Africa has some truly dedicated and inspirational social entrepreneurs who want to make a real and positive difference in the lives of others. Sylvia Omina Otsieno, a fashionpreneur is one of them. With her sustainable fashion brand, Omina Otsieno, that is almost entirely from banana fiber, Sylvia has defined the fashion industry in Kenya.
Her fascination with culture, art and craft from her hometown combined with her desire to empower women resulted in the creation of a banana jewelry brand with a strong backstory and purpose which resonates well with an urban woman living a sustainable lifestyle.
Today, Omina Otsieno, creates culturally inspired jewelry for globally minded women. Her creation begins with harvesting banana trunks from the farm and then stripping off individual layers, sheath by sheath from the stem, using a knife. Afterwards, she makes thin strips and boils them for easier removal of the fiber.
The fiber is dried under the sun to make it lustrous, supple and versatile when woven. It is then knitted together using a twisting and handcraft technique to create unique jewelry and accessories depicting African traditional weaving
Today Africa spoke to Sylvia Omina Otsieno about her fashion entrepreneurship journey, her ambitions for the business, and her drive to create a legacy for others in the future.
Tell Us More About Yourself
My name is Sylvia Omina and I’m the founder and creative director of Omina Otsieno. A brand that caters to conscious fashion lovers by offering jewelry, eco-friendly jewelry made from banana fiber.
And while we’re doing this, we are protecting the environment, preserving culture, and in creating employment for the marginalized communities. We protect the environment in the sense that the main material is banana fiber, which is biodegradable. And we try to preserve our culture by using it as the inspiration behind our jewelry.
The weaves and the twists are inspired by the traditional craftsmanship of the Marachi people. I am a Marachi. They hail from the western part of Kenya, which is called Busia. And there we create employment for women who work very hard but don’t earn enough.
We empower them economically while training them how to weave the jewelry for them to earn from it. So I started doing this because of the same reasons. Women in my rural area work very hard, but they don’t earn that much to sustain them.
This is something I had wanted to do for a very long time. So when this opportunity came for me to work with them, I was happy because I had achieved one of my dreams.
The fashion industry is the second most populated industry in the world. So as a fashion designer, I think that it’s my responsibility to work towards saving our planet. So that’s why I had to sit down and think of a better way of producing my products. That’s how I came up with the idea of banana fiber.
How Much Did You Use in Starting Your Business?
I think how I can answer that question is that being a sustainable brand is expensive. But I was lucky to have my first collection from harvesting stems from my mother’s farm. So it was a bit easy for me at first because of that. We source the stems from farmers who we purchase from, because they use that as feeds for their livestock. So you have to pay them, at least so that they find a substitute.
Why Did You Use Your Name as Your Brand’s Name?
I wanted an African name for my brand. And as I was in the process of finding a name, I lost my dad. So I was like what would be the best way to remember my father? Because he’s one of the people who supported me with my idea.
So what would be the best way to remember him? And already my name, Omina, is an African name, and my dad’s name is also African. I was named after my great great grandmother and then my dad’s name, Otsieno, which means in the evening or at night.
I was like, already I have my name, which is African, and my dad’s name, which is African. And I’ve lost him. So this will be a way to remember him. Every time someone calls Otsieno, I remember my dad. So that’s how the name came about.
How Did Your Childhood Experience Influence the Vision and Mission of Omina Otsieno?
So I grew up between the city and the village. But I love staying in the village because the environment is very child friendly. I could do anything I wanted. Everything was available as a child for me to practice my skills.
I’ll be around my grandparents who were basket weavers. We are known for this. I picked this up without realizing that years later I was going to be back home. And my mum was also a crocheter. So I learned from her.
I picked up these skills without realizing it. And years later I’m building a brand with them. So living between the city and the village really influenced me and the experiences too. So there’s that modern part of the jewelry and there’s that traditional part of the jewelry.
What Prompted the Transition From Clothing Jewelry to Banana Fiber in 2021?
What made me transition from clothing to banana fiber is because I wanted to put a halt to clothing. Again for the same reason I’ve told you that the fashion industry is one of the most populated industries in the world. I paused on clothing so that I could find a more sustainable way of producing jewelry.
So it’s just on hold, not that I have completely dropped it. But it was easier for me to transition to jewelry because I had already found a material that I can use to produce jewelry sustainably.
Of course, it’s not easy, like I said, being a sustainable business is not easy because it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of money to be able to produce. I was supposed to release a new collection in December but because of those hassles up to now I’m still working on the collection.
Because you get little money, you put it somewhere to continue with your process, which has taken longer than I thought. So cash and funding is the biggest problem we have.
What Marketing Strategies Have You Used to Attract and Retain Customers?
Our customers love our product because of the three values it carries with it. That’s the environment, the culture, and the employment of marginalized communities.
It speaks to them. It’s a product that is protecting the environment, preserving culture, and also creating employment. So that way we’ve been able to attract and retain customers.
Do You Promote Your Business on Social Media?
Yes, I use all my social media platforms. But the ones I use the most are Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
How Does the Training Program You Provide to Women in Busia Empower Them Economically?
I train these women and then employ them. So if we’re launching a new product. I always go down there, train them how it’s done, and then from there, I give them work. And that’s how they get empowered economically.
Click to read part two of this interview with Sylvia Omina Otsien. Watch the interview here.
