Johari Designs Archives

The lovely new Johari Seedlings collection has been making it's debut at school Christmas Fayre's throughout the country. The printed t-shirts, bags and beautiul Halima Doll with Baby have all been proving popular!

Thank you to Bo'ness Public, Craigclowan and Kinghorn Primary for show-casing the products hand-made by Johari Designs in Kenya. The profit made from the sale of Johari products will help to fund the Johari Foundations Miale Programmes.

Check out the Johari website!

At Johari Designs we have already been getting in to the Christmas spirit whilst creating some fantastic gifts for the festive season. We have stunning tablewear which includes; a table runner, napkins and napkin rings. For those of you who like to look stylish in the kitchen we also have some handmade Johari aprons.

Our aprons which have the johari tree line trademark

Table Napkins with a tree line too…

All of these products can be purchase on the Johari online store, through some of our retailers and at the Johari studio in Nairobi. Look out for the new addition to our Seedlings range which is a sweet doll called Halima. She comes complete with change of clothes and baby. A wonderful stocking filler for the younger ones in the house.

4th & 5th September so johari exhibit its elegant fashion at sarit center one of the best shopping mall in the city of Nairobi, in fact it’s among the premier shopping malls in Kenya.
From the exhibitors it clearly was a top de top event with its theme clearly stating, that it’s all about setting the trend in Kenyan fashion.
Johari was very present and it was a great weekend…….

Be set to catch us at Nairobi Fashion market in October and enjoy discounts on our elegant items.

The Jewelry had to be the best and the most unique

The Miale Earrings and the Plump

Our friendship with Hillcrest school experienced some remarkable moments this year that were of great benefit to both parties.

We enjoyed showcasing and selling our products to the Hillcrest family at different occasions as well as sharing our expertise with the students who may grow to be the renowned world fashion designers of tomorrow.

In sharing our expertise, we hosted the Year four students in a half day workshop experience. This was a lovely thought by Ms Jan Grimmer the Director of Studies

The idea was to give the students a "hands on" experience in design/making of clothes and an exposure to ethical trading.

Keenly following up

"Yes I can too"

The Pupils made some lovely bags and bought gifts to take back home.

And as you can see, they were quite happy!

Kenya Utalii food fair 2011 was in celebration of Southern Sudan, the newest African Nation. The event was all glamorous with numerous activities such as a very entertaining Sudanese dance and an exquisite fashion show.

This annual event is organized by Kenya Utalii College a premier Hospitality and Tourism training institution. The event gives the students a chance to practice what they have learnt in class through appreciation of the dynamism of the various cultures of the world.

We were happy to be part of this year’s event to support this noble course and to showcase our products.

Our newest collection Johari Julia collection 2011 was applauded by the crowd which consisted of young and old.

Alive & Kicking is an African social enterprise that manufactures sports balls to provide balls for children, create jobs for adults and promote health education through sport. Because of the quality of the products produced at Johari Designs and the work Johari Foundation does in the community they have asked Johari to produce a range of T-shirts for the Alive and Kicking, Kenya sports roadshow programme. http://www.aliveandkicking.org.uk/index.html

The road show will visit 40 secondary schools in the Butere-Mumias district and the Alive and Kicking balls will have catchy innovative messaging printed on them to encourage children and young adults to stay safe from HIV/AIDS and to lead a healthy, happy life. Johari Designs are delighted to be printing the t-shirts for the road show which will be used to help reinforce the slogans printed on the balls.

Safaricom Foundation are funding the road show as they support community involvement through the integration of education and life skills into sports http://www.safaricomfoundation.org/.

Johari will be exhibiting yet again at this year’s Nairobi Fashion Market. This is an event the brings together top fashion retailers in Nairobi for an affordable fashion extravaganza graced with music, entertainment and fun.

This year’s event will be held on 5th and 6th March 2011 at the Impala Club grounds in Nairobi.

Last year’s NFM was a great feat for Johari and we are looking forward to an even better experience this year.

We will be exhibiting most of our collections developed to date, with many creative new ideas. Among the ‘must buy’ pieces will be men’s T-shirts with a variety of Johari prints and gorgeous hand made brass jewellery pieces.

See you there!

Chui Butterfly Top at NFM 2010

Neema Dress at NFM 2010

The progress of the Johari products in Tokyo Japan is remarkable!

As per the display inside Mr. Imazawa's (Hiden) shop- Maasai Market in Tokyo and the sales recorded, it’s apparent that the clothes have fitted well into the Japanese market. Mr. Imazawa is happy with the progress saying that the performance of the clothes has surpassed his expectations. His clients have commented that the collection is unique and suitable for a day to day wear.

He has sold out most of the pieces and reported a remarkable response on the rest.

Some of the pieces that have been sold out are the Japanese pants. This are the traditional Japanese pants made from locally sourced fabric endowed with johari prints.

We are currently working on a variety of ideas which we have received from Mr. Imazawa on new designs that could be added to this collection. These are basically Japanese styles with an African touch.

Yes Johari in the streets of Tokyo!

We recently produced a collection for the Japanese market courtesy of Mr. Imazawa (Hiden) of Maasai market in Tokyo. Hiden was introduced to Johari Designs by a friend who loved our work. Likewise upon seeing our 2009 and 2010 collections Hiden could not resist the temptation of buying our clothes to sell in his shop back home. He adored their uniqueness particularly the African story depicted on the various prints. He was convinced that the clothes will do well in the Japanese market.

We customised various designs to fit the Japanese style and to suit Mr Imazawa's requirements.

This has been an awesome experience for us at Johari; developing the collection and finally having it ready for the market.

Lookout for Johari in Japan 2 for an update on the progress and pictures.

Youth account for the 61% of the unemployed in Kenya, Which is more than 2million youths. Another 750,000 join this lot every year from educational institutions. This is a great disaster in the waiting if nothing is done to empower the youth to ensure that they are self reliant. One of the initiatives that the Govement of Kenya has started off to face this menace is the Enterprise Development Fund established in year 2006 with the sole purpose of reducing unemployment.
The sad side of this is that the majority of the unemployed youth have formal education hence a worse predicament for those without formal certification. Johari Apprenticeship program aims to create a solution to this national hitch by empowering vulnerable talented young adults. The program empowers young adults by equipping them with fashion and entrepreneurship skills.
I recently visited a Youth enterprise fair organized by the Enterprise Development fund where a number of Fund beneficiaries were exhibiting their wares. It’s quite evident that youth poses great potential in form of affluent creativity. What they lack is knowledge and availability of channels to grow their potential. Johari thus endeavors to grow its apprenticeship program to see to it that many more talents are nurtured to stability.
A recent youth enterprise fair

Johari current collection

produced by the apprentices

You can also follow johari on FACEBOOK

A day at the Miale programmes is always a day well spent. Not only is it enjoyable but a learning experience as well as a great inspiration. This is a chance to check out the impact a successful social enterprise has on a deserving society.
On this specific day I left for Kandara with the Miale team for an after school activity. I was teamed up with Regina and James to take the younger kids through a colouring session. A great task!
The kids had a lovely time despite most of them not being able to name the colours but all keen to learn. Some of the kids were very creative; they used the colours accurately and attractively with minimal guidance. In an interactive session the kids got a chance to explain their work and the choice of colours used.

After this we had a game session, and then enjoyed a glass of juice and a slice of bread. The clouds were starting to gather up and so we had to finish up quickly for the kids to return hom before the rains.

I was recently informed that the kids have been asking for teacher Lydia, guess I am being missed so I will soon enjoy another day of sharing my artistic skills.

At Johari Designs Ltd we produce high quality products.

It is the result of -

A combination of skills and experienced mastercrafts people make the Johari team the success it is. We have a team of experts in fashion design and clothing technology plus apprentices fully trained and equipped in these fields. Stringent quality checks being performed before goods are sent to our clients.

Our motto in quality is; to meet the clients needs by delivering high quality fashion and jewellery items.

The apprentices have welcomed an attachment programe at the EPZ (export promotion zone production) with great excitement. In partnership with RICARDO EPZ INTERNATIONAL a local EPZ company, the girls will spend one month in the busy workshop as interns learning all the aspects of export production. To facilitate continuity of production at Johari, the girls will go in three groups, each consisting of at least five girls. The first group came back end of last week with the second one joining this week.
Going by the feedback of the first group, it’s been a remarkable experience! The girls say that, they have learnt a lot and we cannot wait to see what that translates to their capacity. We are looking forward to the time when all the girls will be done with the training to share their entire experiences in detail.

For all those who love trendy ethical wear, Johari Long Rains collection 2010 is the way to go!
The collection was launched in Kenya in a delightful event on 9th April 2010. The event which took place in the Johari offices was well attended by fashion lovers from various fields, who gleefully shared their views. The guests adored the dresses and appreciated the Johari story of giving hope to the vulnerable especially through fashion. Also present was the Johari Chairman; David Sibbald and his family.
Gracing the event with lovely music were two local artists: Nita Hungu and Mbuvi, a groove award winner.
The event was featured in a number of publications such as Kweli magazine one of the leading classy magazines in Kenya.
Beside the glamour of the day, the event was a great success with lots of new contacts, sales and publicity.

After a rigorous exercise a bit of late night hours the new Johari collection is ready for launch.
The presence of the head designer in Kenya for a couple of weeks in kenya plus Neil a volunteer to teach girls on printing, and the best photographer I have met in many years was what we needed to finalize on the collection. This coupled by a great team here in Kenya that worked tirelessly to make this a reality.

What was more appealing is the fact that the girls at the apprenticeship center were able to learn new skills in fashion and especially more on screen printing.

What you need to realize as you read this snippet is that to experience the goodness of handcrafted garments and jewelry you need to acquire one. Have your ears glued to the johari website www.johari.co.uk or even our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94586073207&ref=ts
For more information
By Peter

A lot has been happening in Kenya. Prototypes of the new collection are been worked on here. Denise the head designer at Johari designs has been working tirelessly with rest of the crew that includes one Neil Perry who is a volunteer with johari foundation and has come down to Kenya to teach as well as help produce this collection of outfits.
The entry of Jimmy Rae who is the official photographer for Johari preempts what’s going to happen in the next few days after all prototypes are ready.
Make up……pose …..Smile…. Photos of the great collection.
A lot is happening but in due time you will be able to be part of the great work by having a new outfit in your closet, this will not only put you in an exquisite class but you will also be helping some less fortunate children somewhere in Africa. Kenya

BY Peter

JOHARI ltd as a social enterprise has always impacted less fortunate girls by adding value and skill into their lives. It has been mainly on fashion and jewelry.
We are glad that we will be able to impart more in the next few weeks. The girls who are present at the apprenticeship center will benefit from skills by one Neil Perry from the UK, A volunteer with JOHARIFOUNDATION, as I got to learn his been doing screen printing for a long time. The girls are so eager to learn and add to their skills. He will also help in setting up a screen printing workshop where the apprentices will be learning as well as
Also in the country (Kenya) is Denise Ross who is the head designer of the design council at JOHARI Designs ltd. She will be working on some of the new outfits that will hit the market soon. She will also impart new fashion skills to the apprentices
The next few weeks will be very beneficial to the apprentices and JOHARI ltd.

By Peter

The Move
The events that ushered in the year 2008 in Kenya are one that we would all want to forget. I know it will be extremely difficult for some of us, but if we don’t move on we will be stuck in this vicious cycle of pain, revenge and a likelihood of a repeat of the same. The destruction of people livelihoods stirred up by the tribal animosity has left a mark in all aspects of peoples lives, mainly economical – hardly hit economically, are people who had nothing they could pick on to move on with life e.g. a skill, some saving etc.
Though 2009 has seen the world face an economical crisis of which Kenya has not been spared, the peace that has prevailed in this country has given a raise of hope that anything is possible; a chance to recoup and create strong pillars.
What a more, better way than to empower people with skills that remain within them during & after hard times and establish sustainable- economical projects.
The spirit at JOHARI
It’s in the same spirit that we at Johari started off the year with a high spirit to improve on our operations, ensuring that, we are achieving the best possible positive impact in the lives of vulnerable young adults. The objective is to create a brand that is successful both as a social and commercial project:
• A brand that will curve and maintain its own niche both locally and internationally.
• Gain profits that will be repatriated back into the project and graduate young adults each year who are fully equipped for the job market or to start their own profitable businesses.
The move has seen us change our sales channels, develop a ready to wear line and add more practical subjects into our one year apprenticeship program.

The fun and the glamour may disappears when all is pre-emptied before the d- day, so get set for our new collection which will definitely be something you wouldn’t want to miss out on. Meanwhile the team is all ‘sleeves up’ and excited working for our new upcoming collection.

This month saw an incredible success around piloting the first Johari Jewellery prototypes in the UK.

Enthusiastic volunteers at Martin Currie and Biggart Baillie hosted the first jewellery events in the UK in their premises in Edinburgh and Glasgow on 8 and 9 December. It all couldnt have been organised better by everyone involved!

The feedback on the prototypes was excellent and nearly all stock was sold instantly!

With the feedback we will work to enhancing the jewellery and adjust them even more to the market taste for the production of the next stock to be sold at several events in 2008.

Agnes, Maureen, Grace and Mary, Seed of Hope graduates from Kenya attended the events who design and produce the Johari fashion and jewellery. Deborah, a very inspiring woman who established the Seed of Hope schools was also at the events to tell the story of Seed of Hope and how it provides opportunities to destitute teenage girls to gain the skills to make a living for themselves. Seed of Hope

Like for all our social enterprises we are aiming to sell amazing products customers love!Desigining, producing and selling fantastic fashion and jewellery, now even worn by several Kenyan celebrities, is a huge confidence boost for the girls who once had no means or hope to make a living for themselves.

As for all programmes 100% of our profit made is reinvested in our programmes to provide more children with opportunity, empowerment and hope!