Interview with Timothy Kayima about Edge Bespoke his men’s clothing design company

1. What are your names?

My name is Timothy Kayima

2. Where did you go to school?

I attended St. Mary’s School Nairobi and later Daystar University Athi River for

my undergraduate studies.

3. What did you study?

I studied Management Information Systems.

4. Tell us about what you do? We heard that you are clothing design?

I am a certified men’s image professional. I understand the intricacies and

foundations of how garments are made when designing for specific body

types, I advise on how to develop and enhance personal style and

professional appearance and I provide access to high quality custom

tailoring with a wide selection of luxury fabric options.

5. What are some of the major influences in your past that are determining

what you are doing now? We hear you were into Technology?

I have always had an inclination towards bespoke products. Even when I

worked in technology, one of my major roles was website development. I find

the amount of time, effort and especially expertise needed to create a

product to the exact specifications of a client both fascinating and satisfying.

My mother who is a professional baker was my earliest influence. From

childhood I watched her bake, design and decorate cakes for various

occasions, each with their own unique specifications and for a wide range of

clients. This is exactly what I do with custom menswear inspired by the

uniqueness of each individual.

6. Tell us about what kind of training someone needs to get involved in

clothing design? How are you distinguishing yourself from the rest?

Most people begin with training in fashion and design at diploma or degree

level. My story is a bit unconventional in that I began with training in men’s

image consulting and currently bespoke cutting and tailoring with a primary

focus on suits. My training is specific to the niche bespoke menswear market.

Each encounter with a client for me is a journey into understanding who an

individual is even beyond personal style. I pay attention to an individual’s

profession, lifestyle and values so that I can incorporate aspects of these into what I create for them. It is an ongoing

and evolving relationship, the depth of which goes beyond the clothing.

Through my company ‘Edge Bespoke’ based in Nairobi, I provide made to

measure suiting services. From the gorge lines to the lapels, from the lapel

roll to the button stance; from the drape down to the stitching, every detail is

considered in order to create a well-crafted piece of clothing that

compliments all the contours of your physique in order to obtain the perfect

fit, proportions, style and sartorial image.

7. We often talk about the major players in the Ecosystem of Tech. What

does the clothing/men's design ecosystem look like what does it consist

of?

I like to broadly categorise the menswear ecosystem into mass produced

and designer clothing which most people are familiar with and finally

bespoke. Each are distinguished by the level of craftsmanship and attention

to detail that goes into production with bespoke being the highest. The

bespoke menswear ecosystem consists of master tailors who have honed

their skills over several years in hand craft tailoring and clothing pattern

development. By appointment only, they work in tailoring houses and provide

access to the most luxurious fabrics from all over the world. Production of a

single garment can take up to 6 weeks with several fittings and with costs

upwards of $5000. A few major players in the ecosystem are Maurice

Sedwell, Ozwald Boateng and Huntsaman from Savile Row, England and

Kiton, Cesare Attolini and Isaia from Naples, Italy.