By Annie Njanja
In Summary
- Owner of Malkia Mfalme, Nzioka is a fashion designer who specialises in commercial shoots and uniforms
- Michael Nzioka is a graduate of Bifa, a fine art school in Buru Buru, Nairobi.
- A restless soul, he combined studies with work, but proved critics wrong on graduation day.
- Earned a distinction at Bifa, giving him the much-needed energy to soar.
- Worked at Kikoromeo for five years, rising to assistant head of design
Sitting down with Michael Nzioka and listening
to him keenly, you start imagining you were a head teacher about to
write his school leaving certificate. “A keen and restless student with
big dreams?” you ask yourself.
However, this was an interview and Mr Nzioka, a
fashion designer, was answering questions about his skills, training,
experience and goals about fashion and fashion industry.
While growing up, he was glued to his mother, a
tailor, who first wowed him to think about a professional life and
business of fashion design. “It fascinated me to see her turn a piece of
fabric into a beautiful clothing,” he said.
Soon after secondary school, he would see the
clearer picture of his future life as fashion notable when he saw his
brother’s graphics on T-shirts that he sold. He bought his first machine
at Sh20,000 from the proceeds.
Today, he is consulted by some big names for
skills in one of the world’s fast-paced industries known for
nit-picking, endless retakes, and high pressure.
He is a wardrobe manager in many projects during the shooting of commercials.
This is demanding in detail and requires rising
early and remaining at for close to 24 hours. Not once, but sometimes up
to three days in a week, says the graduate of Buru Buru Institute of
Fine Art (Bifa).
During his third year studies at Bifa, where he
was studying fashion design, he jumped into the deep end of the pool,
combining studies with work. By this time, he had competed his
attachment at Kikoromeo, a fashion house in Nairobi.
Lecturers warned him that he would lose focus on
his studies but his distinction grade at the end of his course proved
the naysayers wrong.
His list of clients shows he got it right as a
student and trainee. He designed and made 500 costumes for the ‘Niko na
Safaricom’ advert by Safaricom, the largest telco in Kenya.
As a wardrobe consultant, he has also worked for
companies like Air Uganda, Dettol, Cadburys, Nairobi Securities
Exchange, Nivea and National Bank during commercials shoots. The biggest
contract he has been hired to work on is the current World Cup campaign
by Coca-Cola.
He rose to the level of an assistant head designer
at Kikoromeo and worked at the company for five years and only left in
2010 after having firm grips on the trade and ready to launch his own
outfit: Malkia Mfalme Company.
His profile grew in 2010 when he took part in the
Origin of African Competition where emerged tops in the Upcoming
Designer category. It gave him the confidence to explore the fashion
industry.
However, today, Mr Nzioka has added company
uniforms to his stable after realising that he needed more than fashion
business to remain afloat in business. Companies that have contracted
him for uniforms include Kakoneni hotels, Limo Sacco and Meridian
Medical.
Working in the film industry (shooting
commercials) is a tough task that occasionally requires him to wake up
as early as 3am and sometimes goes beyond midnight. This happens at
least three days every week.
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