In Between Bipolar Tides
Meet Simone Mubare aka Bijou a staunch Christian, versatile, diligent and award winning fashion designer of Kenya-Congo descent. Proprietor and owner of Imani Bijou Creations,a glance at the young designer leads you to glam and elegance of its kind, the detail in the fabric and design only leaves you with relic memories as the Congo in her cannot allow for “ordinary donning” but dressing to kill.
Her parents Julie and Michael Mubare have been her biggest inspiration since. Simone’s father is a diplomat whereas her mother is a florist here in Nairobi. Her mum originates from the coastal region of Kenya from the Giriama tribe while her dad is a French speaking Congolese hence Simone’s nick name “Bijou” Meaning “Jewel” in French. Being an only child and a darling of the two they gave her that name and she in turn used it as her outfit’s name “Imani Bijou Creations”. Together with her parents is her fiancé Steve Chege who also happens to be her biggest supporter and they run the business as partners.
Like any other child, Simone’s dreams for fashion commence at the tender age of 7 and in a class of math where passion for design distracts her attention and she begins to do rough sketches not knowing it’s a journey she had just embarked on. This went on until the age of 16 where she felt the urge to sharpen her skills in the UK, at the University of Kenton a scholarship basis, which actually never materialized because her parents felt that she was still too young. However her dream was not curtailed by those developments. She pushed on and in 2007 she enrolled in Evelyn College of Design for a three month short course; then later in 2008 she advanced it in South Africa’s Design Academy of Fashion in Cape Town for a 3-year course in fashion and design.
Her career kicked off in 2012 after a long search for placements in vain. A lawyer friend suggested the grand idea of starting up her own business instead of peeping through employment while sitting on her talent. She adopted the concept there and then. The lawyer assisted Simone with registration of Imani Bijou Creations. Simone had misgivings in her talent and used to design and sell at throw away prices oblivious of the value of her creations. She heeded her friend’s advice and opened up a shop in Hurlingham in October 2014 which ushered her to parity with other competitive designers hence creating her own brand. Since she did not even understand the fashion market by then and was also skeptical of the reception and criticism, she braced herself for the best and the worst.
In 2013 she had enrolled for the Kenyan Cupid fashion show, which was quite challenging given that it was her first time. However this did not deter her from fully participating because she knew it was going to be a platform to market herself. The fashion show would be her stepping stone. Subsequently she attended more fashion shows and even created a Valentine’s Day fashion show which she named “Afro-Cupid”.
Afro-Cupid was not meant for couples per se as the name suggests and as is the norm; it was for all and sundry to appreciate, love and feel comfortable in whatever way they dress. Its essence was to have an all-round show with entertainment and dinner that also would be used as a marketing platform for other young up-coming talents drawn from different genres.
The first big show she did was “Osinkiri Nairobi Fashion Show” at the Osinkiri Restaurant. ‘Osinkiri’ is a Maasai word for ‘fish’ which was thematic and symbolic for the show. She wanted people to appreciate fashion in a unique way, not the adage fashion norms of dressing particularly for a specific occasion and in a particular way.
Starting up was not a downhill task because it required a lot of logistics and capital being the major hurdle. Nevertheless she managed to raise funds through her first two big shots, the Kenyan Cupid show and the Osinkiri Fashion Show.
The other challenge she faces is that she cannot sew and therefore she has to employ a tailor. She doesn’t get to enjoy maximum profits and is fully dependent on a dressmaker but this doesn’t stop her from creating designs.
Becoming a brand name requires a lot of input from diligence, unique designs, discipline, etiquette, and work ethics to good image and customer relations. One wrong move and you’re done. Simone feels that a lot of clients are afraid to try new designs and fabrics. This makes the designer appear predictable and not creative because people are accustomed to obvious designs such that it has become a culture. The designer ends up with a heap of untried designs.
Simone Mubare describes her genre as ‘Afro Eccentric’ designing where she fuses Kitenges, Khangas, Kikoys and Maasai fabrics into memorable pieces. Like any other designer, Simone dons her own creations, which works to her advantage mostly as a selling strategy.
The most thrilling part of design according to her is the fabric. She is particularly enthusiastic about patterns and designs and she loves bright colors, orange being her favorite. The worst fashion mistake according to Simone is being seen in quality fabric clothes with threads hanging aimlessly on the sleeves and other parts of the dress. She likes them done to detail perfectly and neatly and it is this trait that won her the first award in 2013 (KENYAN CUPID) as “Best Upcoming Designer”. Her greatest satisfaction strikes when she meets clients donning her own creations. This inspires her more and makes her feel relevant and appreciated for her input.
Simone’s greatest fashion inspiration is Anne McCreath of KikoRomeo. She describes her as a versatile designer with the ability to fuse African prints with the western prints to create amazing masterpieces. She greatly admires Anne’s creativity and diversity. She got more insight on fashion design during her internship at KikoRomeo where she interacted with big names such as Lillian Muli for whom she is looking forward to do a great stitch sooner or later.
Simone has been living with the bipolar disorder for the last 10 years. In fact some of her friends never thought she would make it this far owing to the on and off bouts of relapses.
She recalls a time when she had a relapse and a fashion show (Kenya Fashion week) was in the offing. She couldn’t approach anyone for help and ended up doing the show by herself which drained all her energy and resulted into chronic stress.
When she gets the relapses Simone is required to have a bed rest and in turn her business is affected. She doesn’t however consider her condition a threat to her career because she has learned to cope with it. When her energy levels are high she does something constructive like working overtime on new designs, and this is how she makes up for the lost time when hospitalized during chronic stress.
As we wind up our talk Simone picks up one of her best designs and compares it to the worst she has ever done and smiles with relief for her achievements. She sees herself delve to greater heights like KikoRomeo’s Anne McCreath. She also aims at being a brand name in the near future in the fashion industry.
Her vision is to see the young upcoming designers like her get a platform to exhibit their creations. She’s aware that setting up such a platform is no mean feat, but she has vowed to create it for her fellow young designers.
