Avido’s style has caught the eye of Bruno Mars, rapper Ty Dolla Sign, reggae singer Chronixx, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Beyonce.
Avido’s style has caught the eye of Beyonce, who commissioned him and other African designers for her ‘Black is King’ project.
Last year, the 27-year-old designer launched Kibera Fashion Week and the second edition was staged on Saturday in the heart of the sprawling slum. Forced to leave school at the age of 11 because of a lack of money, he tried to stay out of trouble – first by playing football and later working on construction sites before he joined a dance troupe.“I started spending time with the tailors that were sewing the clothes that we were dancing with,” he said. “I learned sewing even without knowing.”“He was really motivated… a go-getter,” recalled Japheth Okoth, a charity employee who helped Avido get his first sewing machine.
“Here in the street you get to have everything: when you speak about avant-garde, official, everything is in the street,” he said.