Louise Sommerlatte and Hamaji Studio: Textiles, Craft and Coastal Kenya
Hamaji Studio brings a textile-led approach to Kenyan fashion. Founded by Louise Sommerlatte in 2017, the label connects free-flowing shapes with natural fibres, handwork and an interest in materials that already carry a history. Its published story places the studio in Kilifi, giving the brand a coastal base within a wider network of artisans and collaborators.
For readers discovering Kenyan designers, Hamaji is especially interesting because the fabric often leads the story. A vintage textile, a woven surface or a botanical colour can influence the character of a garment before its final silhouette is resolved. The result invites attention to touch, movement and the marks of making.
A graduate idea that became a brand
In a March 2025 interview with Twyg, Sommerlatte described studying fashion design at FEDISA in Cape Town. Hamaji began as her graduate collection and continued as a business. She connected the project with travel, textile traditions and an interest in working with independent artisans.
Her official brand story dates Hamaji’s Kenyan launch to 2017 and explains its name through the coastal Swahili idea of a nomad. It describes an aesthetic of soft colours and fluid shapes, using natural fibres, botanical dyes, embroidery and collected vintage textiles.
Those choices provide a useful way to read the collections. Rather than beginning with a single repeated print, look for relationships between texture, colour and proportion. A familiar garment shape can feel different when the surface or the weight of the fabric changes.
A studio in Kilifi
The official website places Hamaji’s studio at the Food Movement on Kilifi Plantations, under a large fig tree among other local designers and creatives. This gives the label a specific geographical setting rather than a general association with East Africa.
A studio base is part of the practical life of a brand: it is where ideas are developed, patterns are considered and material choices begin to become garments. For a reader interested in Kenyan creative places, Kilifi’s presence in Hamaji’s story broadens the map beyond Nairobi’s more frequently photographed fashion venues.
Working with existing textiles
In the Ethical Fashion Initiative’s interview on Kenyan sustainable business models, Sommerlatte describes starting with upcycling, later exploring natural fibres sourced in India and then bringing more reclaimed materials back into production. The account places original pattern development in the Kilifi studio and describes a small-scale, made-to-order approach.
The same interview explains the difficulty of finding traceable fabric and identifies vintage curtains and jackets as materials with creative potential. This is a specific design problem: an existing textile brings its own dimensions, condition and character, so the designer has to work with what is available rather than assume an unlimited repeat supply.
That can make variation meaningful. A colour change or an unusual panel may emerge from the material itself. When looking at such a garment, examine how those differences have been organised: do they support the shape, and does the construction make the whole feel deliberate?
Handwork and a wider artisan network
The Twyg interview describes collaborations ranging from handloom silk in West Bengal to wool weaving in the Himalayas and silk knitting near Mount Kenya. Sommerlatte highlighted the Kullu wool-coat collection as a particularly memorable project, developed through direct work with women artisans.
The account presents craft as a relationship between a design idea and specialist knowledge. The maker’s technique changes what can be achieved, while the designer helps shape how that technique enters a finished garment. Understanding this exchange adds depth to an image that might otherwise be described only by its colour or styling.
For the wearer, it is also a reason to learn the care needs of the particular piece. Fibre, surface treatment and construction matter more than a broad label such as natural or handmade. Good storage and careful cleaning help preserve the qualities that make an artisanal textile distinctive.
The Ethical Fashion Initiative accelerator
EFI’s February 2021 announcement selected Hamaji, Katush and Suave for its Kenya accelerator. It described mentoring and brand development as central parts of the support, with attention to connecting Kenyan creative businesses with international opportunities.
That context matters because a fashion label needs more than a strong collection. Production planning, understanding a market and communicating a design are all part of sustaining the enterprise. An accelerator can offer a structured setting in which a designer works on those areas alongside the creative development.
A Paris presentation in 2022
EFI’s March 2022 account places Hamaji among nine brands presented at The Norm during Paris Fashion Week. The event connected current accelerator participants with alumni and brought together work produced in Africa. Other participating names included Katush, Suave, Jiamini, Margaux Wong and Lukhanyo Mdingi.
The organiser described an installation using recycled, vintage and upcycled elements, including handwoven cotton from Burkina Faso. This placed the material conversation within the presentation itself rather than leaving it only in an accompanying statement.
For Hamaji, the appearance fits a wider pattern in its public history: a Kenyan studio working through a network of local and international relationships. The collections can remain rooted in a particular creative approach while being presented in different places.
Looking at a Hamaji garment
Start with movement and texture. Notice where the fabric falls freely, where it gathers and how a printed or embroidered element changes the surface. Then consider the whole outfit: a quieter accessory can leave room for the textile, while a more sculptural bag can create contrast with a fluid silhouette.
Read our Eco Fashion Week Africa guide and our Liz Ogumbo and DeniMania profile for more perspectives on material reuse and Kenyan fashion.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Hamaji Studio?
Designer Louise Sommerlatte founded the Kenyan label, whose official history dates its launch to 2017.
Where is Hamaji based?
The brand’s published studio information places it at the Food Movement on Kilifi Plantations in coastal Kenya.
What makes the work distinctive?
Its stated approach combines fluid silhouettes with natural fibres, handcraft, botanical colour and collected or reclaimed textiles.
Continue exploring Kenyan design in the journal and browse Moyo Lane’s catalogue for accessories that bring your own wardrobe together.
Sources and further reading
- https://hamajistudio.com/pages/our-philosophy
- https://twyg.co.za/hamaji-champions-sustainability-through-kenyan-artisanship/
- https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/how-these-3-kenyan-brands-are-prioritising-sustainability-in-their-business-models/
- https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/three-brands-selected-for-kenya-accelerator/
- https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/african-fashion-shines-at-paris-fashion-week/