Kenyan entrepreneur working to promote native African designs

Interest in African fashion is growing around the world, but designers and artisans on the continent are often finding themselves struggling to set up effective marketing, distribution and payment systems that can help them capitalize on the popularity of their pieces. Beverly Lwenya, one such Kenyan entrepreneur, is making efforts to overcome those challenges.

Beverly Lwenya has set up an online shop that she hopes will eventually become one of the top fashion retail outlets on the continent.

Her boutique, which is exclusively located online is called The Afropolitan Shop, and when Beverly isn't meeting with designers and artisans to stock its virtual shelves with jewelry, handbags, shoes and other fashion accessories, she is updating the site's blog, Twitter account and Facebook page.

Through the internet, she mostly targets Africans in the diaspora and non-Africans who are looking for affordable yet trendy, high-quality products from Africa.

The venture began after Beverly started a blog to chronicle her experiences as an African living outside the continent. Those experiences not only gave her the idea for her business, but its name as well.

"Basically I would go back and forth between Kenya and the States and people would always ask for earrings I was wearing or necklaces or bracelets or sandals, the Maasai sandals, so you know it got to the point where I was like maybe I should try and make the things available that I can get when I am in Kenya," said Beverly.

She says that one of the biggest problems facing budding entrepreneurs, especially those in Africa's fashion industry, is access to affordable but highly visible places to stock their wares. "What I see Afropolitan Shop as doing in this space is creating retail space online so shifting the focus from store front to online."

The Afropolitan Shop officially launched last year and is yet to break even, but Beverly says she's encouraged by the inquiries and consequent attention the designers on her site have gotten from all over the world.

Rachel Njoki and her partners have been running Nini's Afrique Boutique since 2009. They specialize in designing bags and beaded sandals and were among the first to list on the Afropolitan Shop.

"We want to really grow, because we want to open our workshop and for this to happen it's for Beverly to succeed and bring in more business," said Rachel Njoki, the fashion designer.

Beverly knows there are many challenges ahead before she can achieve the kind of international recognition and success she dreams of for the Afropolitan Shop and its partners. But hard work and creativity are not going out of style anytime soon in Africa, so she might just get her wish one day soon.

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