The International Women's Day theme "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow" recognizes the contribution of women and girls around the world who are leading the charge to build a more sustainable future for all.
We asked the winners of Fashionomics Africa's first sustainable fashion competition - women-led design house Pine Kazi in Kenya - to highlight their journey since they took home the $2,000 top prize in 2021.
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Fashionomics Africa on Instagram announcing Pine Kazi's win
Margret Hamilton once said: "Never let fear get in your way! Do not be afraid to continue even when so-called 'experts' say it's impossible. Do not be afraid to be alone, to be different, to deceive yourself, to do and recognize your mistakes, because only those who dare to fail greatly can accomplish the great things."
These were the words that encouraged our start-up Pine Kazi to submit our application at the last minute, amidst our confusion and constant negative thoughts. Little did we know that we would be finalists of the first Fashionomics Africa online contest. The public online voting process to choose the winner began - and we were confident that we would emerge victorious.
Winning the Fashionomics Africa competition created a lot of networking opportunities, brought forth strategic partnerships and created a pathway to meet and interact with investors. The contest allowed us to work with three organizations - the United Nations Environment Programme, the Parsons School of Design and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
We were able to develop a relationship with Reniera O'Donnell, Higher Education Lead at Ellen MacArthur Foundation, who introduced us to BESTSELLER Foundation- a fashion-funded private foundation as a potential investor in Pine Kazi.
