Vivo Fashion brand was born because Wandia Gichuru wanted to see Africa dress herself, as well dress the world by building a strong African fashion brand.
Before venturing into the fashion world, the CEO and Co-Founder of Vivo fashion Group had a 15-year stint as an international development advisor.
During the time, she worked for the government of the United Kingdom, the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank in various capacities.
However, she desired to make a difference back at home, founding Vivo Activewear in 2011 with a friend, Anne-Marie Burugu. At the time, Wandia wanted to cater for women embracing wellness as a lifestyle as she was a salsa dancer too.
Later, she launched an e-commerce platform that featured beauty and fashion brands made in Kenya.
Vivo Activewear then grew to include Vivo Woman, Safari and Zoya, tailored the brands to specifically suit and compliment modern Africans, while remaining stylish yet comfortable, functional and affordable.
“Shifting away from Western-centric fashion industry norms, we put African clothing needs and tastes first with versatile fabrics and fits, whilst still remaining globally accommodating.
“Our customers can find casual, smart casual and activewear attire that reflect both regional and global trends,” Vivo’s brand message reads.
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Wandia Gichuru’s Education
Wandia went through her high school education in Loreto Convent Msongari from 1980 to 1983.
In 1985, she joined the University of New Brunswick in Canada, until 1986 when she joined Western University in London to pursue a bachelor’s in economics.
Further, in 1996, the serial entrepreneur joined the Graduate School of Business – University of Cape Town where she pursued a master’s in business administration.
Later in 2016, Wandia joined the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education, under the Stanford Seed Transformation Program.
The program empowered entrepreneurs equipping them with skills to help them grow and scale, as well as ensure that the success of their businesses impacted their regions.
In addition to running Vivo, Wandia is also a certified life coach and business mentor. She has been featured in Forbes and was featured in the Season 2 of the KCB Lion’s Den.
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In 2022, she separately Co-founded Shop Zetu, a multi-brand e-commerce platform dedicated to trendy and affordable fashion, beauty and accessories brands.
“Over 200 million East Africans get up and get dressed every day. It is hard to get accurate data, but in our estimation, less than 5% of East Africans wear any clothes that were produced in East Africa. So, the opportunities in the fashion sector are huge, and we are only scratching the surface,” Wandia said in a past interview with Forbes.
The Sucess and Achievements of Vivo
Today, Vivo runs 25 physical stores across Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, as well as a manufacturing facility where the majority of Vivo products are made.
The fashion brand has employed close to 500 people across the group, 70 percent of which are women and 70 percent are under the age of 30.
Furthermore, Vivo was named Kenyan Fashion Brand of the Year at the Kenya Fashion Awards in both 2016 and 2017.
On Tuesday, May 21, Vivo announced the launch of its first ever store in Atlanta Georgia in the United States, flying the made in Kenya flag even higher.
The move was a dream come true for Wandia, enabling her African brand to dress the rest of the world. President William Ruto, First Lady Rachel Ruto and other government officials graced the event.
Ruto hailed Wandia for empowering women through her business and entrepreneurial journey and showing the rest of the world what Kenya was capable of.
“The powerful story of Vivo Fashion Group demonstrates the impact of visionary enterprise and spotlights the role of women in leadership, business and entrepreneurship,” Ruto said.
He added, “We are elated to see that Vivo has not ventured into the American market alone; it has brought along other ‘Made in Kenya’ brands. This is an African spirit where businesses find innovative ways to support each other’s advancement as we take the global stage.”
The Vivo shop in the US features seven other Made in Kenya brands including Vivo Fashion Group, Ciiru Waweru, Ikwetta, Anjiru, Ythera, Soko, This is Essentials, Safari by Vivo and Zoya by Vivo.
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