Katungulu Mwendwa
Katungulu “Kathy” Mwendwa is a Kenyan designer redefining African luxury with her Afro-futuristic label Katush. A graduate of the University for the Creative Arts in the UK, she returned to Nairobi in 2014 to launch a brand that marries indigenous craft with modern functionality. Her collections—built around fluid silhouettes, lightweight cottons, and recycled ocean plastics—are intentionally season-less, allowing wearers to layer pieces year-round while reducing fashion waste.
Mwendwa works with weaving co-operatives in Makueni, bead artisans in Samburu, and natural-dye specialists on Lamu, ensuring each garment carries a traceable Kenyan story. In 2023 she introduced a blockchain-enabled passport that lets customers scan a QR code to see the maker and carbon footprint behind every item. Her designs have shown at New York Fashion Week, Lagos Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Scout, and the Victoria & Albert Museum’s “Africa Fashion” exhibition, while global stockists include Browns, Industrie Africa, and Nordstrom’s African Designer edit.
Named to Business Daily’s Top 40 Under 40 Women list in 2022 and the Forbes Africa 30 Champions of Sustainability roster in 2024, Mwendwa mentors young creatives through the HEVA Fund and sits on the Kenya Fashion Council board. Her 2025 capsule, “Solar Nomads,” explores adaptive clothing for hotter climates, reinforcing her vision of a future where culture, climate resilience, and style coexist. culturally rich designs.