How Kenyan Bag Brand Suave Kenya Takes Upcycled Fashion To A Whole New Level

"Unwanted garments can be repurposed and given a new form"

Suave Kenya was founded by Mohamed Awale in 2013. Gikomba Market, the largest open air market in East Africa, sparked a unique idea for the Kenyan designer.

Over 100,000 tonnes of used clothing streams into Kenya every year, most of which would naturally end up in a landfill.

Suave Kenya stems from the belief that used unwanted garments can be repurposed and given a new form. Rummaging through discarded denim, the largest amount of unwanted fabric, the source material for most of the bags was decided

A tiny operation with 2 staff members at its inception, Suave Kenya blossomed into a fully-fledged brand that works to end the continuous cycle of unwanted apparel in landfills.

The bags produced by Suave Kenya are crafted with practicality in mind, and their biggest supporters are the new eco-conscious generation.

The Process

Sorting Process

What goes where? Denim is always our first choice but we’re constantly experimenting with an array of fabrics. From silk shirts to leather jackets, if it’s interesting enough, we’ll definitely find a use for it.

Preparation, Ripping and Cutting.

The destruction before rebuilding: This involves lots of cutting, ripping and tearing apart. The aim is to creatively get the most out of the former (article of clothing)

Bag Making Process

The destruction before rebuilding: This involves lots of cutting, ripping and tearing apart. The aim is to creatively get the most out of the former (article of clothing)

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