When you find yourself inclined to follow your hearts calling, there’s nothing that will stop you – not even a global pandemic! Mary Onyango walked away from a promising career after working with SMEs for 20 years to turn her hobby into a money-making endeavor. In 2012 she registered and set up a shop where she would create, display and sell her African-style designs
With no prior training, Mary had to learn on the job. She established relationships with tailors who helped bring her ideas to life and gave her clients professional opinions on how to dress and accessorize. It was a slow build, but an enjoyable one that enabled her to learn more about running a business. After finding reliable tailors to work with in the first year, Mary focused her attention on establishing her client base. Through countless referrals and quality delivery of work, she built a brand for herself and in less than two years, steady orders began rolling in.
As 2019 came to an end, Mary’s business had grown so much that she began thinking of expanding to new outlets and diversifying her designs. She crossed over into the new year having made plans to bring this vision to life. In January, she hit the ground running by setting aside the time and finances needed for these projects. It was a huge investment, but Mary saw how much she had accomplished in the previous eight years and continued to bet on herself.
On the very day that Mary’s new outlet was to open, the first case of coronavirus was announced in the country, and all of Mary’s excitement at this milestone was washed away. Within a few hours, priorities had shifted and survival was the only thing on everyone’s mind. The magnitude of the situation was not lost on Mary and she began preparing to fully shut down her business and wait for this storm to pass.
After the first few cases were reported, the Ministry of Health issued a directive for people to wear face masks in public spaces. While surgical masks were highly recommended, they were not a pocket-friendly option for many since they are not reusable. Kenyan designers like Mary put their creative caps on and came up with the alternative of cloth masks. Initially, Mary had not intended to ride this trend for fear that it would fizzle out. But soon enough, her phone was buzzing with mask orders, and Mary’s business hummed back to life.
Making of masks has stretched Mary’s creativity beyond what she believed to be her limits, and has had her looking into ways of making protective gear a bold fashion statement. Everyday has been a learning opportunity, and every new mask produced in Mary’s shop is updated to conform to government regulations. Now, Mary has a variety of masks in different designs for both adults and children. Beyond masks, Mary is now looking into designing casual wear for those working from home who would love to slip into something presentable yet comfortable as they tackle the business of the day.
Thank you, Mary, for providing the needed designs for this time. We can’t wait to rock your designs!
*
All orders for masks and lounge wear can be made by calling Mary on 0722 382977
