Interview with Wandia Gichuru
CO-FOUNDER & CEOVIVO FASHION GROUP
Residence: Nairobi
‘I do not come from a fashion background; therefore I approach the business from a purely commercial perspective,’ says Wandia Gichuru, founder and chief executive officer of Vivo Fashion Group, a Kenyan apparel manufacturer and retailer.
We concentrate on meeting market demand. We adopt a reverse‑engineering approach, beginning with a target price and then assessing whether the garment can be manufactured at that price,” she explains.
Vivo operates twenty‑nine stores in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda and runs the e‑commerce platform ShopZetu. Although the brand serves women of all ages, Gichuru notes that its typical customer is a woman in her early forties.
She observes that more than 90 % of clothing sold in East Africa is imported, often not tailored to local consumer preferences. In contrast, Vivo designs its collections specifically for African women, focusing on size, fit and style. Gichuru explains that this process entails understanding which body parts women feel comfortable showcasing, which they prefer to conceal, and which colours they favor.
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