Kenza Worldclothing

I'm a freelance costume designer / stylist for theatre and film productions. Besides this I am working hard, together with Patricia van Oostveen, on our Kenza project. In this project we sell Gambian made childrens' garments to people in the Netherlands. This idea came to me when I stayed in the Gambia for a longer period. I noticed that people really needed my support and I started a sewing workshop. Two tailors produced one order of childrens' garments in the Gambian style for me, which I sold in the Netherlands at home sales. Because of very positive reactions from the visitors of these home sales, I asked Patricia van Oostveen to join me in further developing this project in a professional manner. Step by step, we have been working to achieve this goal for two consecutive years and there has been a lot of progress. Since our financial means are limited, the project has known a slow start, but with starting-up capital, this project can be properly cotinued.
I heve visited the Gambia several times now with an order to produce clothing. The first year I let the tailors completely free; they could make the clothing as they would for the local children. But I had to make a lot of adjustments before I could sell the clothes in the Netherlands. We observed that it was necessary for us to train and educate the tailors ourselves, in order for them to apply the right sewing techniques, allowing us to sell the clothes in the right sizes. During my stay I worked with a lot of families which have produced many batches of painted fabrics using the tie and dye technique. I met many tailors who have fabricated several models for us, which other families later had decorated with seashells. The final products are very special and appealing and they are very popular in the Netherlands.
One of our observations is that the way in which the products are made, needs to be professionalized. This requires an investment, both in knowledge, management and marketing. Even though we currently neither have the knowledgd nor the financial means, we still continue on and developed a collection for the fall- and winterseason. We still use the same beautiful materials from the Gambia and make the clothes double-sided so they can be worn with both sides up. Furthermore, we apply fibrefelt in our jackets and bodywarmers for extra insulation.
The sales are now done through The Internet at our website: www.kenza.info, which recently has gone online. A large brochure campaign should bring this to the attention of the public and we have a portfolio with which we visit shops in order to be produced in the Gambia.
There are many small sewing workshops with many tailors in the Gambia. The unemployment rate among these tailors is very high, however. I know the capacity in the Gambia is sufficient to make this project to a succes and most of the knowledge is already present. A professional business centre and production centre in the Gambia and a large market will make this project succeed.