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Enda was born from a desire to share Kenyan running culture with the world. Inspired by the concept of community running that thrives in Kenya’s North Rift Valley, which has birthed generations of the greatest long-distance runners, Navalayo Osembo set out to make the first homegrown running shoe.
Started in 2016 through a global kickstarter campaign, today, her brand is empowering people all over the globe to run like a Kenyan. Now, it’s set to go even further, the collaboration with SEVARIA is launching them from the performance-driven sportswear arena into the fashion realm. We spoke to Navalayo about how cross-collaboration is helping boost Kenya’s creative scene.
In conversation With Enda
Words by Shado.Mag
Can you tell us a bit about the initial inspiration behind Enda?
Navalayo: A lot of inspiration was drawn from where I live. I am from Iten, ‘the city of champions', an area in Kenya where a lot of the top athletes come from. Enda is the Kiswahili word for ‘go’. You hear it a lot during athletics and sports where everyone will shout: “Enda, Enda Enda” - so for us this name was perfect.
This also seems to be a big part of your business ethos – you never stop developing! What would you like the legacy of the brand to be?
Navalayo: Much of African history isn’t written down, instead it’s passed down through word of mouth. I want my designs to be a part of that storytelling. People can look for clues in our products and the shoes themselves can tell a story.
We love that idea. Do you run yourself?
Navalayo: Yes, I really enjoy running and have a Strava group with my friends which has been great at keeping our community going through Covid-19. Even though we aren’t always able to physically run together, it has been great to motivate each other and keep that sense of community through our leadership board on the app.
What music is on your running playlist?
Navalayo: Some of my favourite Kenyan musicians who I listen to while I’m running are Nyashinski, King Kaka and the amazing feminist singer Muthoni the Drummer Queen. She’s a runner herself, and I see my designs as influenced by her.
“In Kenya sustainability is about job creation and livelihoods”
Navalayo Osembo
Enda is B CORP CERTIFIED. Can you tell us about what sustainability looks like to you?
Navalayo: It all started with asking the question: what is sustainability? It’s important to note that this has a very different notion outside of Africa and means different things in different contexts. In Kenya sustainability is about job creation and livelihoods, it’s about creating agency through income provision, and for us this comes down to the importance of a stable supply chain.
Our products are carbon neutral and our ethos is rooted in a commitment to people and the environment. We want to promote an alternative way of doing business from a local perspective and are witnessing changes in the mindset of local communities. Consumers are moving away from the question: How much does it cost? to the more important questions: Where is it made? Who made it? This puts the necessary pressure on companies to source and create sustainably.
A big change we made has been to remove the use of shoeboxes and packaging. I stood there one day looking at a pile of empty shoeboxes and just thought, there has to be a better way. So, we no longer package our shoes in shoeboxes and we also only use recycled newspaper as the stuffing in the shoes.
We also know that due to Creative DNA project you are now merging into fashion, can you tell us a bit more about this transition?
Navalayo: Yes, so it has been really exciting. I have started a fashion line with Sevaria where we have started to create items of clothing that people can run in and feel comfortable in.
This sounds so exciting and leads us nicely on to our final question, what is next for Enda, where do you see the brand in 5 years time?
Navalayo: My vision is to share Kenya’s running culture with the world. I’m incredibly excited by the unknown in terms of the future potential for Enda and the creative community that is building around us.
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Isabella Pearce is the co-founder and co-editor of shado mag
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