Namnyak Odupoy’s interest in fashion and design was sown in her from as early as she can remember. Growing up, her grandmother was a tailor, and Namnyak was always driven by curiosity to her sewing room, where she would try her hand at the sewing machine. She was defeated on many occasions and even broke something, but her yearning to learn and excel in sewing kept her going. 

Design Career 

This passion bubbled in Namnyak throughout primary and secondary school. When she joined the Mcensal School of Fashion Design in Nairobi in 2011, her goal for design started taking shape, blossoming with every concept she learnt about. Namnyak’s genuine interest in the art, as well as her curiosity, set her up for the role of fashion editor for Couture Africa Magazine, a position she held diligently until 2014. 

In 2015, her professional training and experience as a fashion editor saw her join Mille Collines – a Rwandan born, South Africa and Kenya based women’s luxury fashion and lifestyle brand – where her design and pattern-making career began officially. Mille Collines nurtured her, and she grew into a head designer. After three years, Namnyak left Mille Collines to establish NAMLAB – a technical studio that would offer design services to clothing brands. 

Going Sustainable 

Her love for patterns and desire to design her products with as minimal wastage as possible saw her lean into digital transformation. So, in 2020, she combined technical design knowledge with the craftsmanship she had garnered from all her years in the industry and established Studio Namnyak, a 3D studio in Nairobi. 

This studio revolutionized Namnyak’s designs and enabled her to create contemporary capsule collections that speak to Africa’s communal spirit. It also ingrained sustainability into her processes. Before her artworks see the limelight as tangible pieces, she designs, develops, patterns, and samples them digitally. This has seen her reduce the material, energy, and time she could otherwise have spent while using traditional design processes, and her efficiency in the process has significantly increased. 

Empowering Other Designers 

Like the tide that lifts all boats, Namnyak intentionally supports others in the industry. Besides designing, she’s a fashion model whose presence on stage represents her crafts and those of other exemplary African brands. Through modeling she is creating awareness about other local labels and helping designers and entrepreneurs showcase their work, build a loyal following, and grow their businesses to profitable levels.  

As one of the creators at African Lifestyle Hub – a concept store for fashion brands from across the continent –  Namnyak is also setting the pace for upcoming Kenyan designers. With her concept-based and experimental pieces, she is paving the way for alternative and innovative approaches to fashion and elevating the country’s reputation as a conscious fashion base. 

#KeDesigners: Sustainable Fashion