The Kenyan-American who has been featured in the latest edition of Teen Vogue did not initially find it easy in the US. She faced rejection, which almost ruined her life. Omondi, however, turned the rejection into victory and is now soaring high.
In 2013, she launched her designer label OMONDI. Her designs were telling the Kenyan story. At first, she received a lot of accolades. Her works were received well by notable publications like in Issa Rae’s show Insecure and W Magazine.
Eventually, Omondi was forced to shut down her designer line in 2020 due to financial constraints and heavy losses.
But little did she know that it was a blessing in disguise.Â
Before her business went down, luckily Omondi had launched a podcast, The Cutting Room Floor. She launched it in 2018 after facing a lot of criticism and rejection in the fashion industry.
One of her podcasts has now turned out to be among Michelle Obama’s favourite shows.
The twice-monthly show has featured interviews with up-and-comers and industry stalwarts: Obama’s favourite Christopher John Rogers, Gap and Old Navy executive Mickey Drexler, and fashion’s Internet patrol Diet Prada to name a few.Â
Omondi has been championed as an interviewer for her directness, her desire to get to the root of issues, and her willingness to push her guests, unearthing beyond where other media outlets may cut the tape
She is now among the best interviewers in the US.
“Everyone knows this, and that’s what’s so fascinating, that everyone acts like they don’t know this. But we all knew that the industry, especially at the luxury level, was about pedigree. And it’s always been that way. It’s for the aristocracy, the bourgeois, moneyed women, society women as they used to call them. It was a very linear, pretentious, discriminatory pipeline to get to any kind of prestigious job in fashion,” Omondi noted on her journey in the fashion industry in the US.
She added, “The same people who upheld those standards are now scrambling backwards, and almost trying to absolve themselves as if they never participated in this. That’s what’s fascinating to observe because, for people like me, I’ve been here for over ten years.”
Omondi has now established a big podcast redefining content creation and how interviews are done.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM
