Beyond the Olympic fashion drama - how did Brian Babu actually became one of the top stylists in Kenya?
As a jury member for the selection of Kenya's Olympic uniform, Brian Babu has just received a lot of criticism. Nevertheless, he is considered one of the best stylists in the country. Let's take a look at how he got there.
Transcript
00:00Who wouldn't want to be styled by a celebrated fashion expert?
00:13Before we get to know why celebrities like Edith Kimani rely on Brian's test, let's
00:18check out how he rose to become a top fashion stylist.
00:22At just 25 years old, Brian Babu is an award winning stylist with years of experience working
00:43with Kenya's top celebrities like Sauti Sol.
00:46So how did Brian make his breakthrough in this, rather, women's field?
00:50So initially, when I took into styling, there were about only three or four men who actively
00:56worked in fashion.
00:58I think it was very challenging because it was a very interesting, also almost tough
01:03space to get into.
01:05As a man, it was like, what?
01:07That's not a man's job.
01:08And initially, when we were starting out, our perception of fashion then was like, you
01:13could probably just be a tailor or run a tailoring business.
01:18Nairobi, the capital city in Kenya, hosts various fashion events like Nairobi Fashion
01:24Week and Kenya's Fashion Awards that showcases the talent of local designers.
01:29For Kenyans embracing fashion, there's a big pool to choose from.
01:33What made journalist and DEW News anchor Edith Kimani opt for Brian?
01:38Brian has been my friend first and then stylist for a long time.
01:42I don't know how long it's been, but it's been a happy, long friendship and styling
01:47journey.
01:48Why did I choose him?
01:50Because he is the Brian Babu.
01:52He has styled probably some of the most famous people in this country, some of the most celebrated.
01:58And it's because he's a storyteller.
02:00He's always testing me and my limits.
02:04You know, I'll always tell him, no, no, no, I don't like that color.
02:06I don't like that style.
02:07And he'll keep insisting on it because I'm just scared and he's seeing something bigger
02:11than me.
02:12So that's really, really great.
02:13Brian's career began in 2009 while still in high school.
02:18I expect to zip this.
02:19Yeah.
02:20But has it been worth it for the designer who traded his economics degree for fashion?
02:27Initially when I did fashion, it was a fun thing.
02:30It was when I was helping my sisters and my siblings in, when I was in high school, it
02:35was supposed to be fun.
02:36It wasn't, again, it wasn't something I pursued as it's like, yo, what are you wearing, man?
02:41Like, let me just fix you up quickly, put that look together and then we can move on.
02:48And then when I got to campus, it was, it became more of, oh, can I take this as a side
02:53hassle?
02:54Because of course anyone in campus is broke.
02:57So I took it as a side hassle and I started getting serious clients and it's now 10 years
03:02this year.
03:03I turned 10 as a stylist in March, professionally.
03:06Whether creating a look for Edith or Saudi Sol, how does Brian approach such projects?
03:12Before we start a project, I think it's usually important to first meet the clients and sort
03:17of just gauge their energy, if it's an individual or it's a brand, and then get the initial
03:22brief of what they're trying to achieve and what the styling activities are for.
03:27And then we sort of do, we'd say that we are shopping for the pieces or creating them.
03:34I do the process with the designer, we source for fabric, we sort of just make sure everything
03:39comes together until the point where we're doing fittings and then we shoot.
03:43It's been quite an interesting thing to sort of watch how when you dress people and they
03:50get into character and they become a whole new, this new personality or this entertainer
03:57and how the clothes also boost their confidence.
04:00It's like another second skin for them.
04:03Brian's passion for styling is evident throughout the years, but how does he use his fashion
04:09to make a statement and influence society?
04:12As a person who works in fashion, occasionally I've used fashion as a way of protest.
04:18There's a time I'd just machine skin something, protest, just like a protest about just how
04:26life was getting hard.
04:28These are some of the awards I've won over the years.
04:33I don't know if I can start counting the awards, there are so many.
04:37But I think the first one was like, which almost validated my journey as a stylist was
04:43the very first award, which was Upcoming Stylist of the Year in 2014 for Kenya Fashion Awards.
04:48I've been privileged to work on some of the biggest projects in Africa.
04:53I've worked on South East Soul tours from Live and Die in Africa.
04:56I've worked with big artists including Ice Prince, Tenny, Mr. Easy.
05:05I've just worked on a couple of various projects, even for South Africa, I've worked for some
05:10stuff for Netflix, yeah, it's been quite a journey.
05:14Brian is blazing the trail, and his work continues to drive trends and shape the fashion landscape
05:20in Kenya.