Kenya: Designer turns to traditional clothesmaking methods
Mass production is quickly changing the fashion industry, with environmentalists warning about the impact on the planet.
However in Nairobi, one young designer is refusing to follow current production trends – instead, he’s turning back to a traditional craft.
The founder of Mukabwa studios, Hillary Mukubwa uses hand looms to create clothes and fabrics.
He says he feels like an anomaly in going back to old traditions, stating, “modernisation kills the aspect of traditional craftsmen and ways of doing work. So, being a young guy, it is a bit not normal to go back. But I just wanted to be that person who kind of tries to revive the old practices, because this is where culture lives.”
He views the hand looms as a way of keeping Kenya’s cultural heritage alive.
“The difference between the hand looms and the electric machines is that these hand looms, first of all, they are traditional. So, you find that they carry a story. It’s a piece of art, you know. Rather than producing masses, they produce with meaning,” he explains.
Clients say they find the clothes more interesting than what’s available on the high street due to their individality.
Among them is Maylone Ginnette, woh says, “I like the clothes because one, of their quality because they are pure organic cotton and they are unique. Most of them, you can see they are unique pieces, so I think I will still choose the weaving, how they are made because of the efforts you can see people do to get the product, the end result of the product.”
Having started experimenting with weaving in 2024, Hillary now hopes to take those stories beyond Kenya, while keeping the looms as part of the process.
