As kikoys continue to make waves on beaches across the globe, Elspeth Waters catches up with leading brand Kasuku’s Neha Shah
With the likes of Madonna and Prince Harry recently snapped wearing kikoys, they could just be the must-have garment of the season. And one girl who won’t be complaining at all is Neha Shah, director of Kasuku, a Kenya-based company, specialising in authentic kikoys. For those out of the know (like me), kikoys are striped, woven materials with all manner of uses. Principally worn as sarongs, these brightly coloured garments are perfect for the beach, but also make great scarves, miniskirts or throws to revamp that aging sofa.
“Kikoys are a traditional Kenyan item,” Neha explains. “They were originally worn by African men on the beach but in the last 15 years there has been a massive boom in Kenya and now everyone wears them. We use mercerised cotton, which is the best quality and that’s what distinguishes our kikoys from others made in Kenya.” Kasuku, meaning parrot in Swahili, demonstrates its vibrancy in additional lines as well, such as jewellery hand-crafted by Kenya’s Masai tribespeople.
Originally from Kenya, Neha’s family has been in the textile manufacturing business for years but it wasn’t until three years ago that her father persuaded her to shelve the backpack and take on almost sole responsibility for Kasuku, to expand the phenomenon outside of Africa. “I was doing bits of other jobs, like bar work and teaching but I gradually started helping my dad and his brother, doing trade shows. Now I do everything from unpacking the production from Kenya, and sending out orders to designing the catalogues,” she says.
Up close and personal, Neha is as vibrant and unique as the kikoys she sells. Something of a free spirit in mind and appearance, she clearly prefers sarongs and jogging bottoms to power suits and killer heels. And while she is willing to put in 12-hour-plus days, she still finds time to party hard in Brick Lane with her DJ housemates. Organisational skills may not be her forte but Neha has learned to talk the talk when it counts and says after three years of hard slog (which is still ongoing) she is now enjoying more of the fun parts of running a business – like international promotion. “I’ve learned so much by doing it all myself and the most important thing I’ve found is how important PR and advertising is and you have to keep it up all the time. I’m always gathering fashion contacts and looking for opportunities to give them a call. I have a long list and when the new catalogue comes out in June I will call them and ask for a mention.”
And, with her command of Spanish, Neha has quickly helped to broaden Kasuku’s horizons, as well as her own. Originally taken on to crack the UK, Neha soon saw the potential to be had in the sunnier climes of Europe and has spent considerable time frequenting the retail trade shows of Madrid and other cities, where Kasuku kikoys are proving increasingly popular. She has also managed to get her products into the Kenyan Airways and South African Airways Duty Free catalogues, which is helping to raise brand awareness no end. Kasuku products are also being sold in shops in the US and the Caribbean as well as Australia, and Neha believes there is huge potential to develop a bigger following in these beach-loving destinations. She continues to present at UK shows as well, although they haven’t always proved as worthwhile. “They can be very expensive – sometimes £3,000-£4,000 and I’d prefer to spend that money elsewhere, on PR or advertising or paying another salary,” says Neha.
Manpower, is in fact the one thing holding Neha back at this juncture but she’s rather reluctant to remedy the situation. “I’m just one person and I’m really stretched at the moment. I need an assistant but I’m quite particular about how I like things done, and I don’t have the time to train anyone.” On the other hand she realises that real progress will ultimately be reliant upon expanding the team. “The website alone needs a full time person,” she explains. “We set it up last year and sales have been brilliant. It has already more than paid for itself. I can manage the front end stuff but I just don’t have time to spend on it at the moment.” And, while business is still quiet during the post-Christmas retail apocalyspse, the current peaks and troughs situation would quickly change if the kikoys take off in the US and Australia as predicted.
Kikoys might not seem the obvious choice for the unusually rainy May we seem to be having, but if the weathermen are right, we are in for some scorching temps again this summer. So, you might want to get your orders in now before Neha bids farewell to the grey skies of Arnos Grove and heads off to enjoy some alfresco living and sangria-fuelled siestas in sunny Spain.
Check out Kasuku’s kikoys at www.kasuku.co.uk or email Neha at info@kasuku.co.uk
