Top 10 Swimwear Fashion Designers in Kenya – Paxwear by Idah Aluoch

What is in a swimwear? Why is it becoming increasingly important for social media users to have photos on their timeline taken at the beach or by the poolside? How often do you come across swimwear pictures on your timeline everyday? For an upcoming Fashion designer in this space to have dressed the likes of Joy Kendi, Lucia Musau and Temina Kavelwa, Idah Aluoch of Paxwear designs is definitely setting standards in the East & Central African Fashion market.
Fotophreak Magazine had a sit down Ms. Idah and talked about a wide range of issues around her business.

 

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“The name Pax means peace in Latin and was the Roman goddess of peace. Paxwear is a made in Kenya swimwear line with the aim of unleashing your inner deity through vibrant, timeless and fashionable bikinis.
Paxwear designs are inspired by the rising sun and just like it radiates through the skin and brings out the brighter and powerful side of you, Paxwear is designed to ignite the fun, vitalize and beam the confidence in you by focusing on fabric, fit and functionality. The bikinis come with a cute little bag that you can carry to the beach in style.”

Fotophreak: Why the name Paxwear? What is so special about your brand?
The name Pax is a Latin word that means peace in English and was the Roman Goddess of peace. My mom gave me the name Pax at a young age and after knowing its meaning, decided to create my brand Paxwear with the idea of unleashing your inner goddess/beauty while wearing the bikinis.

 

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Fotophreak: How old were you when you started Paxwear and what was your biggest motivation?
At 23years, when I was almost finishing my campus studies. I grew up around the lake region where we could swim bare, with no swimming costumes. Moving towns, we owned a Tv and could see people swim in bikinis and got intrigued. At this point, I knew I not only wanted to own a pair but also make one. I had doubts about how our society would react but I knew I had to stop doubting and start doing.

Fotophreak: What was your biggest source of capital, and who has been your support system?
I had been modeling and doing ‘hostessing’ jobs before starting Paxwear. I must say I am good at savings and with the money I had saved, bought myself a sewing machine and started from scratch. I am also fortunate to have a supportive family and friends who have been amazing to me throughout this journey.

 

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Fotophreak: What challenges do young people go through when doing business?
Which ones have you faced? I would say financial challenges and mentorship. I believe a lot of the youths have huge dreams and talents that they would love to explore but the barriers come in with the finances and I have had this challenge and still do. Mentorship is also important as I find ideas to be very delicate and need a good support system especially emotionally to grow.

Fotophreak: How have you used your individual popularity on social media to market your business and get more clients? Hahaa…. Well, I don’t see myself famous, however, having a huge following on my personal social media pages have boosted the awareness of Paxwear and have helped a lot in marketing my brand.

Fotophreak: What informs the pricing for Paxwear products?
The pricing of Paxwear is determined by the production costs and to be honest, profits included. Everything is calculated after production as the prices vary.

 

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Fotophreak: Who are your target clients?
My target group is all women. My main aim is to make bikinis for all types of women to feel confident and empowered while wearing Paxwear.

Fotophreak: What are your future plans for Paxwear?
To bring Kenya into the international market of swimwear fashion with Paxwear

Fotophreak: What does a good swimwear look like? What should I look for when shopping for a bikini?
There are different reasons why people buy bikinis. It could be for swimming, tanning or even sports competition. A good bikini should be true to size, comfortable, makes you feel good in it while serving its function like making you feel beautiful.

Fotophreak: Why is a bikini so important in a woman’s closet? Wearing bikini is a way of expressing confidence and love to your body and women we love this, besides, what other way to excuse yourself off to a getaway other than having bikinis?

Fotophreak: Do you think any girl or woman can look good in a bikini? Of course! There is always something for everybody and even better, Paxwear is now offering different sizes and designs for every girl or woman out there to choose from and much more designs coming soon. From sizes XS to 3XL.

 

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Fotophreak: What did you study in campus, and how do you make use of that knowledge in running your company?
I did my Bachelor’s in Nutrition and dietetics and got the knowledge on body fitness and good health. My aim is to incorporate this in my bikinis to make athleisure wear, a lifestyle that everyone dreams of when you wear your Paxwear.

Fotophreak: What does a regular day for you look like? I wouldn’t lie, sometimes I have crazy days, waking up as early as five in the morning and sleeping past midnight while sometimes I have my days less busy. It usually depends on the workload of the brand. I also study part-time. I never have a regular day.

Fotophreak: How has the pandemic affected your general lifestyle and day to day activities?
I love traveling and the pandemic did not make it any easier, I had to stay in the country. On the other hand, it has given me enough time to focus and develop Paxwear which I am now proud of its growth.

Fotophreak: Do you think men need to wear something fancier than just shorts when going swimming or to the beach?
I would like to think most men are not flashy with colors and skimpy clothing but if there’s chance to wear fancy swim shorts then, why not? Everybody has a different fashion sense and chooses what to wear and makes them comfortable, especially when it comes to swimming.

Fotophreak: What do you consider when selecting models for your shoots? As long as you are a female in the size that we are currently producing, I would choose you. However, my current models approached me and have since been working with them.

 

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Fotophreak: How has your family contributed to your business?
I have had the most encouraging and full support system from my family and I pray they continue doing so.

Fotophreak: What does your family say about the semi-nude pictures of yourself, the models and the general marketing strategy for your business?
I had been worried about their thoughts while growing with the idea of starting Paxwear in mind only to see their full support towards my brand. My parents are very open-minded and learned about trends and fashion and I must say that they are very proud that I am doing Paxwear. I mean, I have been brought up in a village where nobody knew about bikinis in general and them seeing me do Paxwear from scratch makes them so proud.

Fotophreak: How does traveling influence your mind as a creative?
I get inspired by other cultures and mingle with other creatives as I am very open-minded. This helps me in making certain tangible decisions about Paxwear that have so far helped with the brand’s vision and my personal mental growth.

Fotophreak: What other things do you do for fun away from fashion and nutrition?
I love writing and dancing.

Paxwear is run online from Nairobi, Kenya and we encourage you to follow them across their social media platforms of Instagram, Facebook, tiktok and YouTube to purchase their designs and stay updated on their latest collections.

Let us know your thoughts about Paxwear in the comments section down below and share this article widely. If you would like your work to be featured or contribute content on Fotophreak Magazine, write to us on info@fotophreak.com or contact us on +254729209419

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