The Story of Mathok Mawich: Eldoret Fashion Designer Who Has Dressed Citizen TV’s Lulu Hassan

The art industry is growing rapidly, and many designers are finding themselves in the sector not because of their professional background but because of their talents and self-sacrifice – all in the wings of promoting local and international markets.

31-year-old Mathok Mawich is one of those in the industry. He is a well-known fashion designer and the manager of Alphas Fashion DESIGNERS. He also runs Mathowys agencies, a modelling agency in Eldoret town.

Mawich is an urban refugee from South Sudan. He came to Kenya 4 years ago and began studying at the Great Lake University of Kisumu where he did three different courses – a degree in community and land development, ICT and business administration.

The Eldoret-based fashion designer has dressed Lulu Hassan, a Citizen Television News anchor. He has also signed the celebrity MC Bett Maasai, his usual customer.

Eldoret-based fashion designer Mathok Mawich (centre).

Through his design work, Mawich won the Kitenge festivals Eldoret fashion and design competition that was held on 30th April 2022.

“The journey of fashion and designing started back on campus when I discovered my talent of modelling and that’s where I build my interest in fashion. Still, in the field of modelling, I realized that high fashion pays less so if you are able to design for yourself you will be able to employ yourself and others. That changed my mind into shifting from modelling to fashion and designing,” Mawich tells Uasin Gishu News.

“I started Alphas fashion designer a year ago with a capital of Ksh5,000 and I have a policy of paying deposit first before the job. This has helped me in terms of financial management and also timeliness. I make sure my designers and I are on time before the deadline,” adds.

Mathok Mawich reveals that the deposit he gets from the customer, which he usually takes 80 per cent of the total price, is able to cover the fabric and everything he will require to deliver the work.

He says he has models whom he usually designs for. Some are Sudanese and others are Kenyans. He also trains designers for free, if he sees potential in them. After training, they are able to market their products and that’s how he makes his business grow.

Some of Mathok Mawich’s fashion design works.

“So far, I have been able to employ eight active designers and I am looking forward to employing more designers in the coming days because the market is growing daily,” he said.

“It’s a challenge to get a new designer because it’s difficult to get the right ones, who can give and maintain quality service,” Mathok Mawich adds.

Despite the 30-year-old fashion designer’s main market being in Kenya, he says it’s also a challenge because “Kenyans are very intelligent people in a way that if you tell them this outfit is Ksh5,000 he/she will say no it is Ksh3,000, which is right but not profitable on his side.”

For this reason, he has been having more customers internationally like South Sudan, Australia and Ireland in Europe.

“My best outfit was bought in Australia which was Ksh6,000 and I could have sold it at Ksh3000 in Kenya,” he reveals.

Mawich uses fabrics such as ribbon Sir George for suits and Lukas for shirts because they cannot fade. He says they are durable, as well as senators which are also known as African or Nigerian wear for men.

For women, they use every type of leather depending on their preference, notes the designer.

Besides getting his materials from other countries like Dubai, 90 per cent of his fabrics are locally available materials from the Rift Valley Textile Company (RIVATEX) which, he says, is very affordable and available.

According to Mawich, RIVATEX also has good trainers and he looks up to them for his inspiration.

After every three months, he has always scheduled to go, see and learn the way they are manufacturing their materials that are naturally made from the farm and he believes they have the best designers.

Fashion design for women done by Mathok Mawich.

“Kenya has opened opportunities to everyone. This is because they appreciate the value and creativity no matter where you came from, and with that, I can see Kenya going far,” says the designer.

“Even in my birth country South Sudan, there are many friends who have been asking me to go back there and start my business for there are not enough markets there, but I still declined the request because Kenya has all the available resources and conducive environment for me to work on,” Mawich adds.

He is also looking forward to working with popular designers in Europe such as the Guchi, Vaserge Prada, and Dollan Gavana.

Some of the products that Mathok Mawich offers include suits for men and women, African wears for men and women, senator shirts for men and women, official shoes, official shirts, official belts, official hats, soft underwear for men, official watches, vests, official socks and official sunglasses.

Services offered are;