Irish Design Spotlight: Tomollo

Tell us about you and your brand/shop
Tomollo is a responsible consumption and production clothing company and, where possible, we use eco-friendly fabrics. Our prints are digital and we use silk, organic and 100% cotton. Nothing at Tomollo goes to waste. We use our leftover cutouts to make table mats, stuffed floor cushions and woven door mats.

Our other methods of production involve crochet and knitting and we employ university students to augment any other income that they may have. We have partnered with AMREF Child Development Centre to train and employ some of the young men and women they support and rehabilitate. One photographer is a beneficiary and two more female trainees, one who is already a seamstress and another in training.

Not long ago, we discovered this haven in the outskirts of Nairobi that stores discarded denim and other products from the Export Processing Zone and we have been using Levi denim to make traveling bags, pencil pouches and shirt dresses.
We have also partnered with nonprofit Cresnet and an integrated school, Pilgrims’ Progressive, both in Kenya, to make pencil pouches and PE outfits for learners, all from our left-over fabrics and discarded denim. We try as much as possible to use degradable fabrics to protect life below water and prevent land degradation – something I learned in childhood from my dear mum. We believe in flexible working hours which are extremely productive. Our employees come in at 7:30am and clock off at 4pm.

We strive to be perfect in all aspects of sustainability and we do what we can to grow on this journey. We are members of Global Sustainable Fashion Group Hungary where we have previously showcased along with many sustainable fashion groups who also participate. We have been able to identify clientele in Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland allied to the Kenyan community there. We are in talks to open a retail store in Dublin by February 2024. We are also members of Business Ireland Kenya here in Kenya which has been an avenue to break into the Irish market as we go along.

Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
I was a science kid! My high school science teachers still can’t believe I am a fashion designer. I loved the sciences but I had a passion for the arts. Art is where I told my stories and still tell my stories and science is how I discover and invent and grow in sustainability. It’s hard to put it in words… it’s a feeling, a weird feeling!

My parents were teachers but always well-dressed and from I was young, I loved that they were simple yet very elegant. My mum made her own wedding dress! At an early age, I learnt about sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics from her. She has had a huge influence on my aesthetic as a sustainable fashion designer. I remember this maxi silk dress that she wore on so many Sundays to church – it was a gift my dad bought her for their anniversary, for another anniversary, she got a Singer sewing machine! Their story is just rare and beautiful. I like to tell their story as my business partner Tom and I have similar stories.

When I was in high school, I made anoraks to sell at a fundraiser for our home economics building and that was just the best catalyst for my already curious young mind. I wanted this so badly. I joined fashion school after high school – not before going to Strathmore University (a Catholic Institution), and one of the most prestigious business schools in Kenya. Having attended Catholic all-girls boarding schools, fashion is all I wanted and all I needed.

Meeting Tom during what I call the ‘Covid-19 boring period’, brought someone into my life who was just like me; my replica, a curious friend and adventurous co-conspirator. Together, we are the good classic rebels from diverse backgrounds and continents. We both have the hunger to be unique, yet classy and elegant. Covid gave birth to healthy fireworks! We are both inspired by impressionism, cubism and the natural world. Our pasts have merged to create a successful partnership despite its embryonic nature.

What kind of items do you stock?
Ready-to-wear, made to measure and occasional outfits. Some of our products include own printed shirt-dresses that are a huge seller along with our safari dresses, shackets, reversible bomber jackets, puffer jackets, crochet dresses, tops, beanies, sweaters and shawls. We also make safari bags made from discarded denim fabrics and trousers along with custom-made gowns or occasional dresses that are made to order.

What new brands or items are on your radar?
Shirt dresses in our own print cotton fabrics; they are both elegant and comfortable and an ensemble all on their own. They’re so chic – a perfect silhouette for everyone. Palazzo pants; timeless and so comfortable. Unisex bomber jackets that come in all designs and styles – from chic to classy to rebel to practical for the weather. Classic is the word for us. Hooded dresses; chic and naughty.

Was money/funding a concern when starting out?
YES! We both dipped into our meagre savings. We use profit to reinvest and cover expenses to invest in more machines and get our own fabrics printed. I had another brand before so it was easy to adapt to a new one but with new values and a different vision direction, our budget almost doubled.

Best business advice you’ve gotten
The best business advice I’ve gotten came from the IMD Business School teams in Switzerland who work with us on our business guided by their Professor Leif and Lizbeth Bakker of Entrepreneurs Hub Kenya. One thing that Lizbeth drilled into us, that comes to mind every time we get a new client is, believe you are better than your competition, and don’t fear pricing your products accordingly.

The IMD team introduced us to the four Ps and we swear by them – product, price, place, promotion. Our products need to be functional, attractive, sustainable, eco-friendly, practical and address our consumers’ needs and tastes. The packaging, pricing and delivery need to be attractive and practical for our target group. Our pricing needs to be adjustable, with the highest possible returns but still competitive based on target groups as per age, earnings and lifestyle. Place; how to distribute, where, and channels whether direct sales, indirect or both. Promoting our brand by advertising through social media, personal communication, fashion shows and branding. Having a strong brand story that resonates with Tomollo consumers. Attracting new customers through ardent and faithful repeat clients and having a good return policy.

Favourite fashion/design accounts that you follow?
Mara Hoffman, Silvia Tcherassi, Stella McCartney, Iris Van Herpen, Patagonia, Simone Rocha, Paul Costelloe, Gabriella Hearst, Ziad Nakad, Alexander McQueen, Mayamiko, Stella Jean, Audrey Lang, Sacai, Jean Paul Gaultier.

Best fashion purchase
My own Tomollo reversible bomber jacket, and a pair of Aldos sneakers I bought in Bahrain – they’re so comfortable and unique. For Tom, it’s a classic Levi denim jacket and a simple Tom Smith t-shirt.

Other Irish brands you love
Paul Costelloe, John & Simone Rocha, Jill & Gill, Richard Malone.

Most useful learning since setting up a business
Our brand connects us to our consumers and it is how they view our brand values and differentiate us from our competitors. Offering what is not offered anywhere else has created repeat clients and with good customer service, their loyalty increased. At the same time they have, knowingly or unknowingly, acted as our latent brand ambassadors or marketers. We have learned to be consistent and keep learning, especially using technology as our best friend in production and marketing.

Breaking even doesn’t take a fortnight and reinvesting in proper marketing tools to better production places and conditions to innovation is key to a good solid brand. We have also learned to use customers’ feedback, both positive and negative, to better our services and products.

Proudest moment so far
The proudest moment for both Tom and I was when we decided to print our own fabrics. We actualised a concept that was close to impossible because of the costs. Being unique has indeed elevated Tomollo to another level. Every single moment our clients appreciate and talk about our work in a positive way, is very encouraging for us – particularly as such a new brand.

Dressing the former Irish Ambassador, Mrs Fionnuala Quinn, was such a good feeling. Having two teams from IMD work with us was another rather amazing moment. They believed in our growth and still believe we are on the right track.

We want our brand to be remembered for… stretching the limits beyond borders, race and boundaries not to be accepted but to be appreciated and to influence and communicate the recreation that is our everyday mindset. We want our clients to remember us for our timeless pieces that were not the norm for sustainable fashion pieces – typically thought of as ‘boring’. Our pieces are quite the opposite; they’re eccentric and elegant, quintessential and contemporary. We want to help people strive for better by embracing sustainable practices. Last but not least, that we uplifted our employees to have sustainable lifestyles and created a brand that will inspire and influence generations to come. We’d love for Tomollo to be used as a sketch board for many!

If we could have anyone wear our designs it would be… there’s a list! Eliud Kipchoge, Sophie O’Sullivan, Johnny Sexton, Cillian Murphy, Rhasidat Adeleke, Lupita Nyong’o, Colin Farrell, Jamie Dornan, Adele Onyango, Simon Zebo, Ptrick Kielty, Barry Keoghan, Saoirse Ronan.