L O O K S L I K E AVIDO

‘I want to encourage and create beauty where people don’t expect,” Avido

“Kibra is very dear to me, because I feel like most people don’t see what I envision, that’s why most people have a stigma and perception about people who come from slums, not only Kibra but even places like Huruma. People believe that you cannot achieve great things when you come from such places but I want to show people that your background doesn’t affect or define where you can go. I want to show people that good things can also come from places least expected. Kibra is what pushes me to be where I am and to do what I do, it gives me more reason to push for my dreams and goals and turn them into reality. It’s a source for my inspiration and motivates me to wake up in the morning and keep on fighting for what I want not just for me but for the people around me.”

If I was to describe David Avido in three words it would be stylish, kinda funny and a young humble man. The thing that made me want to interview him more was his quote which I found iconic that says, “I want to encourage and create beauty, where people don’t expect,”. Right in the middle of Kibra, the biggest slum in Kenya, lies creativity expressed with the aim to show that your background does not define where you are going and that is Lookslikeavido. Avido under his brand name Lookslikeavido has dressed the crème dela crème of celebrities from Chris Martin, Talia Oyando , Chronixx, Tarrus Riley, Octopizzo,Koffe ,Cecile , Roman Virgo , Konshens , Everton Blendah , Alaine , Don Carlos and the list is endless . He was one of the designers from Africa picked to work with Beyonce on her Black is King album not to mention one of the few Kenyan designers known internationally. Avido got presidential recognition for his kind act of giving out masks for free to Kibra residents when the Covid 19 pandemic hit Kenya but behind this great young man lies a humble heart and a very artistic hand that works magic on African print fabric.

You started as a dancer, what made you finally venture into fashion and designing? I was a dancer before I became a designer, it was dance that made me venture into design because I could do sketches for our dance costumes and take them to a tailor for them to make them for us. I ventured into fashion because I realized I actually enjoyed it and loved it more than the dancing .Also most of the times when I would take my designs to the tailor they never came out as I expected so I just decided to do it myself.

What would you say is the highlight of your career? For me that would be the everyday joy and happiness that I get from what I do. Happiness is the source of many things in life, if I was not happy, I would not find the motivation to make my designs and any other project that I do. I feel like I am happy with what I do and that gives me a lot of satisfaction.

In your journey as a designer what challenges have you faced and what motivates you to keep going?

Yes, there are many challenges, but for me my challenges motivate me to keep on fighting and try to achieve more and more for myself. Being a first born in the family , I have to strive to create a success situation for them and just make life better for them and also to make my community live a better life.

There are a lot of designers in the game right now what would you say makes you unique? My dreams and goals make me unique from other designers. Honestly for me, my main goal is not to make money. I want to create a company that can be able to serve the people of my community and change the perception that people have about places like Kibra, that they are associated with drug abuse, criminal activity, prostitution, early pregnancy and just negative things. I want to show people that we are hard working people dedicated to what we do, so for me my dreams and goals are my unique factor.

The fashion industry in Kenya is rapidly growing, do you think that Kenyans have an appreciation for designs made in Kenya? I am happy, with where fashion is right now in Kenya, because fashion is not just about wearing clothes but its about understanding and knowing yourself and what image you want to portray. Everything you wear, like the different styles we put on have their own meaning and symbolize different things. I am glad that people are embracing different cultures, fabrics and styles which shows that good things take time and we are headed in the right direction.

Apart from your signature straw hat (pukaboohat ) what is our everyday outfit? Hahaha that will be my smile ….. This smile has opened doors for me, so I make sure I always carry it around, it gives me light, gives me the sparkle, confidence and it just makes me see things from my own perspective.

What does Avido do to unwind and relax? I like listening to good music, and meditating. I also take time to study my mistakes like a book, you know, I write them down and just think about them very carefully so that I don’t repeat them in the future. The only thing that makes us grow are the mistakes we make, they can give us stress, so I write them down, read them through as I listen to my music . I also like chilling with people around me, like friends and family.

What advice would you give the youth out there struggling to get employment.? The best advice I would give the youth is to create their own job opportunities. At first it will give you a lot of headache and stress but eventually it will give you peace of mind in that the amount of work and dedication that you will put will be different compared to if you were working for someone, it will force you to push yourself in order to achieve your dreams.

Secondly in whatever you do don’t be in a rush, good things take time and great things take even longer so don’t be G in a hurry to achieve success to the point that on your way to success you overtake your happiness, because you will find that yes you might achieve what you want but end up not being happy. It is always good to take one thing at a time, trust your instincts, go with the wave and eventually good work will sell itself. I always say never let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve anything.

Growing in Kibera taught me one very important lesson, that no one from outside will come and help you out ANDIKO ONNET if you need help. I want people, especially the young generation to see that if they work hard, believe in themselves, persevere and have the dedication they can achieve alot . It’s very important to have the skill because that is what drives you to work these other things like money will always come and go. I want my work to give people from Kibra a push and encourage them to put in the work and know that with that they can go far.”