Omina Otsieno

We cater to Conscious fashionistas by offering sustainable jewellery made from banana fibre. Our product addresses three issues: the environment, rural women unemployment, and the preservation of indigenous sustainable cultures.

Environmental pollution is the most pressing problem in the world today, including in my home country of Kenya, with the fashion industry being the second most polluting, accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions. Our sustainable fashion is addressing some of these issues because jewellery is something that everyone needs and uses fashion as an accessible avenue for the average person to effect change.

We have implemented a circular business model to assist us in our efforts to protect the environment. We make jewellery out of banana fibre, which is extracted from the banana stem. Our manufacturing process begins with the harvesting of the stem, followed by the extraction of the fibre and the weaving of the jewellery. This has provided an opportunity for women in my rural home of Busia, whom I train in jewellery weaving for economic empowerment; we work with farmers from whom we purchase the banana stem. We also collaborate with artisans in Nairobi to co-create brass accessories that we use to complete the jewellery.