“Let each morn be better than its eve.” Anne Mpinga.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Anne Mpinga, a former media professional of many years, founded her clothing line Kipusa in 2011 and showcased her first collection at the Hub of Africa Fashion Week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2012. Unlike most designers, Anne has lived enough of life to design and make clothing for every woman thanks to her long and successful prior career as a media professional.
Anne herself is quite recognisable, thanks to her funky short, platinum hairstyle and her beautiful face – a woman with edge and the eye to recognise it it in others.
‘Kipusa’ is a Swahili word meaning ‘beautiful young lady’. Anne’s vision is that Kipusa resonates with women of all shapes and sizes and walks of life, fitting body shapes perfectly and with a flawless style and colour. The ‘She is Nairobi’ collection is colourful, funky and rocks each woman’s shape and body in a delicate, yet dangerous way.
‘She is Nairobi’ is the name of Kipusa’s fourth collection celebrating female movers and shakers intent on changing the face of Kenya’s and Nairobi, the city Anne is so proudly from.
#SheIsNairobi therefore, represents real Nairobi intellectuals, entrepreneurs, creatives, volunteers and wage earners with two things in common: womanhood and their ability to make a difference.
For the fashion campaign, Anne has asked 12 of Nairobi’s most prominent women figures to model garments from the collection, including Yvonne Adhiambo (Writer), Wanjiru Gichaga (Pilot), Nadia Wanjiru (Artist), Bidanya Barasa (Lifestyle Advocate & Marketing Consultant), Aprelle Duany (Creative Director), Mugethi Gitau (Professional Geek), Annabel Onyango (Fashion Stylist & Cultural Influencer), Mumbi Mbugua (Musician & Economist), Marie Lora-Mungai (Media Entrepreneur), Connie Aluoch (Image Consultant & Fashion Stylist), Januska Dawood (Branding Expert) and finally, Anne Mpinga (Fashion Designer) herself. You can check out more of her designs here.
