‘I dropped out of medical school to pursue fashion’
Peter Okatch dropped out of the school of medicine two years into the course to pursue a career in fashion in a move that would astound many.
He has a simple explanation for this brave move.
“I decided to follow my heart.”
READY FOR TASK AHEAD
He enrolled for a degree in entrepreneurship and accounting at the United States International University (USIU) and graduated in 2016, ready for the task ahead.
He focused on women’s fashion but following the death of his younger brother who had a strong sense of fashion, he ventured into men’s fashion in his honour.
“I went ahead and did a course in entrepreneurship with a professor known as Scott Bellows which equipped me skills in designing jackets,” he noted.
He actualised his dream of starting the company in 2017 and named it King Sidney.
Raising his seed capital however wasn’t easy as he had to seek a hand from his family and friends.
His designs are inspired by exposure to various events and activities around the world.
“I love design work and it’s essentially what I do for a living so I get ideas from a range of objects, characters and life events.”
He only focuses on designer jackets which he says he is able to do it to perfection.
He has since partnered with an angel investor in addition to his four employees who include a full-time employee, a saleslady and two on part-time basis.
“Jackets are our focus for now because it’s what we’re extremely good at. So it makes sense to focus on it. Everything else within the set which include a shirt and pants, are fairly easy to get anywhere else while jackets on the other hand are quite unique.”
Okatch says most of his clients are men above 35 but also has few of the lower age group.
He markets his work mainly on the website but also interacts with his clients on a one on one basis.
“Whether it’s through activations, events or personalised delivery, all our sales happen offline through human to human interaction.”
He says the website www.kingsidney.co.ke is there to provide information about the brand.
Some of the exhibitions where his work is available include Rossyln Riviera mall, Kasuku centre and Ciata Mall in Ridgeways.
“We don’t custom make but we stock our jackets in sizes one and two. So if he wants one it will be readily available for purchase right away.”
He sources the fabrics and other materials from the United Kingdom and Italy which are used up to 90 per cent in their products.
“However, we’ll use a fabric as long as it’s of extremely high quality irrespective of where it’s from.”
He says that in order to remain competitive in the market, he has to maintain a high level of creativity.
He says he also works on a full-time basis so as to give it his best.
“As a luxury brand, we look at the market different from what you may be accustomed to. Creativity is a very important skill in high end brands such as ours,” he added.
This is a key determinant to the pricing of each product.
“The prices range from Sh 28,500 to Sh 64,500 depending on the individual jacket,” he said.
His dream is to become an outstanding brand not only in Kenya but for Africa.
“We will begin to incorporate shoes at some point but that’s still far off in the future.”
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