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Timeless elegance meets African culture and contemporary fashion
Hellen Tolbert wearing a maxi print dress.
Ellen Designs was founded 13 years ago by Hellen Tolbert. Now a director and lead designer of the company, she says she was inspired by a lifelong love for design and fashion. Hellen’s vision is to craft pieces that blend timeless elegance with a deep appreciation for African culture and contemporary fashion.
Targeting a diverse audience, Ellen Designs caters to both the formal and casual wear markets. Over the years, she has established a presence in Africa, Europe, and the US, and now strategically expanding into Asia.
How do you incorporate traditional Kenyan textile techniques and cultural motifs into your contemporary designs while ensuring authenticity and respectful representation?
Contemporary designs evolved from traditional and cultural fashion wear. At Ellen, the blending of modernity and traditional wear must be moderated, balanced, and aligned to either a traditional or current trend. Patterns, colour, texture, and elasticity play a key role in the blending of Kenyan textile and cultural motifs. This process at times gives life to a design whose trend had long faded while in other instances it gives birth to a new design for future generations. This is the beauty of fashion and creativity.
Ellen Designs Founder, Hellen Tolbert, wearing a printed peak lapel blazer.
What challenges and opportunities have you encountered in sourcing local materials and working with Kenyan artisans?
The supply of local materials, particularly textiles, is very limited. As a result, sourcing costs are exorbitant compared to imports. Given the high demand for these materials, quality has remained a concern.
Very few local producers can deliver high-quality fabric at affordable prices. Local Kenyan artisans are talented and fast learners; they are always curious about trends and open to learning and development. Competition for experienced local artisans is high and this disrupts production.
Ellen Designs Founder, Hellen Tolbert wearing a white shirt, scarf palazzo pants with print details.
Beyond designs, how does your brand contribute to sustainable fashion practices and empower local communities?
Ellen Design has fully embraced sustainable fashion in its production value chain. We mainly use locally produced materials; this reduces our carbon footprint.
Hellen Tolbert wearing sleeveless black top and maxi skirt with print details.
We support the circular economy through collaboration with upcycling firms in the disposal of our waste products. We also have a coaching and mentorship programme for students, young and upcoming designers; we train them to embrace and advocate for sustainable fashion.