We recently connected with Justin Mungai and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The Wakilisha Collection LLC is a premier clothing company that offers authentic, made to measure, African Print suits for men and women. Our mission is to expand the global perception of formal wear to include the bold and colorful prints from East Africa. Our fabrics, which are sourced and made in Kenya, are versatile, unique, and eclectic. Every client gets special attention and our customization process allows every customer to play partial designer in the ordering process, selecting the cut, style, monogram, and liner of their suits, to name but a few. With such attention to detail, we hope to establish The Wakilisha Collection as a leading formal wear and suit brand worldwide.

Justin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Justin and I’m the chief-executive officer and one of the co-founders of The Wakilisha Collection. Having grown up in Nairobi and spent most of my early years wearing bold and colorful East African prints, I became somewhat of an African Print connoisseur. My love for the prints continued into adulthood and they continue to constitute a large part of my wardrobe. During the pandemic, when the world was at a standstill and many were wondering how to diversify their sources of income, my girlfriend (who is also the CFO of the company) explored the idea of transforming this passion for African Print into a business. One discussion after another ensued, a business plan was written, and then 9 months later, we had an operational business.

Our business is unlike no other in the formal wear industry—the types of prints we offer originate in a part of the world often overlooked when folks think of high-end suit fashion. Suits typically embody subtle and neutral colors. With our brand, we’re doing things differently—loud and bold! Similarly, majority of the fashion industry doesn’t deal in bespoke clothing. Instead, they focus on the masses rather than the individual customer. Custom tailoring focuses on the latter, prioritizing each individual consumer and tending to each individual’s needs.

It’s our unique prints and our individualized customer focus that we’re most proud of. It’s these two distinctive facets of our business that we believe will be the cornerstone of our success.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Our two primary sources of new clients are: 1) word of mouth; and 2) social media. First, we get several clients based on word of mouth. People who see our colorful and bold suits often ask past clients for referrals. Second, we get clients from our social media channels (@thewakilishacollection). Our social media marketing inspires interested individuals to become consumers. They see themselves in our models and other customers featured on those channels and It gives them the confidence to purchase our bold garments.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We maintain personal communications with all clients who order from us and maintain that communication throughout the order process. Our objective is to ensure client satisfaction, which in turn fosters brand loyalty. We also maintain a database with all our client’s information and measurements, which makes repeat purchasing very simple. Moreover, we cover minor alterations and facilitate the adjustment process, ensuring our clients get the best fitting product and value for their money. Providing the highest quality garments with the highest quality communication gives us an excellent reputation with our clients and further fosters brand loyalty.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thewakilishacollection.com
• Instagram: @thewakilishacollection
• Facebook: The Wakilisha Collection
• Twitter: @TheWakilisha
• Other: Pinterest: @thewakilishacollection

Image Credits
Photographers: Clifton Prescod Antonio Agosto