Connie Aluoch- Fashionista, Entrepreneur, all rounded go-getter.
When you think Connie, you think high tea fashion princess and you’re not entirely wrong but there’s so much more than meets the surface with this vogue-ish soul.
Connie is in fact multilingual and can engage in a fluent Italian conversation if given the chance, or runway for that matter! If you happen to meet her in the streets of Nairobi, there’s no need to hesitate to greet her because, rarely do you meet such a sociable being.
She loves meeting new people and is always ready to connect with her fans. (This however is not a cue to start stalking her! #Teammafisi we see you!).
Pure dedication and energy keep her on top the world-despite her fear of heights. Brave cookie, huh? She also happens to be an excellent dancer who would probably beat the competition at a professional level.
Her unrelenting drive to do more to get ahead, made her the perfect match when KCB Bank set out on a quest to initiate the youth in a conversation revolving around mentoring the next generation of young entrepreneurs.
The KCB Mentorship program is a platform established to offer financial and commercial advice to young fellows who are only beginning to get a footing in either the entrepreneurial or corporate world.
Connie is the first among (Oh, she was also the first Kenyan to get a Masters Degree in Fashion) many other industrial leaders who is very willing to offer a guiding hand to anyone that chooses to take the entrepreneurial path.
Our own Kenyan fashion extraordinaire and stylist is the pioneer mentor on the Mentorship Platform and offered some interesting insight on her journey to financial success through entrepreneurship.
Along business lines, Connie urges the youth to think out of the box and identify the gaps in the market. This may end up working in your favor and you will be able to carve your own niche if you’re smart enough. She attributes this notion to the fact that she was able to step out and pitch to media houses about designing their female news anchors and that set the ball in motion
If you thought that fashion was only about the shoes and clothes, you better think again! The Fashion Institute of Technology alumna advises that, Fashion is a lifestyle, from how you dress to what you eat to the things that inspire you and to your interior. In fact, fashion goes way beyond all this, it is a way of life.
On that note, if you intend to begin a fashion brand, it is essential to ask yourself, what the fashion brand is about. Who is your target? Do you have a plan to sustain revenue for the business? And have you done enough research? If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, go get ‘em!
Connie’s advice to fashion entrepreneurs who are juggling between styling and designing is for them to focus on one aspect. Managing both facets will result in obvious financial strain and mental burnout hence the need to concentrate in your area of expertise first then develop a strategic plan and work towards it.
Anyone can learn to incorporate fashionable skills to spice up their life and Connie’s list of top fashion institutes that offer fashion and artistic courses include; University of Nairobi, Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts, Evelyne College of Design and Mcensal School of Fashion and Design.
Connie was picked as the pioneer mentor in this Mentorship program because she is an opinion leader within the fashion industry. Having worked her way to the top she would be best placed to advise her protégés on how to build their businesses and probably even surpass hers.
The KCB Mentorship program has scheduled monthly sessions for industrial and corporate leaders among various disciplines including technology, agribusiness, manufacturing etc. to connect with young innovators and inevitably share the recipe to success.
So don’t sleep on your chance to get to learn more about Connie’s and her counterpart’s journeys to success here and revel in their infectious, motivational and inspirational rays of sunshine.
It’s free to sign up. So really, you have no excuse. See you there.
