Moja kwa Moja na Deedah K — Founder of Dezired

1. For anyone hearing about you for the first time — who are you and what do you do?
My name is Deedah K, a self-taught sewist & fashion designer, and my brand is ‘Dezired’.

2. When did this whole thing start for you?
I started sewing in 2023 when I got my first sewing machine. I started by learning the basics of sewing and fashion design, while experimenting with altering my own clothes and giving thrifted pieces a new look. I also used thrifted fabrics to experiment with creating designs of my own.

With time, as I advanced my skills, I moved from altering clothes to creating my own designs and drafting patterns from scratch. In 2024, I started Dezired to take the designing side more seriously.

3. Where do you pull your inspo from?
I’ve always had an interest in the fashion design industry. I was also tired of taking my clothes to the tailor whenever I wanted something altered and of seeing and buying common designs. I wanted the freedom to create pieces that felt more personal and different.

A lot of my inspiration comes from my personal style and things I’d actually want to wear. I also enjoy challenging myself creatively by seeing what I can create with the materials I already have. I save my scraps and leftover materials because you never know what you can turn them into. I don’t think creativity always needs something new to start with.

4. You’re based where exactly? Do you have a shop or spot people can pull up to?
I’m based in Nairobi Kenya. For now, I mainly sell through Instagram and don’t have a physical location yet.

5. Can someone come to you with their own design, or is it strictly your creations?
For now, I do both. I have ready-to-wear pieces that I’ve designed and made, and I also take selected custom orders.

My main goal, though, is for Dezired to grow into a ready-to-wear brand focused primarily on my own designs.

6. Take us through how a piece comes together — sketch first or does the fabric just talk to you?
It honestly depends. Sometimes I have an idea in my head and sketch it out first, while other times the fabric or material inspires the piece. I also draft my patterns from scratch, so sometimes the design develops as I work on the pattern and put the piece together.

Being self-taught has taught me to appreciate my mistakes. I’ve learnt that becoming skilled requires being unafraid to mess up, because every mistake teaches me something.

7. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve turned into an actual outfit?
One of the pieces that comes to mind is a denim dress I made from scraps I’d collected from previous outfits I’d made. I patched them together to create the dress, and it took me about a month to finish.

I enjoy finding ways to turn leftover materials into something new and wearable, and I hope to explore that more through Dezired while reducing unnecessary waste.

8. Any moment so far that made you go “wow, we’re really doing this”?
One of my memorable moments so far has been having a Dezired piece worn at Afro Nation in Portugal. It was a reminder of how far my work can go, even while I’m still building my brand.

9. What’s next on the agenda — a collection, a collab, the big dream?
My goal is to grow Dezired into a ready-to-wear brand where my own designs are the main focus. I want to create collections that people can actually shop from.

I also want to keep improving my skills, collaborate with other creatives and eventually have a physical space for the brand.

Honestly, that’s the goal — to build something people genuinely connect with and want to support because they love my craft.