Wacu Kihara (fashion designer) was working with local tailors to create a new collection with traditional Khanga textiles. In collaboration with Emilia Łapko (fashion photographer) they conducted a series of photo sessions and a final fashion happening in the center of Kilifi.
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People: Emilia Łapko, Wacu Kihara
Places: Central Market in Kilifi
Events:
Talk:
Emilia Łapko
Emilia Łapko runs her own studio of photography and design which focuses on art creation as well as fashion, creative and image-building photoshoots. She advises companies as an artistic director specializing in branding. Her area of activity includes photography, video, and visual communication. She enjoys unconventional solutions and a professional approach to every project. She graduated from two universities – the University of Arts in Poznań, where she obtained a master’s degree in art and the University of Szczecin, where she obtained a master’s degree in philosophy. Emilia Łapko is a lecturer of fashion photography as well as post-production and visual communication in fashion at the Academy of Art in Szczecin.
Wacu Kihara
Khangadelic is a Sustainable Fashion Label.
Khangadelic symbolizes the colour and vibrancy of Kenyan Coastal Culture and Lifestyle through contemporary clothing and accessories.
We have a passion for Fashion and a love for the environment.
Our clothing items are a fusion of East meets West, tying in the traditional Kenyan fabric which is Khanga and has proverbs printed on them that are used by women to tie round the waist while doing chores, carrying their babies on their back, and for ceremonial use such as weddings and funerals.
We blend the khanga with modern fabric such as Jersey, Fleece, Cotton, and Linen to create contemporary Western Fashion items like Waistcoats, Men’s Shirts, Ladies Dress Tops, Polo Shirts, Bags, and our flagship product, the Reversible Bucket Hat.
We stock Gift Shops in Nairobi, Naivasha, and Mombasa on consignment, and sell at the Christmas Craft Fairs.
We are members of African Women Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP), Export Promotion Council, Kenya, She Trades Commonwealth under International Trade Centre (ITC) based in Geneva, Ubunifu Kenya Association, Kenya Fashion Council.
We have participated in several International Trade Fairs such as NY NOW 2016, New York, FIHAV 2016, Havana, Cuba, Sourcing at MAGIC 2017, Las Vegas, She Trades Global 2018, Liverpool.
Our vision is part of the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals and top of our list are
#1 No Poverty, #5 Gender Equity and #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Our founder Wacu Kihara is on the International Coastal Clean Up committee and Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers. We also work with the Beach Management Unit in Shelly Beach and Aga Khan Academy Mombasa on Beach Cleanup exercises, separation of Marine Waste, and collection for Recycling.
We have also started a collection centre in Naivasha for recyclables, and our goal is start a recycling plant for value addition. We plan to sensitize households and institutions on the segregation of different types of waste and ultimately #bansingleuseplastic
