FASHION BRANDS

Kenyan President helps to take local fashion brands to the US market

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

William Ruto opens Vivo Fashion’s first store in the United States during official visit to meet with US President, Joe Biden.

African fashion brands are continuing to market themselves on the global stage, with the latest example being Kenya’s Vivo Fashion Group, which opened its first US store in the city of Atlanta last week.

The high-profile opening event attracted attention in both the United States and Africa, as the official opening was performed by Kenyan President, Dr William Ruto, during his state visit to the country.

President Ruto opens the Atlanta store.

Photo: Presidency of Kenya

Dr Ruto became the first African leader to receive a Washington state visit in 15 years and met with US President, Joe Biden, during his trip.

Other members of a high-level delegation that attended the Vivo Fashion store opening in Atlanta included the US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, the Mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens, Kenya’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Miano, and Vivo Fashion Group’s founder and CEO, Wandia Gichuru.

Female-led Vivo is a registered limited company in Kenya and was founded in 2011. It claims to East Africa’s largest ladies fashion brand, with 100% of its products designed and produced locally.

Vivo currently has 27 stores: 23 across Kenya, two in Rwanda, one in Uganda, and now one in the United States.

The impact of visionary enterprise

“The powerful story of Vivo Fashion Group demonstrates the impact of visionary enterprise and spotlights the role of women in leadership, business and entrepreneurship,” said President Ruto when speaking at the Atlanta event.

“We are elated to see that Vivo has not ventured into the American market alone; it has brought along other ‘Made in Kenya’ brands. This is an African spirit where businesses find innovative ways to support each other’s advancement as we take the global stage.”

Other Kenyan brands involved in Vivo’s US expansion strategy include Ikwetta Holdings (leather bags and footwear), Essential (everyday fashion basics for women), Anjiru (home décor products, kids’ toys, apparel, footwear and casual bags), Ythera Beauty (skin, hair, body, personal and home products), and Soko (ethical jewellery brand).

Also speaking at the Atlanta opening, Vivo CEO, Wandia Gichuru, said: “We want to keep expanding across the region and internationally, customising what we offer, based on the market.

“We don’t want to assume that we as Kenyans know exactly what women in other regions would wear. We are utilising data to ensure our clients have a sense of ownership of the brand.”

For video coverage of the opening, you can watch news report on YouTube here.

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