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During the just concluded Origin of Africa Apparel and Textile Expo, some of the most outstanding fabrics on the catwalk were from Nur Designs run by the young Kenyan designer Firyal Nur Hossain.
Fresh from Paris Fashion week where she received orders from celebrities such as musician Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian, Firyal is putting her best foot forward with a passion to drive the local fashion market to a new level.
The daughter of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed is a magical creative who is waiting her turn to awe on the runway, judging from what was exhibited.
Her collection ranged from khanga shorts and cotton shirts to a mix of Ethiopian fabrics and some exotic pieces.
Having started her clothing line Nur Designs last year, Firyal becomes the second child of prominent Kenyan to take the Kenyan fashion market by storm after Muhoho, the son of President Uhuru Kenyatta who runs his own line, Nomadic Designs.
As a matter of fact the two have come together in a brand new clothing line, Capsule.
“We’re here to tap into the huge potential of many textile, creative talents and the growing number of Kenyans who are willing to spend on what is authentically Kenyan,” says the amiable Firyal from her executive presidential suite at the Hotel Intercontinental.
Joint venture
During the Nairobi expo this week the two jointly won the Showcase Designer of the Year award in the Emerging Designer category, which was presented to them by the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
Firyal and Muhoho had jointly showcased their combined work to herald the new joint venture - Capsule.
The clothes on display had a dominance of African traditional fabric with the men’s shirts boasting fold-up collars, which Firyal explains will be the signature of Capsule Collections.
The collection favours dresses that fit well on smaller bodies but Firyal says in the pipeline are plans to produce bigger clothes that will be more Afro-sensitive in terms of measurement.
Mrs Kenyatta stunned guests at the expo when she strutted her stuff on the catwalk to model a Nomadic dress, designed by her son. She looked elegant and official in the blue dress with African gathers that ran all the way down to her modest black pumps.
International covers
Nur designs have graced some of the world’s most celebrated magazines including Zele, Pattern Recognition, La Fashion, Zen, Fantastic Fall and even Russia’s most esteemed fashion magazine, Cobpahne.
“We are keen on the international market as well and the whole idea is to get branded as an international fashion house for maximum inroads out there,” says Firyal who reckons that the tag ‘African design’ is rather limiting because of the rather low opinion the international market has for Africa.
During this interview, she is wearing a black, sleeveless dress, dotted with white flowers made out of mud cloth from Mali.
Fabrics make a statement
The unique aspect of this design is that the fabric is rarely used for clothing but rather for mats and rugs, but Firyal has made it look really amazing.
It defines Firyal’s out-of-the-box creative mind that turns the mundane into the irresistible.
“This piece is what Kanye and Kim Kardashian fell for instantly in Paris,” says Firyal who grew up in New York and Geneva but came back home to pursue a degree in international relations at the United States International University in Nairobi from where she graduated with honours in 2012.
Firyal observes that in her travels to countries such as Pakistan, Ethiopia and China there is no doubt that the textile and fashion industries have been major economic drivers and the same model can be replicated here, if not bettered to create jobs and wealth.
“My vision is to establish a flagship store here and make our products affordable to the Kenyan market,” says the designer who has already made big sales in the US, Paris and the rest of Europe.
Amazing product
The collection includes white cotton tee shirts with a sprinkle of African print paired with Nomadic pants that are matched with cotton shirts with folded collars.
“Of course when we export we consider the cost of freight and other charges that the consumer out there bears but in the end it is a quality amazing product worth every penny,” says Firyal.
She says working with Muhoho on the expo was a great learning experience as they worked super hard just to make sure everything went according to plan.