Last month at the Absa InspireMe conference, I met a lot of women entrepreneurs whose ventures demonstrated how hard work and resilience eventually bear fruit. In the final article of this series in which I’ve been telling these women’s stories, I will look at the very charismatic fashion designer Roselyn Kagendo whom I had a chat with on the last day of the conference.
For Roselyn, fashion is not some interest she picked up as she grew up. Ever since she was a child, she has always had a keen interest in fashion, a passion that informed her education choices from an early age. After high school, she joined Everly College of Design and went into business soon after. She currently runs a boutique on Wood Avenue Kilimani under the brand name Gendi Designs which comes from her name Kendi.
Her business has grown quite a bit in what she describes as an uphill manner. It has not been a smooth ride but over time, she has built a solid business and made quite a clientele base for Gendi. One of her clients is Phyllis Mwangi, SheTrades Hub Regional Coordinator for East and South Africa at the International Trade Centre. It was through Phyllis that she got to know about the Absa InspireMe Conference which she was attending for the second time round this year.
Roselyn has big dreams for her business which she intends to grow to international levels, and she is grateful for forums like Absa’s InspireMe which have exposed her to new clients and networks from different countries. She is very happy with Absa, being the first bank that has been able to organize a women’s conference of this magnitude.
She has a lot of faith in the quality of her work, given that she does all the designing and cutting herself, leaving only the stitching to employees. This way, she ensures that the success of her business is in her hands and that quality starts with her. Speaking of quality, she is very strict about the type of fabrics she uses and gets all of them from a trusted importer.
As part of Roselyn’s immediate future plans, she has her eyes on sustainable fashion since she believes that preserving the environment is everyone’s responsibility.
To younger entrepreneurs who want to venture into business but are understandably afraid, Roselyn says to believe in yourself and start with what you have. “Go in, do it, and it shall be well with you”.
The Absa InspireMe Conference is an initiative under Absa Bank’s women in business proposition, launched in 2021. The annual conference, aimed at facilitating market linkages, networking, and business mentorship for women entrepreneurs, took place on 18-19 June 2024 under the theme “Empowering Your Story for Growth.” This theme aligns with Absa’s new brand promise, launched earlier this year, “Your Story Matters,” which dedicates the bank’s purpose to a more deliberately customer-centric focus. Source.
