Made In Kenya

 

Different beads made at Kazuri factory.

Communities flourish when great minds walk with them to harness their capabilities. In the developing world of today’s Africa, the greatest contribution anyone can make is to create employment. This remains their guiding philosophy for KAZURI and SOKO Kenya. KAZURI, which means “small and beautiful” in Swahili, began in 1975 as a tiny workshop experimenting on making handmade beads. The factory located in what used to be part of the Karen Blixen Estate was started with two Kenyan women and soon discovered that there were many other women in the villages around Karen who were in great need of regular employment.



Talking Ms. Elizabeth Matende, who lives in Bulbul village, in Ngong, she had this to say, “ I have fed and educated my five children from Kazuri. Now, one of my daughters and granddaughter have found gainful employment with Kazuri.“ 

Ms. Elizabeth, a pioneer employee having worked for Kazuri for 41 years now, has learnt the interesting art of making beautiful ornaments from clay at Kazuri. Every staff at Kazuri is trained in all aspects of beads making glazing, loading the beads in the Kiln, painting the beads, and finally assembling the handmade jewelry.   

  

Single women beading necklace in Kazuri factory.

Driven by the desire to provide more opportunities, Kazuri workshop in Karen has employed over 340 women, most of who are single mothers, enabling them to make ends meet. The factory produces over 5 million beads a year and exports to over 20 countries worldwide. Kazuri workshop has harnessed the most artistic, skillful, diligent, and patient women and men to work hand in hand to achieve and produce the highest quality of handmade and hand-painted ceramics jewelry and pottery. This ensures Kazuri is well equipped to compete in both international and local markets. 

Kazuri has grown and today has a large workforce skilled in the making of handmade jewelry. They have further applied knowledge of ceramics and the artistic flair that has made our necklaces so attractive, in the design and production of our unique range of pottery- ware, which reflects the culture and wildlife of Kenya. Each piece, like their beads, is hand-made and hand-painted in rich colors and our range is extensive from individual collector pieces to dinnerware. 

“We ensure disadvantaged members of the community have sustainable employment.” Mr. Sammy Makau, The sales & Marketing Manager, Kazuri 2000 Ltd, said. “70% of our employees are women.” Apart from offering employment, the workshop is equipped with a clinic, to provide free medical care for the employees and their immediate families. As well as absorbing 80% of medical bills for treatment received outside the factory clinic.

As a result, it is reflected in the strength of the Kazuri Family and the beauty of their products. Kazuri is a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) while its products can be ordered online from many of its distributors.

 

SOKO factory workers. Photo by SOKO

SOKO Kenya which means “market” in Swahili is a cloth manufacturer that has been walking with the residents of Kikambala, Mtwapa to ensure the community flourish.  Founded in 2009 by Joanna Maiden, she believes that the fashion industry could be used as a force for good. The organization puts social and environmental issues at the heart of its business. “I have built this company on this foundation. I am passionate about producing high-quality clothing that also improves the quality of life for my employees and the community.” She adds. 

Joanna's garment industry journey in Africa began when she visited Kenya in 2007 with her husband and fell in love. She wanted to change lives. So she started working for the International Trade Centre Ethical Fashion Initiative, in Kenya. While working with an initiative that now works with the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Max Mara, Joanna met Olivia Kennaway, one of the directors of Lalesso. The company was managing its manufacturing at that time but was looking to outsource. “During our conversations, the idea for SOKO was born. Due to my experience of working with fashion brands in London, I saw a gap in the market for small-scale ethical clothing manufacturing,” says Joanna.

SOKO works in two parts: the commercial arm that partners with designers and fashion brands across the globe to deliver a more sustainable future. The company invests in the skills of their team, creating price structures that fairly remunerate their employees. And SOKO Community​ ​Trust strives to develop and enhance the social, environmental, and economic skills of local communities, through a variety of workshops and training. The Community Trust also runs the Stitching Academy located in Maungu near Voi, and their female sexual health program, the Kujuwa Initiative.

To expand the resident's labor market opportunities Joanna started a vocational institution that helps students learn a trade and acquire the skills needed to take advantage of employment opportunities or create successful small businesses. The Stitching Academy teaches people the skills they require to be better placed to secure a job in clothing manufacturing. “So far 183 students have graduated with 120 now in permanent employment. Many of our graduates move on to work at the Factory, on the Kujuwa Initiative, or in other manufacturing businesses,” Joanna says.

According to Joanna, the world is changing for the better and their manufacturing and community work directly supports the aspirations set out in the ​UN’s sustainable development goals around education, empowering women, creating job opportunities, and managing waste.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 with 17 SDGs integrated. Goal 4: quality education, goal 5: Gender equality, goal 8:decent work and economic growth, and lastly goal 12: responsible consumption and production.

Since 2017, 5,812 kg of the SOKO factory’s textile waste has been diverted from landfills and used in other SOKO Kenya projects. The factory is entirely water self-sufficient due to rainwater collected from the roof. 25% of the Factory’s power requirements are generated from on-site solar panels and from  January 2020 - 360kg of CO2 has been saved by using solar panels.

SOKO Kenya, which means “market” in Swahili, is a cloth manufacturer. They have been walking with the residents of Kikambala, Mtwapa to ensure the community flourish. Founded in 2009 by Joanna Maiden, she believed that the fashion industry could be used as a force for good. The organization puts social and environmental issues at the heart of its business. “I have built this company on this foundation. I am passionate about producing high-quality clothing that also improves the quality of life for my employees and the community.” She adds. 

Joanna's garment industry journey in Africa began when she visited Kenya in 2007 with her husband and fell in love. She wanted to change lives. So she started working for the International Trade Centre Ethical Fashion Initiative in Kenya. While working with an initiative that now works with the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Max Mara, Joanna met Olivia Kennaway, one of the directors of Lalesso. The company was managing its manufacturing at that time but was looking to outsource. “During our conversations, the idea for SOKO was born. Due to my experience of working with fashion brands in London, I saw a gap in the market for small-scale ethical clothing manufacturing,” says Joanna.

SOKO works in two parts: the commercial arm that partners with designers and fashion brands across the globe to deliver a more sustainable future. The company invests in the skills of their team, creating price structures that fairly remunerate their employees, and SOKO Community​ ​Trust strives to develop and enhance the social, environmental, and economic skills of local communities through a variety of workshops and training. The Community Trust also runs the Stitching Academy located in Maungu near Voi, and their female sexual health program, the Kujuwa Initiative.

To expand the resident's labor market opportunities, Joanna started a vocational institution. The institution helps students learn a trade and acquire the skills needed for employment opportunities or create successful small businesses. The Stitching Academy teaches people the skills they require to be better placed to secure a job in clothing manufacturing. “So far, 183 students have graduated with 120 now in permanent employment. Many of our graduates move on to work at the Factory, on the Kujuwa Initiative, or in other manufacturing businesses,” Joanna says.

According to Joanna, the world is changing for the better; and their manufacturing and community work directly supports the aspirations set out in the ​UN’s sustainable development goals around education, empowering women, creating job opportunities, and managing waste.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 with 17 SDGs integrated. Goal 4: quality education, goal 5: Gender equality, goal 8:decent work and economic growth, and lastly goal 12: responsible consumption and production.

Since 2017, 5,812 kg of the SOKO factory’s textile waste has been diverted from landfills and used in other SOKO Kenya projects. The factory is entirely water self-sufficient due to rainwater collected from the roof. 25% of the factory’s power requirements are generated from on-site solar panels, and from January 2020 - 360kg of CO2 has been saved by using solar panels.

Joanna started the factory with four people in a small outbuilding, now she has 120 employees in a modern advanced facility. The organization emphasizes creating quality garments and together with the great partnerships they have made with their clients, has enabled them to grow.

“I’m grateful for the fact that I have such a loyal, long-standing team that has been part of the SOKO story from the start. As a company we continue to be inspired by seeing and feeling the connection between our small, rural factory and the global fashion industry,” she says. 

 

SOKO produces approximately 3,500 garments per month. Their clients include ASOS.com, Suno NY, Lalesso, Choolips, and Wild Rose Kenya, amongst others. They have also been featured extensively on the Internet and in printed press such as Vogue, Grazia, i-D, and Elle. Their high street to luxury designs retail from £25 to £500.

Joanna is inspired by new challenges and opportunities. Her proudest moment was seeing Michelle Obama wearing the clothes they had made. “The first time we saw press images coming through, the team didn’t believe me and thought a ‘proper’ factory (to use their words) must have produced the same garment,” she adds. 

A screenshot from SOKO of Michelle Obama wearing ASOS Africa. Photo by SOKO

According to Joanna, the idea for the ASOS Africa collection already existed when she walked through the doors of the ASOS offices with samples of the types of garments that she could produce at SOKO. The partnership created the first collection. “The ASOS Africa team designs the collection in London. The fabric sourcing is done by the ASOS design team working closely with me to look at what fabrics are available locally. A pattern house in London produces all the patterns and production samples for SOKO,” she adds.

Joanna believes that manufacturing in Africa has a long way to go in meeting the growing demand. She also states the lack of support from governments impedes growth. Even with these challenges, she says this is an exciting time for Africa. “In the last four years of being based in the region, I have seen a growth in so many different areas of the fashion industry here. African designers are making their mark on the international fashion scene more than ever. Conferences such as the IHT Luxury Conference are looking at Africa as a serious option for manufacturing,” she adds.

Currently, SOKO is focusing on growing its Kujuwa Initiative into a social enterprise. They have been partnering with brands, NGOs, and organizations to distribute washable sanitary pads to girls in school while providing girls, boys, parents, and educators with sexual reproductive health training.