Meet Kenyan Designer Ceiphers Olweya, Who's Making a Fortune in the US from Kitenge-Made Clothes
Designer Ceiphers Olweya is one of the Kenyans in the diaspora who are reaping big fortunes from their innovations.
Ceiphers started Ceiphers Clothing, which is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and produces bowties, chokers, ties, shirts and hats. It is the designs of fabrics, which feature African-inspired creations blended with an American look that makes his products unique.
Olweya, who stayed in Nairobi before relocating to the US says his grandmother inspired him to open the company. “My grandmother’s drive, generosity and interest in education has always motivated and awed me .I always knew that I wanted to be like her,” states Olweya.
“Despite having no formal education, my grandmother started a business at a very young age. She started off selling food on the roadside and with time, bought a sewing machine and taught herself how to sew. After getting contracts to make school uniforms, she used her business as a platform to educate illiterate women, many of them went on to start their own businesses,” he said.
His grandma Salome would later co-found Nyaburi Integrated Primary School for children with disabilities.
He says that the aim of his business is to “educate, provide financial assistance and promote understanding and appreciation of different cultures for markets in Kenya and the US.”
“I wanted to weave my heritage into the very fabric of the clothing I design, that’s why we use kitenge fabric in our designs”, he stated.
Ceiphers Clothing directly imports bright-colored kitenge patterns from Kenya to make different designs, each given a Swahili name. “We name our fabrics in Swahili as a way of sharing the Kenyan culture through fashion,” says the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Rachel Olweya.
Comments (8)
Bravo. But continue involving wazungus in your businesses and it’ll soon be gone.
Nonsense .. so u want him to involve who .... kyuks or luos ??? Tiga urimu .. biashara ni yake .. he can involve anybody he wants even dogs .. he can even burn it to the ground .. shida yako ni gani ... kwanza enda huko nunua underwear ya kitenge to support the brother badala ya kupayuka payuka kama raila ... kapish !!!!
You don't understand race and economics. Continue thinking like a slave.
Good point Kiki,we have to have our eye, ears on overdrive if we have to deal with them people.
Kiki you are onto something , the next thing you will see , they will buy him off and make it a greater empire ..yes wazungu cannot be trusted with anything although maybe they have invested heavily on him -seed money and all ....
Strongly disagree! Wazungu's are very straight foward and majority genuinely care to help you. Wafrica, most are not trustworthy, jealous, copycats, corrupt and will rob you in a broad day light. The truth be told.
Kitenge industry is expanding and whoever can make good quality clothing that fit well will do very well at the end of the day.
l went online to check his website but didn't see any vitenge for women/ men but bow-ties za vitenge and neckbands for women.is that all he does? because l would be glad to be a customer.