About us

Africa's Closet is a family-owned business, founded six years ago in East Africa, with the desire to bring fashion, culture and design together.

Africa's ClosetGrowing up in Kenya, I watched my mother Devota Shayo make custom pieces for friends and family, church members, and local men, women and children. I would help out with the hems and buttons from a very young age. I developed my passion for fashion that still drives me today.

I moved to the U.S. and I wanted to build my closet. I started with the pieces I carried from home and every time I wore them, I got compliments. With  time, I learned about the American fashion culture through a few friends and designers. We wanted to showcase our  cultures through beautiful African prints and designs. This was my link to my family, my past, my homeland. And I wanted to share it with the world.

Fashion is a wide concept, and with time it has narrowed down to fabric, apparel and accessories in modern times. So at Africa's Closet, we focus on creating "capsule collections" of a few essential items of clothing that transcend seasonality and trends by being functional.

These African print fabrics are ubiquitous across the continent, offering an endless variety of prints and colors. Often called "Ankara"  across West Africa, we call it "Kitenge" in the East.

All of our African-print fabrics are sourced from East and West Africa, and we partner with local seamstresses to give back to the community, ensuring fair trade practices.

   Njeri  Njeru.