| Summary: | By employing the concept of organizational agility, the paper explores factors that can foster
scalability in Kenyan fashion startups. In a market that is inundated with South East Asian
imports and a notorious albeit thriving second-hand goods not to mention fake and
counterfeit items, the Kenyan fashion industry is in dire straits indeed. That is not to say that
there are no successful firms in the industry but to observe that there could be much to
improve to help bolster the developmental aspirations of the nation. This is an industry that
often requires low capital for startups, is open to all sorts of innovation, is women and youth
friendly as well as addresses a basic human need among other things. Yet, to the best of my
recollection, other than the Maasai leso or shuka, the safari suit and the kiondo basket (for a
short time) are probably the only Kenyan fashion items that have achieved global style. The
industry needs to innovate beyond the scope of a standard business model and with a view
to alleviating poverty, creating employment, reducing inequality and promoting human
dignity. In order to achieve scalability in Kenyan fashion startups, one needs to consider the
life cycle of product development by ensuring that enterprises are based on shortening the
time between idea development to product innovation and market entry and then
lengthening market presence. Using a case study of an engaged scholarship program in
Kenya, I combine the three concepts of Innovation, Business Agility, and Directed Idea
Generation to suggest ways of fostering scalability for startups in the industry to reinvent one
of the most iconic recreational dress item to ever come out of Kenya.
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