KikoRomeo

KikoRomeo was founded in 1996 by Ann McCreath, a Scottish-born designer who trained at the University of Edinburgh and studied haute couture at KOEFIA in Rome before working as a designer in Barcelona. She arrived in Kenya in 1992 for a three-month assignment with Doctors Without Borders, stayed on for roughly three years, and eventually decided to build a business in the country rather than return to Europe. She launched KikoRomeo -- a Kiswahili phrase referring to Adam's apple -- out of her own garage, starting with a menswear line made from African fabrics and textures, with an explicit goal of creating jobs in rural communities rather than just building a fashion label. The brand grew into one of the more established names in Kenyan fashion, credited by industry observers with helping professionalize the country's design and manufacturing scene and mentoring other Kenyan designers and artisans over more than two decades. McCreath has been recognized for that work, including a listing in Arise Magazine's 'Top 100 Women Influencing Africa.' Since 2018, creative direction of the brand has passed to McCreath's daughter, Iona McCreath, marking a generational transition while McCreath remains involved with the company she founded.