By Mwikali Lati
In Summary
- Shenu Hooda’s unique creations are made in Pakistan and have ready market in Kenya and Tanzania.
Fashion designer Shenu Hooda does not shy away
from eye-catching, brazen colours. She weaves silver and gold threads
into intricate embroidery, it has become her style. In the end, her
clothes demand a closer look to appreciate the beautiful art that she
creates.
“I mostly design formal, semi-formal and bridal
clothing. This season’s collection reflects Asian-African works. I used
western cuts in Asian (Pakistani) work, which is getting a lot of
positive response among Kenyans,” she says.
Hooda sketches patterns of her embroidery then a
Pakistan-based workshop brings them into life — with patience and
precision — mainly using traditional embroidery techniques. She travels
to the workshop, which is owned by her mother, once a month. The
outfits are mainly hand-made.
How long does it take to finish a Shenu Hooda
outfit? “It depends on the piece, if it’s heavy embroidery work it takes
four to five days. However, contemporary pieces can take two to three
days to finish,” she says.
When Hooda was growing up in Pakistan capital
Karachi, the city’s fashion trends and socio-culture influences inspired
her to start designing her own clothes as well as for her sisters,
cousins and later friends.
Hooda’s childhood hobby eventually turned into a
successful venture that grew into a family concern — two of her sisters
sell clothes in Canada and UK.
Traditional colours
When the mother of two got married and moved to
Kenya, her love for fashion took a break as she concentrated on raising
her children.
During a family financial crisis eight years ago,
Hooda decided to start selling clothes which her mother made in
Pakistan. Soon she was designing and making her own exclusive clothes.
“I like bright, ethnic, traditional colours from
South Asia. I’m always inspire by South Asian fashion and having lived
in Kenya I have learnt to blend them with African fabrics such as Maasai
beads,” she says. Her creations begin with sketches of new ideas and
draping of fabrics on mannequins to construct new pieces.
“Cutting, stitching, mixing, making combinations
and contrasting is a complex and messy part of designing and making
clothes. But I love the final product and that gives me energy and
motivation to continue,” she says. Today she boosts of being a fashion
designer and wardrobe stylist.
Often, Hooda’s clients give her orders and allow
her the creative freedom to come up with clothes for them. She deals in
both made-to-measure and ready-to-wear clothes.
A client’s order is delivered in about six weeks,
she says. On the ready-to-wear front, Hooda stocks up 100 to 200 outfits
every two months.
“It is usually new designs, sometimes I make
different clothe sizes out of one design because designing an outfit it
takes a lot of time,” she says.
Since coming on the Kenyan fashion scene, Hooda
has earned recognition as a professional designer with something
different to offer. She has presented her creations at fashion events in
Kenya and Tanzania, most notably at the Swahili Fashion Week.
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