00:00In Nairobi, some of the best designs start on the roadside.
00:04Fixing what people throw away and turning it into something new.
00:10With the leathers, one of the main colours that we usually work with is green.
00:14When we lost our mum, I went to live with my grandma back in the village.
00:19Seeing the green, green maize, green trees and everything, grass and all that,
00:23I was really inspired by the colour green.
00:25That's why every, especially every statement piece we produce, we usually do it in green.
00:30But knowing how to make something and turning it into a brand are two different things.
00:36Some of the challenges was capital.
00:38Leathers are business, it's capital intensive.
00:41Leathers are materials, it's very expensive.
00:43Also the machinery that is involved is very expensive.
00:46And also the hardwares and the tools.
00:48The decision to do school shoes and shoe repair was because that was the available market at that time and
00:53moment.
00:54And also the little savings we had was able to fund the kind of business at that time and moment.
01:01The leather work is now hard.
01:03The trick is in the marketing.
01:05Marketing.
01:05We started in 2020 as a shoe repair business.
01:10And later in 2021, transition into bag making.
01:12I work with my father and we do leather bags and accessories.
01:16We used to do private labeling for brands.
01:19Then officially started now making bags for our brand in 2023.
01:25As an creative who was a bagger in craft, we made a lot of bags.
01:30So in 2023, we decided to now launch the brand Kisero.
01:34And Kisero comes from our vernacular, which means sides and skins.
01:38Design here starts long before the first cut.
01:41It starts with everyday life.
01:44Who will wear it?
01:46Where will they take it?
01:47What does it mean to carry?
01:49The design process starts with me.
01:51I usually come up with inspirations.
01:53For you to design bags, you usually have to envision the person who's carrying that bag, the things that they'll
01:59be doing from day to day.
02:01Are they going to work?
02:02If they're going to work, then you need to consider the bag having a laptop.
02:05After the inspirations, a sketch.
02:08Then from the sketch, my dad usually now does the pattern so that we get the measurement.
02:12And now the shape of the bag.
02:15Then now we discuss down through the materials.
02:18So we know which leather, which color of the leather, which lining is going to be used.
02:24Then the color of the hardware.
02:26Then now we do the first prototype, which now usually gives us the picture of how the final product will
02:34look like.
02:35Now with the final production now, we make sure like all the mistakes that could appear is all done in
02:41the prototypes.
02:42The leathers we work with are actually beige and leather.
02:46We don't work with chrome-turned leather because of the environmental impact it has.
02:52What started small is now taking shape piece by piece.
02:57In 2024, I joined a program by the British Council called Creative DNA.
03:01And that shaped my design language.
03:04I also joined another program by the Italian agency.
03:07It's called E4 Impact.
03:08I was commissioned to do a design project with a fashion school in Italy called Poliette School of Fashion.
03:14We created a certain piece called Charm Certain Piece.
03:19When we sent the bag to Italy, it emerged as one of the best bags in the design exchange.
03:24And now I was asked to fly to Italy to go and showcase the bag.
03:29And what started as a father and son operation has slowly grown into a team.
03:35From the craft side, my dad works with a team of four.
03:40Then from the business side, I work with a team of three.
03:45But the real foundation of Kisero is not just leather.
03:49It's what's been passed down.
03:52One of the greatest one I've ever got in my life is work with my dad.
03:55I've seen him work my whole life.
03:58Our first shoe repair workshop was just attached to our house.
04:01And I used to see how creative and how good he was with his hands.
04:04The techniques he used to use.
04:05And I was like, these are very unique techniques.
04:07And they should not just be wasted on average designs.
04:11Having been to Europe and showcased this work is one of my greatest achievements as a young person.
04:17And for Kevin, building the business alongside his father is more than work.
04:22It's a partnership.
04:24And a relationship he continues to learn and grow through.
04:29Working with my son has not been hard.
04:32I've gotten his fees here.
04:33And after he was done with school, we joined forces and ventured in the leather business.
04:38Yes, I've known him for the past 28 years as a father.
04:41But that's on the side.
04:43From a business standpoint today, you need to understand this is a business partner.
04:46And I need to create a whole new relationship where we need it now to synchronize.
04:52That has been a whole new beginning, I'll say.
04:57What started on the roadside is still growing.
05:00But now it carries a name, a craft, and a direction of its own.
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