Colour and diversity serve as inspiration behind this African aesthetic

She makes jewellery inspired by tribes such as the Ndebele and Maasai and creates clothes and accessories from colourful African fabrics as well as sisal and jute.

The exuberant Catherine Wanjohi is the force behind Zinge Afrika, a premium brand of handcrafted clothing and accessories inspired by various African tribes, textiles, and cultural elements from across the continent.

Wanjohi offers an alteration service, creates custom pieces, and displays her clothing, jewellery, footwear, handbags and accessories in her store at 9 Marion Road. Zinge Afrika is now in its third year.

“I started on my own and within a year I needed people to work for me,” Wanjohi said.

She is passionate about job creation and currently has two permanent staff members.

Wanjohi, along with her Dutch husband and their three children, moved from Nairobi to Salt Rock in 2014.

“We came on holiday here and we fell in love. We decided to just go home and pack!”

They moved to the area with little in the way of planning or reconnaissance, so it took Wanjohi a year to settle in before she started her business.

She is a qualified teacher but has always felt pulled towards fashion design.

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“My passion is creating things. Since childhood I have been creating things from discarded materials. I focus on using fabric that is locally available and mostly recycled.”

Having come from a big family, Wanjohi learned everything she knows from her siblings.

“One of them did crocheting, another sewing. So I learned a little bit from everyone, but I add a modern twist to it.”

Wanjohi’s main aim is to cut out waste, reducing her environmental impact. She encourages clients to bring in old garments which she will then breathe new life into.

She said her inspiration comes from the ever-changing world of fashion.

“Everyday is an inspiration because I have to improvise and work with the customer to come up with something. At the end of the day, customer satisfaction is what drives me.”

Her goal is to establish Zinge Afrika internationally and to create more opportunities for employment.

And what about the name?

“Zinge is a Zulu word,” she said. “I asked my housekeeper for the Zulu word that means ‘all’, because I wanted the name to encompass the whole of Africa.”

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