More Than Just A Kit: Inside The Design Process For Kenya’s Athlete Olympic Travel Kit
Malkia Strikers players at the Moi International Stadium, Nairobi. PHOTO/ KBL
PARIS, France- With only a few days to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic games, Kenyans have been keen on what athletes will wear to the games in the belief that they not only travel to compete but also to represent the country’s rich heritage.
For this year’s Team Kenya Olympic travel kit, Home254, a renowned Kenyan apparel brand had the responsibility to put together a design that encapsulates our legacy in the sports continuum and one that amplifies the sheer talent, hopes and dreams of every Kenyan.
Athletes will don the red tracksuits, emblazoned with checkered pattern of green, black and white on the chest on the day they travel for the games. On the right side of the track jacket, there is an embroidery of the Team Kenya logo while on the left, there is a Tusker Logo with a tagline ‘Champion of Cheers.’
According to Job Brian, the Home254 brand CEO, it was an opportunity to demonstrate patriotism through a collective love for fashion by fusing the national flag colours and a fabric that speaks for a Made in Kenya brand.
“We wanted to deliver a Kenyan brand that is fashionable, stylish and patriotic for our athletes to represent the country to the world… it is a unique kit that has never been seen before. The fabric considers the weather in Paris at the moment and also considers who the athletes will feel and look when they wear,” he said.
Malkia Strikers’ Sharon Chepchumba. PHOTO/ KBL
Partnering with Kenya Breweries through the Tusker brand, he said was an entry point to show that the brands such as Home254 is a quality brand while amplifying the capacity for local manufacturing cottages and industries to create magic that meets international standards.
“It was a privilege to have been approached to make this kit because it puts an indelible stamp on a product for us made by us for the international stage. There is also a lot of trust in us to come up with a quality kit which validates the work that we have been doing for the past seven years,” he added.
He asked young professions coming up in the industry to run their miles and not go for the easier route to attain success.
“It is true and right to follow your passion but passion is not enough. Consistency is hard but it is a virtue that helps to stay in the game coupled with discipline,” he said.
KBL Managing Director Mark Ocitti said the kit demonstrates the company’s commitment to Team Kenya, and the local creative arts industry, “We at KBL are proud of our ongoing support for Team Kenya in the Paris 2024 Olympics. The development of this travel kit exemplifies our commitment to ensuring our athletes look their best as they represent Kenya on the global stage.”
The Malkia Strikers. PHOTO/ KBL
He added, “Tusker, a proudly Kenyan brand, is also dedicated to supporting other Kenyan businesses and showcasing their ability to produce top-quality goods. We entrusted Home 254 with this responsibility, and they have undeniably proven that Kenya possesses the talent and skill to compete with the world’s biggest brands.”
National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) Secretary General Francis Mutuku expressed his gratitude to KBL for the partnership. “Tusker has consistently demonstrated their commitment to our athletes, and sponsoring the design and production of the Team Kenya travel kit is a shining example. The positive reception from the athletes speaks volumes about the quality of this kit. We are sincerely thankful to KBL for their support and for being part of Team Kenya’s journey to the Paris Olympic Games.”
‘More than a kit’
The designers said the apparels were inspired by the cultural heritage that we pride in. They borrowed heavily from the Maasai community’s checked shuka which is often red with black stripes and is affectionately known as the “African Blanket” together with the colours of the flag to present our identity.
“We drew inspiration from the Maasai community shuka which is widely known to represent our culture and our identity with the colours of the flag… our endgame was to make sure that we have designed an apparel that athletes will feel comfortable and proud in,” said Michelle Nduta, a Home254 designer.
In addition, the white t-shirts that the athletes will wear has the Kenyan map printed on the front side showcasing the pristine hills, vegetations and escarpments of the different regions of our country.
The departure for Olympics. PHOTO/ KBL
“Basically, we are showcasing our landmarks to the world… when they wear them, they are showing what Kenya represents and what we pride ourselves in. It makes me proud to see my design out there in Paris” she added.
Tusker, a product of the Kenya Breweries Limited is a main sponsor for Team Kenya’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The first step, after receiving the brief on what is required of us was to think through the design process, the colours and the fabric that we could use to hammer the assignment while ensuring we deliver some level of nuance with the design.
“I usually design using a computer using a software so that the process is a but faster which after satisfactorily getting an inspo we create three to four designs before sitting together as a team and choose which of the items work best.”
“After that we start the sampling process followed by getting the fits and the measurements right. After this we do the actual production to the final product.”
The malkia Strikers . PHOTO/ KBL
“I’m so happy that people get to see what us Kenyans can do, and we don’t need to import or use other people to clothe our Kenyan athletes. So, there is a lot of pride in knowing we can do it ourselves. It is also a motivation for all the upcoming designers to know that we can do this. We do not need to outsource sporting apparel or otherwise for our people,” she added.
For Ms Nduta, the process of coming up with the travel kit was more than a job; it is an indelible mark in the history of fusing sports and fashion which exemplifies the scale local manufacturing industry.
“I would like to tell our athletes that that apparel is made with so much love and it’s made from Home254… and to always remember Kenya is our home. I want them to wear those apparels with pride because we are all Kenyans and it’s made by Kenyans and we are happy to have done it for them,” she added.
Eunice Mutisya, the Production Lead at Home254 said it had been an honour to work on the Olympic travel kit, adding that it is an opportunity to show the world about the brands capacity and competency in garment industry in Kenya.
“When we are making our garments, safety and durability is a key element that we factor in in the production process. We have polyester material with a bit of spandex because that will help the athletes feel comfortable in it because even when they flex around, it stretches, and it will give them that comfortability. And it also will maintain the weather conditions,” she said.
Team Kenya travel kit. PHOTO/ KBL
Further, she noted that having worked with a variety of fabrics, it was easy to circumvent any challenges that the production team may have encountered.
“The production process of these kits has been a bit smooth for us. The minimal challenge we encountered was while working on the jackets since they were a bit bulky and slippery on the machine. To amend that, we first dealt with the critical operation which needed more time and handling. We started the pockets, then attaching of the sleeves, the collars, and the ribs which where the last operation part of the process,”
“When we were doing the stitching, we first did color fasteners testing where we do a wash and to see whether once the garments are washed or exposed to sunlight, they still maintain the same color. The other thing we did is making sure that the apparels are sweat-resistant in a way that when the athlete sweats, it evaporates,” said Ms Mutisya.
