My business was hatched by a blog

Anita Gaitho is the founder of Siri Studio, a fashion design house

Anita Gaitho looked around her and couldn’t find stylish clothes. She was uninspired by the cuts and fabrics and so decided to take action. She could create clothes that would speak to a woman like her; young, fashionable and conscious of their image. Siri Studio, born five years ago is a fashion design house that makes contemporary clothing with a touch of class for the modern woman.

Siri Studio makes contemporary clothing with a touch of class for the modern woman

There was nothing at all to suit your taste?

Let’s just say that the idea came from not having access to brand new, fashionable apparel that was locally made and targeted to young adults like myself at the time. All local brands were targeted at older women, and/or made of Kitenge fabric. I dreamt of making stylish clothes with contemporary fabrics that people in my age group could wear. I recognised a market gap and successfully threw my nets into the water. The gamble is paying off because you will always have a young generation that wants to be stylish.

Anita's first clients were from her blog audience

How did you raise the capital?

I started by using my savings.  As they say, you must first be the biggest believer of your dreams. If you can’t invest your own cash in your dreams, you can imagine how hard it is then to convince people to put money in your vision. When I needed to expand, I got a loan from my family. Taking a loan to expand a business is a gamble so you must be careful where to source the money. The startup costs added up to Sh200,000.

How was the market reception at first?

I got my first few clients through a fashion blog that I used to write.  It was more clients than I expected, people felt I knew what I was doing because of how long I had inked down about fashion and design. My blog’s audience became my first clients. That fueled a fire in me of wanting to make it bigger so when I incorporated the brand and brought on a partner, it was received pretty well. While I don’t run the blog now, we have many repeat customers and newest clients find out about us from social media and through word of mouth.

The fashion house makes ready-to-wear pieces

What was your first big break?

My first big break was getting enough funding to move to a bigger space and allowing me to make ready-to-wear pieces. I started from a small and cramped up space. I did not have a showroom where clients could walk in and check out what we had in store. In fact, if you wanted anything you had to pre-order for us to make it for you. But I am glad we now have ready-to-wear pieces for anyone who walks into the shop.

They have made a name for themselves with their contemporary clothing 

What can you attribute to your breakthrough in the industry?

Originality. When we started, no one else was making contemporary clothing locally. New customers were always surprised that our clothes were actually made in Kenya. We have successfully dispelled the notion that Kenyans don’t support their own. People are willing to invest their money in you as long as you offer them quality products. In the fashion business, if you are not selling quality then you are out of business. I stick to some classics, which Siri Studio is known for, but also do limited edition collections. I keep up with International trend forecasts.

How big is your team?

We are a lean and efficient team. Siri Studio has five employees. Everyone is clear about their role in the business. We are a tight team and there is an open-door policy where everyone is free to share ideas, concerns and challenges. In the fashion world, just like in every creative space it is important to ensure you have a diverse team that keeps the wheels of creativity rolling.

They also make limited edition collections

How do you manage revenue in your business?

This is where you must be keen if you want to open your store next month. At Siri, we have a monetary policy that we all are on salary and you must work for it. Everyone gets paid at the same time. The cash that remains goes into paying rent and restocking. This clear use of revenue ensures you remain in business and avoid unnecessary expenses.

What is the best advice you can give to anyone starting a clothing/fashion business?

Just do it! The risk is in getting started. Make a formal business plan and just start if it makes sense to you. Everything can be figured out along the way. The courage to start even if you can’t see the whole staircase is what distinguishes a successful entrepreneur from a non-starter.