failures have always been not that I doubted myself, but the voices around me the circumstances around me are the one that made me doubt myself but inside me I always knew , closing remarks are for the people outside there do not ever stop on believing in yourself don’t stop believing in your vision consistency, consistency that is what will get you there if I knew this I don’t think iss would be but I failed to wake up those are my closing remarks.
Content Courtesy Of Iss By Iss Studio & Nairobi Fashion Hub