“I love the fact that one can showcase the richness of culture with fashion,” Wamuhu says in what is her basic backdrop of jeans and a tee while piling on her luxe tribal accessories. In this case, showstopper brass earrings from the same designer in LA who made things for Chaka Khan and Diana Ross, a beaded head piece and Maasai body piece and espadrilles made of indigenous fabric. Tired of what she refers to as “funding oppression” in terms of what we buy, Wamuhu has made a conscious effort to affect change by supporting local economics, elevating communities and helping to put an end to supporting companies who are killing “our brothers and our sisters.” Born in Nairobi, Wamuhu remembers days when there wasn’t much to eat, “I’ve seen ways that nobody should have to live, so I totally understand what need and want really are.”
Like many immigrants, Wamuhu rediscovered her African roots after an adolescence in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She decided that she wanted to toss aside the mall culture for those roots a few years ago. Beginning with an end to the weaves and the perms and showcasing what is beautiful from her origins. Today, Wamuhu’s natural hair has carved designs that are as much a part of expressing the comfort in her skin as is her career of promoting not-for-profit music events, mostly in the vein of her heritage. In addition, she is taking a leap of faith in believing in herself outside of the strict religious guidelines of her family. At times, feeling free and at peace are at odds with hanging out with bums on Santa Monica beach and getting whisked on private jets to Vegas. Just like Wamuhu can take pieces of fabric and turn them into a kimono, or make red patent pumps and large feather earrings look timeless, she feels, “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.”
"If we make better choices about how we consume and refuse to buy manufactured products then companies will have to change. They don’t have any incentive to change because everybody is still buying.” Wamuhu Waweru
Source-Mwakilishi
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