I’m Liza Njoki Colbeck, founder of In Our Name.
For nearly three decades, I have worked across fashion, retail and manufacturing, following the journey of a product from its earliest idea to the moment it reaches the person who will wear it.
That journey has taken me from my very first factory visit in Bangalore, India, to working with global brands in London and New York. For many years, I saw fashion through the lens of the global north. But having grown up in Nakuru, a charming lakeside town in Kenya, I had always seen the raw creativity, skill and sense of community among the artisans and small workshops scattered across the country, and still do.
Years later, my work with the African Union’s Pan-African Fashion Initiative brought those two worlds together. While co-chairing the strategy to develop Africa’s cotton, textile and apparel industry, I saw more clearly that Africa did not lack talent or skill. What was missing was the infrastructure and investment needed not only to compete more effectively in the global marketplace, but also to become an affordable option for local consumers. This experience planted the seed that would later become In Our Name.
I have always been curious about how fashion works and how it could work better. I was fortunate enough to chair the Data Analysis Committee for SizeUK, the UK Government-sponsored project that scanned more than 11,000 people. The data helped 16 major retailers, including Next, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Paul Smith and Debenhams, understand real body proportions and use those findings commercially to improve size allocation and sizing. I was also involved in the early development of the Ethical Trading Initiative and SEDEX. The common lesson I took from these experiences has shaped how I see fashion: not simply as a product, but as something made by people, for people.
Today, our collections are designed between London and Nairobi. We source our fabrics from traceable, environmentally conscious manufacturers in France and Turkey while Africa’s textile sector continues to develop. Every piece is then made exclusively in Kenya with our production partner in Athi River. I support the team with pro bono training and capacity building, and they give us the flexibility to make our collections in small quantities.
This is The Human Edit.