Not much was known about Vanessa Nekesa until she won the Blaze Be Your Own Boss competition in 2017, coming away with Ksh 3 million in financing and Ksh 2 million in mentorship, financial guidance, and business support.
Her success was the outcome of her own enterprise, V-Design, also known as Nekesa Queens Ltd, a fashion house she created at the age of 17, just after graduating from high school.
Nekesa, who was raised in a large family, told The Standard that after her mother died, she was adopted by her uncle and aunt, Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli and his wife Rosalinda.
She said while she had always been interested in fashion and even had a sketchbook filled with designs, her ideas really took off after she finished her KCSE examinations in 2014.
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“Any time there was an event, people would come to me to design something for them, or they would send their friends to me. This support from my family and friends was a real driving force when I was considering building a business
“Just after I sat my KCSE in 2014 and was thinking about getting serious with fashion, a friend asked for an outfit. I only had Ksh 1,000 with me, which I used to buy fabric at Ksh 450 and the tailor charged me Ksh 500,” she said.
Nekesa stated that what distinguishes her firm is that she has concentrated her creativity on designing exclusively for the plus-size community.
“V-Designs is a fashion house for plus size women whom we usually refer to as ‘tripple C’ (curvy, confident, chic). We sell a feeling and confidence. That’s what differentiates us from our competitors,” she stated.
One of her most notable accomplishments was her nomination for the Top 40 Under 40 Women in Kenya in 2017, where she was rated 14th.
Nekesa attended Kakamega Primary School before enrolling in Moi Girls High School in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
In 2015, she joined Mount Kenya University (MKU), where she studied information technology (BIT).
