Jeffrey Kimathi is a renowned name in Kenya and the global fashion industry thanks to his Jamhuri Wear clothing line that has been donned by renowned world celebrities.
Kimathi moved to the United States of America in 1998 with the hope of getting better opportunities that would transform his life as an artist.
In the US, he first resided in Dallas, where he did jobs that did not relate to his artistry, however, he just did them to earn income to sustain himself.
After staying for three years in Dallas, he decided to move to New York in 2001 and settled in Harlem. He moved to New York just after the September 11 terrorist attack in the city.
In New York, he noticed that black population was huge, but it was not represented in terms of art, and decided to embark on a journey to fill the gap.
The journey started with him working at Ecko Unlimited, a renowned fashion house in New York, after which he moved to MTV.
Jay Z in Nelson Mandela t-shirt by Jamhuri Wear. [Photo: Jamhuri Wear Pinterest]
Working with the two renowned brands gave him the experience he needed to set up his own fashion house, a move he took in 2005 when he established Jamhuri Wear in collaboration with Ibrahim Doukoure, a fashion designer from Guinea.
According to him, establishing Jamhuri Wear was to create a brand that would represent the Black population and put it on the global map.
He started with clothes branded with the image of Kenyan freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi which he sold at his local store in Harlem and online.
The choice of the name 'Jamhuri' and the use of Dedan Kimathi's images were well calculated as they resonated with his dream of creating something for the black population that could set them apart from the rest.
His cloth line also designed T-shirts branded with images of former South African President the late Nelson Mandela, flags of African States, and the Kenyan national anthem among others.
Jamhuri Wear resonated with the black population and attained massive success which saw its outfits being embraced and worn by global celebrities such as Jay Z, Lupita Nyong'o, Akon, Jidena, K'naan, Damian Marley, and Tom Morello among others.
In addition to Jamhuri Wear, Kimathi also runs Buyu Collection, a fashion entity that focuses on African artisanal patterns fused with world-class design
