The Future of Fashion Is African: Building an Ethical Clothing Factory in Rural Kenya with Jo Maiden

[00:00:00] You're listening to the Unlocking Africa Podcast. 16 years ago, I found myself with this idea to start Soko Kenya. From very humble beginnings, I started in a shed with four people. And over the 16 years, we now employ 150 people in a factory and produce for international fashion brands.

[00:00:21] Africa has always been a source of inspiration for fashion brands. I do feel that there is this shift to it being more and more a manufacturing location. It really was such a surreal moment being connected to, you know, one of the most famous people in the world. Stay tuned as we bring you inspiring people who are unlocking Africa's economic potential.

[00:00:46] You're listening to the Unlocking Africa Podcast with your host, Terser Adamu. Welcome to the Unlocking Africa Podcast, where we find inspirational people who are doing inspirational things to unlock Africa's economic potential. Today, we have Jo Maiden, who is an inspirational force in the world of sustainable and ethical fashion manufacturing and founder and CEO of Soko Kenya.

[00:01:16] Which is a sustainable and ethical clothing manufacturer in Kenya. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the podcast, Jo. How are you? I'm great. Thank you so much for having me. Really looking forward to talking to you today. Fantastic. It's a pleasure to have you on the podcast. And as always, I like to get straight into the conversation. I was hoping you can give us a introduction into who Jo Maiden is.

[00:01:42] So as you can probably hear, I'm a British woman who grew up in the UK, was always very passionate about social justice and sort of understanding more about the global north-south divide.

[00:01:57] But also had this, just loved the fashion industry, found it super fascinating how the fashion industry worked, the complexity of it, the supply chains, how it started, you know, with farmers in a field and ended up in catwalks around the world. And so 16 years ago, found myself with this idea to start Soko Kenya. From very humble beginnings, I started in a shed with four people.

[00:02:26] And over the 16 years, we now employ 150 people in a factory and produce four international fashion brands. Fantastic. So you've given us a very nice, concise insight into your love of fashion, which has led you to what you're doing. But what was it specifically that inspired you or led you to believe that fashion could be a vehicle for what you do now, which is economic development, poverty reduction and positive change?

[00:02:54] As I said, I had this passion for two different things that at the time growing up, I didn't really understand how to link together. And, you know, 20 years ago, there wasn't much talk about the supply chain in the fashion industry or words such as ethical or sustainable.

[00:03:13] And as I started on my career, it became very clear that I could use my sort of vision for economic empowerment through the fashion industry. There are 60 million garment workers in the global fashion industry with only 2% earning a living wage. And I knew from working in London with fashion brands that brands were looking for more transparency in their supply chain.

[00:03:41] They were looking for more of a connection to the process of how their clothes were being made, but they were really struggling and had very little bargaining power. And that's where the idea to start the organization came from. Can I create living wage jobs while also offering brands that transparency and connection to where their clothes were made? Fantastic. So when you started, there wasn't much talk about ethical fashion and fashion management.

[00:04:11] Manufacturing on the continent in Africa. So what were some of the challenges you faced when launching the company? So I was 28. I'd never lived in Africa before. I'd never done clothing manufacturing before. So I was on a really steep learning curve and, you know, the complex supply chains of the industry.

[00:04:35] And having just basically starting everything from scratch from how do we find a cardboard box? What where do threads come from? Where does fabric come from? So the challenge was the kind of learning and growing. And I'm actually very grateful for that. We started very simply. I didn't come with a huge pot of money. And if I did, I think I would have made much bigger mistakes.

[00:05:02] We grew organically as orders came in. And we receiving a brand manual, for example, which tend to be kind of over 200 pages long with all of their requirements of the size of a, you know, a cardboard box, what a poly bag needs to be sort of set us on this path of, OK, well, we need to figure this out.

[00:05:26] And it really helped us go from this very grassroots cooperative, I guess, to an actual organization that could supply fashion brands. So I think that the challenge is sort of in a way, it's not a challenge. It was the kind of opportunity to to learn and grow and figure out how the heck we were going to make this work.

[00:05:51] As you mentioned, you started from scratch with not much knowledge of the industry. Would you say this worked in your advantage or was it a disadvantage? What worked to my advantage was that I came having worked in the fashion industry in the UK and I was, in effect, one of the brands that we work with, one of their customers. So I knew I understood that part of it.

[00:06:19] And coming with that to Kenya helped because I was the bridge between the two. So I would know what a brand's expectations were. I would know how garments would need to be packaged because I bought those garments. So I think that connection really helped us because also the brands could relate to me because I was their customer because, you know, I was a similar to them.

[00:06:46] And so having that connection, I think, is what really supported us to be able to do it. So if we look at the approach that you've used in terms of setting up, how would you say so-called Kenya's model differs from traditional fashion manufacturing setups? I think we're built on social impact. That was, you know, the core of why I started.

[00:07:13] There are so many factories out there in the world. And why does it need another one? And I wanted to set it up to prove that it was possible to run a profitable business while putting people at the core, at the center. So what that looks like is living wages, pleasant working conditions, you know, things like flexibility for working mothers. We partner with a child care facility. People can send their kids there before they're at school age.

[00:07:44] We have meals. We have a company doctor. We offer a lot of training that isn't just relevant to their job. So training and things like money management, sexual reproductive health, entrepreneurial skills. We also look at how we can reduce the impact. The fashion industry is such a horrendous polluter. How we can use rainwater collection.

[00:08:11] You know, we collect all our rainwater and that's what's used in the factory. We're 75% solar powered. How can we look at our waste fabric, our offcuts and upcycle them? So I think the difference was that we were really rooted in those values. And we wanted to build a business that was about partnership and collaboration.

[00:08:37] You know, traditionally, the relationship between suppliers and brands is very transactional. And for us, it is about collaboration and partnership. It's about mutual success. It's about the brand being very connected to us and very proud of where their clothes are made. And then we in turn are proud seeing those clothes being out there in the world. As you mentioned, you're built on social impact.

[00:09:05] Would you say that is the reason why so-called Kenya is rooted in Africa and specifically in rural Kenya? Yes, I think being based rurally was about offering people jobs in areas where they live rather than people having to commute, you know, move to big cities. And in those rural areas, there tend to be much higher unemployment levels, much higher poverty, much earlier school dropout rates.

[00:09:32] So as part of the factory, we also started a charity that provides training for people so that we can employ people from that area. We can train people and then employ them to kind of support in providing people with the skills that they need to lift themselves out of poverty. So as you highlighted, your workforce is local from the rural community.

[00:09:59] So what's some of the unique strengths and qualities you've seen in the workforce that global brands might sometimes overlook? Africa is quite new, new where companies would look at for manufacturing. So when I say Africa, that's not quite right. Northern Africa is different. Speaking more specifically about Sub-Saharan Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa hasn't been so much on the radar.

[00:10:27] And so there's sort of some fear around it feeling risky. And what I've seen in conferences I've been at, two main players coming, one being international brands and retailers and the other being international businesses that have factories all around the world.

[00:10:48] And a recent one where a company has factories in Bangladesh, India, Turkey, that they're coming to Kenya and saying we have not been able to scale at the speed that we have in other countries. And the reason why is because of the commitment they see from the people for good quality work, for secure employment and the hunger to learn.

[00:11:19] Kenyans are very family orientated. And so people are very passionate about their own personal growth and development in order to support their family and their children. And you really see that coming through and the value that people place on a job. And statistically, every employed person supports six to eight dependents. And so a solid job means a lot.

[00:11:47] And by six to eight dependents, a couple of them will be children and the rest will be their parents or their siblings' children because their sibling doesn't have a job. And so the impact of the job is so far reaching. You touched on the narrative of sub-Saharan Africa appearing risky from people outside of the continent.

[00:12:11] Have you seen the narrative around that specifically when it comes to African manufacturing? Have you seen the narrative around that changing slightly? I do. And when I'm outside of Kenya or let's say Africa at conferences or meeting people, there is a sort of a narrative around Africa being the next frontier, being the next opportunity for manufacturing.

[00:12:39] And, you know, Africa has always been a source of inspiration for fashion brands. And actually, I do feel that like there is this shift to it being more and more a manufacturing location with China becoming more expensive. There being concerns from a social and environmental perspective in China and Europe, you know, being more and more expensive and India, Bangladesh having its challenges.

[00:13:07] And I am seeing brands becoming more open to that and the possibility of shifting some of their production here. You know, you add Trump into the mix and everything that's going on in the US and that, you know, majority of brands are doing mass manufacturing in China and that may not make sense for business anymore.

[00:13:32] And I think it needs to be, you know, brand shift where it makes sense for business. And I think that is providing us an opportunity and we need to be ready for that. I guess in line with the changing narrative, in your experience, what would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about producing specifically high quality fashion in Africa?

[00:13:57] I think, as I mentioned, one of them is, again, the fear of the unknown, because there aren't many other brands. You know, it's it's a new territory. So they're drawing from less experience from their peers doing it than they would be in other countries. So I think part of it is that the view is that we don't have what is needed to produce high quality. And that's not the case.

[00:14:26] And really, it's sort of the unknown without the adventure of coming to sea. And I think that people making those visits and seeing because Kenya has large sort of high street level manufacturing, but also has, you know, smaller factories like ours that are producing more of that mid luxury brand and that sort of higher quality, higher price point brand.

[00:14:52] And I think also there's the Africa can be put in the box that it's African, whereas, you know, China, you wouldn't think, oh, it has to be it has to be Chinese inspired. And this is the thing that I was very passionate about, is that, yes, we are in Africa. I'm really proud of where we are, but we don't have to produce clothes that look African. We can produce for anybody, anywhere.

[00:15:18] And that's part of, I think, unlocking Africa for manufacturing is let us just be a factory. Let's be a factory that produces high quality, that creates really needed jobs.

[00:15:31] And let's do that transparently and make it something that brands can feel really proud of and want to talk about versus all the insecurity around manufacturing and exposure of bad working conditions and feeling out of control of the supply chain.

[00:15:51] Part of that becoming reality is that it needs to not just be about price point, which is, you know, where the fashion industry is in such a mess, is that people will pay more for, you know, a salad than they will for a T-shirt. And, yeah, because it's such a complex industry.

[00:16:14] But I feel like now more than ever, there is a sort of opening around the conversation of how these clothes have been made and how technical and complex that is. And maybe we could add more value to our clothing. And that's where the story of where it's been made is so important in the mix of that and the pride that can come with clothes being produced responsibly. Thank you for that.

[00:16:44] So if we look closer at the quality products that you produce, what would you say is the role of local artisanship or traditional skills in creating the pieces? So for us, we have been really passionate about adding that artisanal addition to clothing. So one of the brands that we work with, for example, they do a lot of block printing in West Africa.

[00:17:13] And we're working with another client who is using the traditional Maasai beading on garments. And we have developed a team in-house that do hand embroidery on garments. So and one of the reasons for adding those additional elements in is that we want to create jobs beyond people that can sit on a sewing machine.

[00:17:40] How can we provide jobs for the women in the community who sit under a tree while they, you know, the Maasai women, while they herd their cattle and use the skill that they have, which is Maasai beading, for example. And how can we upskill in people in different areas that are beyond just a sewing machine? I'm assuming in terms of the traditional skills, it requires the input from the local community, which is a big part of what you do.

[00:18:08] So during this journey, how have you gone about building trust with the local community to kind of get them involved with the work that you're doing, whether it's the manufacturing or more of the community outreach projects that you're also involved in? As I mentioned earlier, we have the business, but we also have a separate registered charity, which is registered in Kenya and in the UK.

[00:18:33] And the reason for setting up the charity is that we saw that our employees needed additional support that as as that the business couldn't necessarily support on. So they were issues such as HIV and AIDS, understanding and awareness of how to get medical support.

[00:18:58] They were issues such as living in debt, understanding how to get out of debt, how to start to save. And also, as I mentioned earlier, providing people local to the factory with jobs. And in in order to do that, we needed those people needed the skills. And so the charity was formed.

[00:19:22] And so how we built trust with the community is and this has been really important to me is that you'll see factories, businesses just sort of dumped in a location without necessarily any connection to where they are. And I was really passionate about that not being the case. You know, our employees live in the community, their children go to school.

[00:19:50] And so we needed to to be a bit cheesy, like spread the love, like, you know, extend what we're doing beyond the factory walls. Yeah. So that's a slow process. And that's not something that you can come in day one and, yeah, move about in the community. And it's really been about years and us proving through our actions versus our words that we really see ourselves as part of the community. Yeah.

[00:20:20] So it's been a slow process. We also, you know, our charity has a dedicated team who are community workers. So they're in the schools, in the health centres, all around as part of the community, speaking to the chiefs, the, you know, heads of school, etc. So I think that's I think it's a slow process, but it's about building genuine relationship and community. Brilliant.

[00:20:45] I guess one of the other initiatives which you have, which we've not spoke about, is the Stitching Academy. Can you tell us a bit more about that? Yeah. So that's our sewing training school that provide people with the skills they need to get a job in a clothing factory or start their own micro enterprise. So it's both the skills of how to use a sewing machine, but also life skills.

[00:21:10] So the training that we provide our factory team and the community, we also provide our students. And to date, we've trained just over 500 people through the Stitching Academy with over 90% being women. And the majority of them have come from very, having had access, very minimal access to education and very poor families.

[00:21:38] So the skills that they gain really support them in being able to then get a job. And approximately 80% of the people who have gone through our program are in jobs. So we're really proud of that training program. And we've been going for over 10 years now.

[00:22:00] And every time we open the doors, we have more than double the number of student spaces that we have with people wanting to go through the training. So we really know that it makes a difference. Fantastic. I guess from the conversation, it's clear that a lot of what you do is rooted in partnerships, whether that's within community or commercially.

[00:22:22] If we can look at it from the commercial perspective in terms of your approach to building long-term partnerships between, say, African manufacturers and international fashion brands. How have you found that process? I think for us, the word partnership is really the right one for us because the brands that work with us come in. Like we're working together in partnership.

[00:22:47] As I mentioned earlier, it's different to the conventional transactional relationships of a supplier brand. And it's built on transparency. It's built on shared values. And it's built on a kind of sense of deep collaboration. So the brands that we work with and our donors through the charity, they spend time with us. You know, they eat lunch in the canteen with me and the team.

[00:23:13] And, you know, they really are embedded in the values that are really important to us. And also from our side, brands that aren't aligned in those don't make sense to be our clients because we need to be sort of have a mission together and a mission towards mutual success.

[00:23:33] And I think that's what's often missing is, you know, that it's a perspective of a transactional relationship where one party is trying to get as much out of the other as possible. And that's really not how we build partnerships. Fantastic. Thank you for that. I guess from all the great work that you're doing in terms of the community work and building the business results in recognitions.

[00:24:01] I know that you've been recently recognised with the Women in Manufacturing ESG Warrior Award. What does that mean for you when you get these accolades or recognitions? I've spent 16 years like head down, grassroots, plugging away.

[00:24:18] And so to have a moment of recognition, I'm very grateful for, you know, we all need those things to kind of keep us going and to remind us that we're on the right path. I also think for me that when we receive these awards or get recognition, I really see how much that means to the team and the sense of pride that the team gained from it.

[00:24:47] And that's almost, you know, that's more to me than those other things that, you know, as a team, we've all won them. You know, we've all and the people who I started with, the four people, you know, three of them are still with me. One of them sadly passed away. And so, you know, I have really built the people who, you know, have seen all the different versions of the business can stand on that stage with me.

[00:25:15] You know, we're all together in that and there's a lot that we can all feel proud of. Also, I guess outside of the awards, a huge recognition is also when you see someone hugely iconic or symbolic wearing your clothings. I know Michelle Obama has worn garments from your factory. What was that moment like for you and your team?

[00:25:38] So this was in the early days when we were in a very basic classroom and, you know, didn't have a smartphone at the time. And I opened my laptop and I got all these pings coming through on email. And then I saw all these pictures of Michelle Obama wearing and she's worn clothes, I think, three or four times that we've made.

[00:26:00] And I remember going around to the team with my laptop and they said to me, oh, is there like a proper factory, you know, making the same clothes as us? And I said, no, these are our clothes. Like, this is what we have made. And the connection, you know, with Barack Obama's heritage in Kenya, there was a huge sense of pride anyway in Kenya around, you know, him being president.

[00:26:26] And so it really was such a sort of surreal moment, but also a moment where we felt very connected as this sort of tiny, I think we were maybe 18 people at the time, tiny enterprise being connected to, you know, one of the most famous people in the world.

[00:26:44] And it really did for me also show the power of, you know, what someone with that, that presence, the power of the decisions of where their clothes are made and what clothes they choose to wear and how in that moment we were put on the map. And that just felt amazing for us.

[00:27:05] With global icons wearing your clothing, if we look at the wider African fashion kind of space, do you think that African fashion manufacturing is ready for larger global demand? Absolutely. I think that people need to come and see us, that it's about that brand sort of gaining that confidence and understanding that with like we're here, there's a whole industry here that's been doing it.

[00:27:34] And that we're ready, you know, though we're not India, we're not China. We also have the ability to produce high quality clothing and that, you know, as I said before, it's about partnership and collaboration, that growth comes by doing things together. And yeah, I'm excited. As we know, fashion is largely built or determined by trends.

[00:28:02] Are there any trends in Africa's, whether it's ethical fashion or fashion manufacturing space that you're seeing that you're quite excited about? Yeah, I'm hearing the phrase Africa dressing itself or herself. And I really like that.

[00:28:21] I feel like where the world is with trade tariffs, with, you know, initial manufacturing, that actually what does it look like to for this for some of the focus, at least to be on how can we dress ourselves? How can we, you know, with the growing middle class and with more and more wealth being in the continent?

[00:28:41] How can we dress ourselves rather than being so focused on, you know, what is now the turbulent trade across continents? I also think that, you know, there's a lot of innovation here. Kenya has just become, I think, the largest country on the continent to bring in secondhand clothing, which is really not great for local manufacturing.

[00:29:09] But it also sees people looking at how to innovate with secondhand clothing, how to add value to the clothes that are coming through. Yeah. And upcycling, which I love because that's sort of about innovation. Fantastic.

[00:29:27] So if we move from current trends and look to the future, I know this is a very open and wide question, but where do you see Africa's fashion manufacturing space in, say, the next five to 10 years? I think, as I mentioned, the shift from looking globally to looking at how we can dress across the continent. I was in South Africa recently.

[00:29:52] And so in Kenya, how it's set up is they make it easy to import raw materials with no duty as long as the completed goods are exported. And, you know, that's, I know, common throughout the world. This export processing is called an export processing zone to support job creation.

[00:30:17] And what I saw when I was in South Africa was that South Africa are actually focused on how can we make it easier to produce locally, to sell locally. And so what South Africa is starting to see is this growing local manufacturing to support the local retail spaces. And it's expensive to import clothing from outside.

[00:30:45] You know, often China, it's harder to it's more expensive to do that. And then they're managing to tip the balance and make it that. And how can we make it cheaper, high quality, faster turnaround by producing it locally and selling it locally? And I think that model is such an inspiration. And obviously, Trump's doing his version of that by trying to support manufacturing in the US.

[00:31:12] But, you know, that's a very different country to South Africa, where there is still, you know, a lower minimum wage that means that actually it's possible to create the jobs locally and keep all the, you know, the value addition in the country. So I love that.

[00:31:32] And in the next five to 10 years, I do see more international fashion brands recognizing that all the talk of Africa being the next frontier translates into actual business and trade. And, yeah, this shift of external dependence to how can we dress ourselves? If we look closer to home, I mean, what's next for you and Soko, Kenya? Where do you see the company in the next five to 10 years time?

[00:32:00] And so at the end of last year, we completed this incredible 10 month business acceleration program through it's called Stanford Seed. And it supports businesses of my kind of size and that have been in business for a number of years to really pull apart your business in every area. And look at it's called the transformation program.

[00:32:25] Look at how you can transform and really grow in a very sustainable way. So last year was a year of us sort of pulling everything apart. And this year is a year of us implementing everything that we've learned to build a stronger foundation with a very sober awareness of the instability of the world. And look at how can we really build the foundations for something sustainable?

[00:32:54] And, you know, I've been doing this for 16 years, but this feels like one of those. We reached a plateau and what does it look like to have the strength to jump really high in this next season?

[00:33:08] And so I'm really excited about that and what we're building, you know, given that Africa is more on the radar as a manufacturing location, given that the demand for transparency and supply chain is more and more on the agenda. The demand for really considering sustainability and the impact on the planet is more and more on the agenda. And we've been here doing this, as I said, head down grassroots for 16 years.

[00:33:38] And for me, it's always really been about proving the model of building a factory that is profitable, that makes sense whilst putting people in the planet first. And often examples of things need to start, you know, need to be grassroots and small in order for them to be replicated. And so for me, this isn't just about the company that I'm building.

[00:34:07] It's about proving a model that can be replicated beyond myself. This is what the industry could look like. Like this is the positive that we could bring to people in the planet by having a focus that isn't just on margin, profitability, etc. And so I'm passionate about my mission. Yeah. What the next five to 10 years of that looks like. Quote of the week.

[00:34:34] As people, we often have quotes, mantras, proverbs or affirmations that keep us going when times are good or when times are challenging. Do you have one that you can share with us today? I'm going to cheekily have two, if that's all right. More than welcome. So one is we can do hard things. I think we all need to be reminded of that.

[00:34:58] You know, when we're doing things that are brave or things that are sort of outside of the well-trodden path, we need to remind ourselves that we can do hard things. So that's one. One. And the other one is, which I believe is an African proverb. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

[00:35:22] And that's really been what it's been all about for me is that my company isn't about me. It's about all the people that are with me. And we're together building this. And six years ago, we were looking at moving our factory. Our team, we'd outgrown the space that we were in. In order to grow, we needed to move. And the closest facility was three hours drive away.

[00:35:50] As a management team, we knew it's what we needed to do for the growth of the business. But I said to the team, you know, we can have this idea. And, you know, if I move by myself, I don't have a business. I need we need everyone with us because alone is just a company name. And so we went through a long process around what it would look like for the team to move. And we researched what schools were in the area. What was the cost of housing?

[00:36:21] What was the cost of food? Everything to really understand what it would mean if we were to ask people to move. And it was a very collaborative process in that we shared with the team everything that every all the information we gathered, everything that we'd learned. We took the team to see, you know, the factory, the schools, the type of accommodation, everything. And and we said, ask us any questions like we may have missed things. Ask us anything.

[00:36:51] And at the end of the day, everybody except for one lady whose husband wouldn't allow her to move. Everyone in the team moved together. And we moved this like really strong sort of family unit together to then be able to grow. And that's part of it. You know, we want to go far and we need to do that going together. Fantastic. Brilliant way to end today's conversation.

[00:37:18] Jo, thank you for sharing your journey and powerful impact of Soko Kenya. You know, I think from the conversation today, it's quite clear that fashion is modern style. It's a source of dignity, opportunity and also can be a catalyst for change. So it's been a pleasure having you on the podcast and thank you for joining us. Thank you so much. It's been lovely to talk to you.

[00:37:44] Thank you to everyone who has listened and stayed tuned to the podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share or tell a friend about it. You can also rate, review us in Apple podcast or wherever you download your podcast. Thank you and see you next week for the Unlocking Africa podcast.