Kemi Kalikawe On Fashion, Faith, and Fulfillment
by Megan Montgomery
Sometimes life takes you in places that you never expected but when you look back you can see how you were being prepared for it all along.
As the daughter of a wildlife researcher, Kemi Kalikawe was born in Tanzania and grew up in the game parks of Botswana. When her mother wasn’t studying wildlife, she made extra income by sewing clothes for people in the areas where they lived. Kemi learned how to sew by watching her mother and then she would borrow the sewing machine to make outfits for her Barbie dolls.
It wasn’t long before Kemi was accepted to an interior design program in England. While she had moved around a lot as a child, England was a bit of a culture shock for her. Not only did she have to learn to adjust to living in the city but she soon found out that the program was canceled due to lack of enrollment.
She had left everything behind and was now stuck in England, plus returning to Tanzania so soon was daunting. Kemi worked to make the most of her situation and enrolled in a marketing course instead. However, she soon realized it wasn’t what she wanted to do and transferred to an interior design program in Kenya as soon as she was able. As a university student, funds were tight, so, she asked her mom to send the sewing machine. Her mom sent the sewing machine on a bus and soon Kemi was figuring out how to make clothes for herself through trial and error. She also got involved in volunteering with a nearby orphanage and wanted to do something to help them. There was a fashion school next to the interior design program so she helped organize a fashion show to raise money for the orphanage.
“If you go somewhere, you want to always leave something behind and impact those people in the place that you are,” says Kemi. The impact of the fashion show was far-reaching and it not only helped the orphanage but also helped connect Kemi to the fashion world.
When Kemi returned to Tanzania, she started volunteering for the British Council leading their fashion section for arts program, called Words and Pictures (WaPi). Her job was to look for fashion talent and as she connected with different people across the industry, everyone kept complimenting her on the clothes she was wearing. They suggested that she start selling her work and that’s how her fashion design career started. She started mixing traditional dress with styles that she was exposed to abroad. Her clothes continued to grow in popularity and her reputation as a designer was spreading, as was her desire to give back to others.
Kemi noticed that many people who made clothes in the country would make similar designs since they had limited exposure to different styles, which limited the marketability of their clothing. She was grateful for some of the experiences she had as they had helped her to dream and think outside the box so she wanted to help others learn how to be creative in their designs and also increase the quality of their clothing. Kemi opened a fashion school in 2011 and put everything she had earned into it.
“When you see something that needs to be done, you need to act,” Kemi says. When she started running out of money to pay the teachers at the school, Kemi began to teach all of the classes herself and eventually had to close the school once all of the money ran out. “It was worth it,” she says. “ The students had learned a lot and I learned quite a bit in the process as well.” She returned to designing but the burden was still there.
Things continued to take off in her fashion career and in 2017, at the Swahili Fashion Awards for designers across Africa, Kemi was awarded the Innovative Designer of the Year award. She also was selected for several programs where she got to travel to different fashion hubs around the world such as New York and showcase her brand in fashion shows in multiple nations. She felt blessed by the opportunities but also felt that she had a responsibility to use her skills and knowledge to help others in her country. She opened up the Naledi Dream Center in 2019 for aspiring fashion designers and investing in empowering others to pursue their dreams.
Kemi believes it’s important to be a good steward of everything you have – be a good neighbor, be a good friend, and be intentional in every conversation. Her relationship with her students goes beyond being a teacher – she tries to really walk through life with them and be there for them.
Kemi credits her faith in God in giving her the courage to step out. “The only difference between me and someone else, is that I said yes,” she says. “Sometimes I feel that Christians can sometimes use prayer as an excuse to procrastinate. While it’s important to pray, sometimes you just need to step out in faith with the gifts God has given you. You can’t always wait for all the provision before you step out and God’s not always going to show you a five-year plan. Sometimes you need to just take steps of faith.”
Kemi has big dreams to continue to impact her nation and beyond but is taking it one day at a time, being faithful with everything she has been given and with a heart full of gratitude.
Meet the Woman Behind the Brand: Johana Hernandez
Meet Johana Hernandez, a 30-something designer who is living out her faith in the world of fashion. We sat down with the GLAUDI Woman designer to find out how she became a fashion designer and why her faith is her driving force.
Meet Johana Hernandez, a 30-something designer who is living out her faith in the world of fashion. We sat down with the GLAUDI Woman designer to find out how she became a fashion designer and why her faith is her driving force.
Did you always want to be a fashion designer? I never knew that I was going to be a fashion designer. I lived in Compton for 27 years. I never knew that I could be a designer but I kept on getting opportunities in the fashion world. I was always around fashion because my mom used to work behind the scenes sewing clothes. Her friend recommended that I go to an interview for a fashion merchandising job. I was so happy to go and be there. I said yes to everything even when I didn't know how to do them. I love clothes and making people feel good about themselves.
How long did it take you? It took seven years. I became a head designer at 22 and I started the GLAUDI brand at 24 in response to an event for women in El Salvador. The response was so great that I decided to continue. I think it’s just God. You just have to trust in God and when he opens the door you have to walk thru it.
Do you have any special training that has prepared you for your career? I went to school at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
What do you wish you would have known when you started? I wished I understood the legal side of opening a business. There are a lot of things that I wished I knew – now I have lawyers and a team of people who help me.
Are there any political or social issues you feel passionately about? My parents grew up in a poor town in El Salvador. My grandmother built a Christian school and then when they need money to fix the roof of the school and orphanage, my mom was able to give money back to kids. I love working with organizations like World Vision kids for that reason.
What advice would you give to someone just starting to dream or embark on their journey of building a business? Be sure to know who your customer is – it's not about making everyone happy but designing with your customer in mind.
Who has helped you the most during your professional career? There have been multiple people along the way but my brother Edwin helped me to take my business to a new new level. He helped me to be more structured and serious.
Did you have a model or person whom you aspired to be as a youth? I never had any idols, I looked up to God to ask what he wanted me to do.
What's the newest, freshest approach you are bringing to your fashion line? We design specifically for a woman who is a leader and not afraid to stand out. We don’t follow trends, we want women with style and customize for the women who want to feel good about themselves without showing too much skin. The GLAUDI Woman is always a leader.
Name one thing about you that most people don't know. I’m really transparent but most people don’t know that I'm a hopeless romantic.
Best compliment you've ever received? When people talk about my designs they'll say, "I thought I could never afford it but I've saved up for it." That means a lot to me.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I never thought of those things before but I do dream of having family and kids. I know that God will do it at the right time.
GLAUDI Bridal Collection 2017
How do you keep a healthy work/life balance? It’s hard. Sometimes I have a great life balance and sometimes I don’t have time for fitness and my faith. My job is my lifestyle and I'm learning to better balance work and everything else. Right now, I'm reading Be Humble, Stay Hungry and Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick and it's really helping me find that balance. He's the guy that started Catalyst and then took a sabbatical.
What comes easiest to you as a designer? Ideas - I've always had them. However, learning how to transform them into reality takes time.
Favorite weekend activity? Hiking, outdoors, looking out at the stars and beach – anything outdoors. And horseback riding – I've always dreamt of buying a horse.
What’s a verse of scripture that means the most to you and why? Matthew 6:4 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Also, Psalm 1:3 - That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatsoever they do prospers. It reminds me to be still and trust in God. Also that God will help me be fruitful.
What is most rewarding about your job; what makes it all worthwhile? I love making people feel good about themselves. I want every woman to feel beautiful and confident. I also want to use my platform to my faith with the world.
Learn more about Johana at http://www.glaudicollection.com/ or follow her on instagram: @glaudicollection