Pocket Pennies: Symbolism in Hellen Wanjiru’s Design

Hellen Wanjiru, Hero Clotheline

When I started this journey, I had no big support system—just a dream and a relentless search for jobs that never truly fulfilled me. In Kenya, fashion is often seen as a set of rules, a script we’re handed at birth: dress simple, blend in, follow the norm. But I wanted more.

For Kibera Fashion Week, I chose pockets—not just as a design element but as a statement. Oversized, exaggerated, impossible to ignore. They symbolize the big ideas we, the youth, carry within us—ideas bursting with potential, yet often unseen. But when you reach inside, they are empty. No resources, no opportunities, just space filled with possibility waiting to be realized.

This collection is deeply personal. One year of defying limitations, of proving to myself that I don’t need a traditional job to create impact. Now, I can showcase my vision to the world. And in doing so, I’ve opened doors I never imagined—doors that no job application could have unlocked.