The Hairpolitan Magazine Vol-1 August-Sept 2016

“
INSTEAD OF
SAYING THIS IS
WHAT THE
INDUSTRY NEEDS
WHY DON’T
WE DO?
“
Contact Person: Anyango Mpinga
Creative Director/CEO
anyango@anyangompinga.com
www.anyangompinga.com
www.facebook.com/anyangompinga
www.instagram.com/anyangompinga
www.twitter.com/anyangompinga
Kipusa Clothing remains her official company
name and will always speak to a time of
growth for her brand. However, she realized
it would be more powerful to use her own
name because at the end of the day she is
her own brand. Anyango has been known,
from day one, to wear her own creations,
therefore the timely rebrand was just about her
being true to herself as a designer and visionary.
Introducing the Kondo Udo collection has
been about her thinking long term and
moving out of the Kitenge fabric space that
Kipusa Clothing and other African fashion
labels have come to be known for. She has
already encountered people who are not
certain why she chose that route; but she
makes it clear that before you create, one
must have a vision, then know what that
vision means to them as a designer. Anyango
is a firm believer in the notion that no one
should ever dictate another’s creativity
and/or vision unless they are willing to pay
the high cost of buying a one-of-a-kind piece.
If I hadn’t figured it out by now, considering
the fashion and interior beauty that was
surrounding us, it started to dawn on me that
Anyango’s passion about personal standards
is not something to take lightly. “As a
designer you’re setting your own
standards and doing it with the faith that
it’s actually going to make an impact in
some way. It might not be immediate and
it takes a while before people start
appreciating you.”
In business, many deliberately set out to teach and
mentor but I noted that Anyango does it by just existing.
“We like talking a lot, we’re talkers. It’s not a waste of
time to talk, because there is a learning process to
everything that we hear from people’s opinion. Instead of
saying this is what the industry needs why don’t we do,
and why don’t you start by your own example?”
An aspect, in which she’s walking the walk on, is in
pattern grading. I had never heard of the term and
sought clarity. Pattern grading is the scaling of a pattern
to a different size by implementing important points of
the pattern using an algorithm in the clothing and foot
wear industry (Google Search). Clearly it stops being
solely artistic and now becomes a mathematical issue.
She simply explains it by stating that, as women our body
sizes fluctuate due to a myriad of reasons ranging from
hormonal fluctuations, change of location, to undue
stress or unhealthy eating. Yet, we have an innate need to
feel in our element and at our best at all times. Therefore,
our clothes need to remain consistent because our
bodies do not. “When you put on that extra weight and
can still fit into that dress, there is something to be said
about that sizing.” Anyango quips.
As we wind down, I nudge Anyango to discuss something
close to all Kenyan Fashionistas’ hearts, second hand
clothing a.k.a Mitumba and its place in our lives in
comparison to a Designer Collection such as Anyango
Mpinga and bespoke brands like Deepa Dosaja (Kenya).
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