You might have met him if not you might have read about him. Who is Mike Mwa? Mwa is an image consultant and a social media influencer focusing on fashion and style.
He is also known as the Professor of Style.
In an exclusive Interview with Mpasho, Mwa shared his 10-year journey. Mwa joined the industry in 2014. Like they say necessity is the mother of invention and the need for customized suits fueled his passion.
“I started in 2014 while still in my teen days. I began by selling different pieces from Gikomba and dealing with ready-made suits. However, I was challenged by many factors to venture into custom suits and personal styling. Ready-made suits come in standard sizes, and I realized they didn’t fit well during fittings. I wanted to have my brand—something long-term that could continue to grow and become even better and bigger in the future.”
“I’m all self-taught. Styling has always been my passion. For designing, I observed different tailors step by step to learn the craft. I remember a time when I had to do the tailoring myself because all my tailors were fully booked, and I had deadlines to meet. As I always say, in everything you venture into, you should try to do it yourself.”
He also credited YouTube for coming in handy, thanks to tutorial videos he watched.
“Watching YouTube videos helped a lot because YouTube has everything. But what people should know is that even when watching tutorials, one should practice in real life. I used to watch videos and practice immediately, which helped me refine my skills.”
“Winning the Couture Africa Style Awards in 2020 and starting and continuing my own brand titled by my name, Mike Mwa.”
Does being a fashion model in Kenya pay?
“It does, but it requires patience and consistency.”
How easy or hard is it to excel as a model or fashionista in Kenya?
“It’s very hard to excel in Kenya. You have to push yourself constantly. However, I would say that if one venture into modeling, they learn different skills like emceeing, hosting, and training upcoming models, creative modeling or even acting just being flexible which adds value.”
Describe a normal working day for you.
“I start my day by entering my home office first with coffee or tea. I check my socials to see if I have any new bookings. Next, I go over my day’s schedule and look at any pending orders. I shoot creative content, sometimes an outfit of the day, showcasing what I have in Mike Mwa. After that, I head to town to visit my workshops to see how things are progressing and dispatch orders. I might go fabric shopping if needed, or sometimes I just window shop for inspiration. I also love delivering orders to clients—I enjoy that physical interaction. Seeing a client in a custom suit or personalized styling greatly satisfies me.”
What other things do you do apart from modeling?
‘Styling and creative designing. I’m also one of the creative directors at Nairobi Fashion Week.”
Advice to upcoming fashionistas?
“Be driven by passion, not money. If you are passionate, it will be long-term.”
What is your most embarrassing moment? “One time I wore smooth boots, and it started raining heavily in Nairobi CBD. I almost fell in front of people!”
by PENINAH NJOKI