He Rescues Suits from Gikomba to Build Kenya’s Coolest Bags

The morning air in Nairobi’s Gikomba market is a thick mixture of dust, roasted coffee, and the metallic scent of thousands of bales being cracked open. Gikomba is a sprawling labyrinth, the largest second-hand clothing hub in East Africa, where discarded wardrobes of Europe and North America arrive in compressed "mitumba" bales. To a casual observer, it is a chaotic graveyard of fast fashion, but to Mohamed Awale, it is a world-class raw material warehouse. As the founder of Suave Kenya, Awale has spent the last decade proving that the future of African luxury is not found in imported fabrics, but in the intelligent revitalisation of what the rest of the world has thrown away.

Awale’s journey into upcycling began not in a designer’s studio, but in the corridors of university and later, the corporate world. While studying, he was an avid thrifter, frequenting Gikomba not just for affordable clothes, but for the unique textures and patterns that mass-market retail couldn't offer. He began taking his finds to a cousin who owned a leather workshop, requesting custom bags made from vintage coats and denim. This was the first spark of Suave, a brand born from a love for bags and a deep-seated frustration with environmental waste. After a brief stint in an oil company, Awale realised that his passion for creation outweighed the security of a 9-to-5 desk job. In 2013, he quit his job and moved into a small workshop in the River Road area of downtown Nairobi, hiring three artisans to help turn his prototypes into a business.

The early days of Suave were defined by a "broke but bold" philosophy. Because capital was scarce, second-hand materials were a financial necessity. However, this constraint birthed the brand's unique aesthetic: every bag is a one-of-a-kind piece. Awale’s process is a masterclass in tactile curation. He personally navigates the stalls of Gikomba, looking for specific grades of fabric, tweed, wool, herringbone, and denim. He prefers working with larger items, typically sizes 34 to 50, to maximise the surface area available for cutting patterns. Durability is the ultimate filter; he avoids delicate silks in favour of rugged materials that can survive the daily commute of a modern urbanite. Over time, he has built a specialised supply chain where market traders now set aside "camera" (top-tier) grade items specifically for his workshop.

Beyond the market, Suave has integrated industrial waste into its circular model. Kenya’s Export Processing Zones (EPZs) generate massive amounts of textile offcuts, high-quality fabric remnants that are too small for large-scale garment manufacturing but perfect for accessories. Suave , upcycles these offcuts to line the interiors of their bags, ensuring that every component of the product contributes to waste reduction. This attention to detail has transformed the perception of upcycling from "crafty" to "luxury." Speaking to Yummy Magazine, Awale noted that the effort of upcycling is what makes the brand iconic, as it contributes to a cleaner environment while offering consumers something entirely unique.

The brand’s scaling was fueled by a viral moment and a steep learning curve in global logistics. A video highlighting Suave’s story went viral in the mid-2010s, leading to an explosion of orders from Pakistan, Barbados, and across Europe. Awale and his team had to quickly learn how to handle international shipping, eventually partnering with DHL after a period of using the local post office. Today, Suave employs 10 full-time staff and has a production capacity of approximately 300 bags per month. The team includes artisans like Geoffrey, who transitioned from construction to tailoring, finding that the craft of bag-making offered a dignity and expertise he hadn't found elsewhere.

Looking at the broader impact, Suave Kenya represents a vital shift in the African creative economy. By utilising "mitumba" as a resource, Awale is addressing the 1.1 million tonnes of textile waste that the continent struggles to manage, while creating jobs in the local manufacturing sector. The brand is now stocked in Nairobi, Stockholm, London, and Frankfurt, yet Awale remains committed to his identity as an African maker. He dreams of a global presence rooted in sustainable fashion that revitalises rather than exploits. As the fashion industry worldwide reevaluates its environmental footprint, Suave Kenya stands as a blueprint for how African innovation can lead the way in the circular economy.

Suave Kenya: Material & Impact Metrics