Meet the young Kenyan designer preserving culture through traditional craft

What the report says

France24 Africa highlights Kenyan designer Hillary Mukabwa, who is using traditional handloom weaving in Nairobi to make cotton fabrics for clothing, bags and other items. Mukabwa is the founder and lead designer of Mukabwa Studio, and the piece presents his work as part of a wider effort to keep a local craft alive at a time when fashion is increasingly shaped by mass production and modern manufacturing.

According to the report, Mukabwa’s approach is intentionally slower and more hands-on than mainstream fashion production. He works with hand looms to produce the fabric himself before turning it into finished products. The story frames this as both a design choice and a cultural one, linking his studio’s work to the preservation of skills that are being pushed aside by modernization.

The article was published by France24 Africa on 25 August 2026 and is set in Nairobi, Kenya. Beyond the specific studio and designer featured, the report fits into a broader conversation about heritage crafts in contemporary African fashion, where some designers are blending traditional techniques with modern business models. France24’s segment does not provide financial figures or detail the scale of Mukabwa Studio’s operations, but it underscores how craft-based fashion can serve as a form of cultural continuity.