Kenya-based fashion brand Kitu Kali produces vibrant and colorful shoes. Their production and sales go a long way in supporting the local community.
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00:00If you ever wondered about this saying, always put yourself in other people's shoe and didn't
00:07really want to try out what that might mean for you, then watch out, because now it could
00:13be tough for you because these are shoes straight from the slums.
00:18This item is designed in Kenya, made in Kenya, it's got authentic African prints and African
00:26fabrics utilized within the products, so a sense of pride that ties them back to Kenya
00:31or to Africa.
00:33With these bold and vibrant styles, you really don't have to worry about hurting anyone.
00:38If you wear these shoes, you are supporting the local community.
00:42Let's take a closer look at how Kushi Lakhani has managed to make everyone want to wear
00:48shoes and apparel made by the slum dwellers.
00:51Because something is made in Kenya, it doesn't mean it's cheap, it doesn't mean it's poor
00:55quality.
00:56We do still get a lot of that kind of challenge day-to-day, actually, when our customers walk
01:01in and they know it's a made-in-Kenya brand.
01:03We had no experience in fashion, we had no experience in footwear, we had no experience
01:07in brand building, in marketing.
01:09We had to put in all our own money initially into getting the brand built up.
01:12The last challenge as well is really key challenges on the product.
01:16You have to continuously launch new products, you have to innovate.
01:20Product quality, product consistency, and product innovation is a key challenge throughout,
01:25from the beginning to the end.
01:29What started in 2018 as a small craft business for shoes is now a well-established fashion
01:35brand.
01:36We started off as a handmade footwear brand.
01:38Part of that was to employ craftsmen and craftswomen from local communities like Kibera community,
01:45bring them into a workshop, give them the tools, the skills, the funds to create the
01:50products and to train them into creating new products.
01:54There's a lot of talent in those communities.
01:57I don't think they are given enough opportunity to showcase their talent.
02:01Let's see how Kushil and his team create the unique designs of their shoes.
02:05Their footwear has become so popular with customers that they added clothing in 2018.
02:11But let's be honest, it's the shoe that goes down particularly well.
02:16So from a production perspective, when you look at the footwear, it starts from the cutting
02:21process.
02:22So you take the raw materials, you have a pattern that fits that product and you cut
02:27the raw material.
02:28So we have people who do the cutting.
02:31Going from cutting, it goes into stitching.
02:34From stitching, it goes into finishing.
02:36And there are different people and different tools and machinery along that process, along
02:41the way, through the production process that creates the finished product.
02:47Benson Musyoka is one of the many local tailors and craftsmen making Kitu Kali's collection.
02:53I feel very excited because whatever I make now is starting to go international.
02:59I feel proud of myself.
03:02My biggest excitement is to see people wearing whatever I am making.
03:07I feel like a very important person.
03:10Not many people can be able to do this.
03:12Thanks to the government initiative by Kenya Build Kenya, which promotes local products,
03:17the local fabric industry is flourishing.
03:20Kitu Kali also sews all its fabrics locally in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum.
03:25What makes them stand out on the global fashion market?
03:29We create very unique prints that are not too shouting, but something that we can combine
03:36nicely into our clothes.
03:37And I mean, the prints are just different.
03:39African culture and African fashion in particular is a growing demand across the globe.
03:45It's becoming more recognized and more in demand.
03:48And I think Kitu Kali should and will play a crucial part in that globally as well and
03:53continue taking this story of made in Kenya and African inspired clothing across the globe.
04:04Although Khushi was born and raised in Kenya, he has spent most of his working life in the
04:09UK.
04:10What made him come back and how and when did he realize that African themed shoes are a
04:15viable market?
04:16How I realized that there is a demand for this product for African fashion or African
04:22footwear.
04:23We were wearing the product and people kept stopping us and asking us, hey, where do you
04:28buy this from?
04:29You know, where do I get it from?
04:31It's random people coming in, taking the time to ask you, where is that from?
04:35Where can I buy it from?
04:36Kitu Kali has many different meanings and has many different definitions.
04:39The one we utilize for our brand is hot stuff because that's what we are.
04:45That's what our brand is and that's what we like to be.
04:48Hot stuff.
04:49It may have been risky to make shoes from Kenyan fabrics, but customers seem to have
04:53really enjoyed putting on other people's shoes with a clothing line.
04:57Hopefully the road won't be quite so rocky.
05:00Why is it so important to Khushi to incorporate elements of African prints into all his
05:06designs?
05:07In continuing the story of African-inspired fashion and made in Kenya particularly, I
05:12think for me a lot of what motivates me is one is the uniqueness of the prints and how
05:17we combine them into the product.
05:20But two is the sales, right?
05:22We're getting new customers all the time.
05:24The stores are growing.
05:26Online is growing.
05:27We're reaching new markets.
05:29So I think a combination of the two keeps me going.
05:32In the future of Kitu Kali, I think we're building an incredible brand locally here
05:37in Kenya.
05:38We're already starting to become very recognized.
05:40I already have plans to take the brand East Africa-wide.
05:44I see this brand going across Africa.
05:49Fashion as Khushi understands, it can train, educate, empower, and change people's lives.
05:56And that's something that never goes out of style.