Lilo’s Trends - Women’s Fashion for the Diaspora and More
By Mukurima X. Muriuki
Shopping is a favorite pastime among women around the world. Fortunately, our Kenyan sister, Lilian Kaesa, has brought us fashion with a Kenyan flair in the form of her brand, Lilo’s Trends. Her store is Afrocentric with a mission to inspire African culture and global fashion. We at AWM have been inspired by her accomplishments and hope our readers will get to know Lilian and her brand. She talked to AWM about her struggles and accomplishments with a startup business in the Diaspora, her personality, betrayal, and her love for her family.
Parents want the best for their children, and Kaesa was insistent upon her children going to an excellent school. “Since day one, the move to our current location in Middletown, Delaware, and their excellent school district, has been my most impactful decision since arriving in America. We always wanted our children to attend a Charter school, but I could not qualify for the lottery. We tried a few times, but we could not. A charter school is not controlled by the state. Instead, they have a board of directors. This gives them the ability to hire the teachers of their choosing. There are a few grants available through the school, however, most of the funding comes from parents and donors,” she explained.
Leaving her beautiful Kenyan community was bittersweet, but she knew that America opened up doors for her to reach her potential. She not only saw opportunities for a career, but also for successful side jobs. In Kenya, she could have been a stay-at-home Mom, but in America she was able to discover her talents and use them to succeed.
When discussing her career choices, Kaesa has a couple of regrets. First, she wished that she had pursued her career goals. Instead, she feels like she settled for second best. She enrolled in a paralegal course for one year. Soon after, she switched to Occupational Therapy because she heard that there was a demand for this position, and the pay was lucrative. Second, she feels that she had her children too late. “I should have had my children earlier than I did. When I had my babies I was starting out in my career. As much as you want to enjoy your career, there is the flip side of feeling you are neglecting the babies,” she continued.
There are certain events in life that cause us to shed a few tears, and Kaesa fondly remembers weeping after giving birth to her children. “The day we got discharged from the hospital after the delivery of my firstborn, I was overwhelmed with joy and the reality that my child’s life was literally in my hands. This made me cry. I realized that I had never loved anyone until I had my children. It is like a superhero moment. I was scared of how I would spend the first night away from the hospital. It was a mix of emotions. I was overwhelmed by this whole process of someone being in my womb for 9 months, and now she was in my hands,” she explained. The fact that she felt elated was a blessing to her because she was aware of women who, although they carry a child for 9 months, are detached from the child. All she could think about was how to transfer strong values to her child, and how to be a wonderful mother.
Even though there is a small population of Kenyans in America, Kaesa admires Dr. Kimemia because of her inspirational story of how she became a doctor. “She is inspirational to many Kenyans with visions and dreams of pursuing their goals. Dr. B is also very humble.” she stated.
Betrayal can cause irreparable damage, however, it is always worse when it comes from a family member or a friend. “When I first branded my business, I used to order my logo merchandise from this particular company in the spirit of supporting our own. The initial few orders went well with a few corrections here and there. One time, I paid in advance for an order to be quickly processed, since I had an event to display. Maina (let me tell you), the dude gave me the run-around. ‘Sijui, my aunt who lives in New York, is bringing your order next week.’ ‘Mara, let me contact my Aunt so she can contact you — yadi yadi yada.’ Eventually, I realized I was being played. I dropped any further business with that particular company and considered it bad debt. I moved on to a different vendor. It's their loss. The lesson I learned is always to have a plan B,” she remarked.
When Kaesa isn’t working on her fashion line, she is spending time with her friends. If her friends were to describe her using one word, she feels they would say that she is “caring.” At times, she finds it difficult to keep up with her friends and the current affairs taking place in Kenya, so she listens to NPR radio. Most people do not realize that she can be shy and prefers to be alone. One reason why she enjoys being alone is that she feels that many people are very sensitive nowadays. She explained, “People like to be offended in every little thing. You can disagree with someone, but when someone tries to expand that little thing to become a moment of discussing past grudges, it is nauseating. I also dislike politics because of the conflicts they bring. I see people fighting for people who don’t even know they exist. Friends become enemies.” Nevertheless, she hopes to have a long life so that she can enjoy her children and grandchildren. When she is enjoying her alone time, she enjoys listening to her favorite music. Kaesa revealed that her favorite song of all time is “I'm Every Woman.” As a Houston fan myself, I have to whole-heartedly agree with her.
Like Whitney Houston who became a music icon in post Civil War America, Lilian Kaesa hopes to make her mark in the fashion industry. She is on her way with Lilo’s Trends and doing an amazing job!
In order to see Lilian’s designs and to learn more about her business, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/liveyourbeststyle/