Where does your clothing come from?

This is a very potent question, particularly if you are Kenyan.

Majority of Kenya’s clothing – the clothes we regularly wear – comes from places like Asia, the US, the UK, India, Tanzania, West Africa and so forth. That it does is fascinating, isn’t it? One might assume that Kenya possess all the neccessary components to effectively produce and manufacture most of her textiles and all her apparel locally. What went wrong then?

The other day, someone asked me a question. ‘Why is it that when you enter a shopping mall, you don’t find high-quality mass-marketable apparel that is produced, tailored and made in Kenya?’

The straight answer is that making locally sourced, high-quality clothing that can compete with secondhand clothing imports pricing is presently a tall order. Even if we were to contemplate making them from locally made synthetic materials, the necessary tools and technology and human capital would be very expensive. And because it costs less to import clothing than to manufacture it locally, the Kenyan consumer (who typically wants clothing on the cheap) will often encounter the choice of having to either, purchase ready-to-wear imports or mitumba imports.

So allow me to present another related theory. Did you know that about a third of the clothing Kenyans purchase is made of fabrics influenced by African semiotics? (Infinite Insight, 2022). Again, most of these African textiles are imported. Now consider this: How is it conceivable that a nation with a population of more than 50 million people does not purchase its locally produced African textiles from within its own nation? It is a well-known truth that just like the way Nigerians love their ankara, Kenyans adore wearing kitenge to formal and special events. However, the fact that they obtain it from a different region (unlike their West African counterparts) of the globe is concerning—or perhaps surprising!

This is the query UndaMeta itself posed. Why does a nation that adores textiles with African influences import them from abroad? We even researched it by conducting expert surveys and had interview with key industry experts. Our findings were, to put it mildly, startling.

According to the study, 88% of Kenyans (or 9 out of 10) purchase “mitumba,” or used clothing that is imported in large quantities and sold primarily by street vendors and in local markets. (Infinite Insight, 2022). Yet, Kenyan consumers believed that an African value chain, from manufacturing to design to tailoring, is important (78% somewhat/very significant).

The second hand clothing space has completely spoilt Kenyans taste for quality clothing. Cheap as chips. Synthetic materials abound and it is fast fashion.

Naturally, used clothing has been a great source for daily attire over the years, but this addiction ought to end. The business landscape has changed as a result of the climate crisis from “business as usual, to business unusual,” and we must begin considering methods to lessen our carbon footprint.

Why do we state this, then? We claim this because, despite how much we enjoy purchasing used clothing, we are surrounded by these materials, which are basically textile waste. Not all of the clothing brought into Kenyan shores are purchased. They end up in Dandora landfills, and more clog up our waterways. Globally, 75% of textiles waste ends up in landfills (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). 

Because of her unique attachment to mitumba, Kenya is now in a pickle. Today, Kenya is the world’s biggest importer of used clothing with an annual budget of KES. 18 billion. In 2019 alone, Kenya imported 185,000 tons of used clothing (Textile Value Chain, 2021). 

For a variety of factors, we cannot allow huge amounts of second-hand clothing imports to continue entering our nation. The three big reasons are;

• It has negative effects on the environment and contributes to the climate crisis
• We are gathering waste from the Global North.
• Our local textile, apparel, and fashion (TAF) manufacturing sectors are being disenfranchised.

Simply put, these are the hard facts.

A glimmer of hope

Because of all these complex challenges, UndaMeta is suggesting a very different TAF production and consumption model, one that would undoubtedly require consideration by the entire value chain that encompasses stakeholders, leaders, policymakers, and consumers. They would be forced to reconsider how Kenyans buy their clothes, and hopefully adopt a new way of purchasing their clothing.  

We are also confident that it is feasible to provide Kenyans with the same high-quality African fabrics they love, at an affordable price, from locally sourced and made textiles. This in turn will spur the TAF industry into a vibrant one with great rewards for all players across the value chain.

We are also thrilled to inform our audiences that our innovative model is significantly more sustainable as it recognizes the value of a) printing only what will be sold and b) leveraging transformative digital technologies to promote partnerships with the continent’s pool of talented designers.

Our lofty dream is to one day see a Kenya that is self sufficient; one capable of meeting clothing demands of its citizens and at the same time able to place money in people’s pockets.

So what precisely makes UndaMeta unique?

We work hard to form solid partnerships with outstanding partners. Through these partnerships, we market and sell unique pattern designs for the creation of distinctive printed textiles. We link textile designers from across the world with Kenyas best textile producers, bringing their wares to a global market. To elaborate what we do, we can provide buyers who want to advance their brands with African-inspired prints or elevate fashion designers’ collections with a signature look for the runway — all from one digital store!

We have given the concept and our business model a lot of thought, particularly to how best we can generate shared value throughout our value chain. We are thrilled that our model represents a revolutionary way of how people will perceive, buy and consume textile, apparel and fashion products in the near future. But more than that, we believe the platform could possibly be a gamechanger for the continent’s creative economy as we grow and scale.

Please enter and take a look at our lovely designs. On the platform, you can presently purchase more than 70 different textile designs printed on 8 fabric types with just a click. 

Karibu sana.

References

Infinite Insight. (2022). African Fabric Designs. Report – UndaMeta Omnibus Section (Kenya, November 2022). https://www.infiniteinsight.net/Unda_Meta_African_Designs_Report.pdf

Textile Value Chain. (2021, May, 6). Kenya’s imports of secondhand clothing and accessories between 2016-2020. An overview of Mitumba market in Kenya