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Name: Nuba Elamin, Lynn Bugaari, Tetsi Bugaari

Business: Buqisi-Ruux, African print high heels 

Industry: Clothing & Accessories 

Location: Nairobi, Kenya 

Reason for starting: We were recent graduates and were sitting on a computer everyday applying for jobs waiting for someone to validate our potential by offering us a job. A few months later we decided we can do something on our own – something we love. We brainstormed and came up with a brand that represented us as individuals and also as collectively. Lynn has a serious shoe obsession, Tetsi is very creative, artsy and has experience with the fashion industry while Nuba has deep rooted passion for Africa – the cultures, traditions and diverseness in each country. 

Other than our different passions, from a business perspective, we saw a gap in the market; African fashion using african print fabric was popular but many were focusing on cloths and accessories. We decided to make African print heels. 

Related: Read about another Clothing & Accessories entrepreneur here. 

How do you define success? To us, success means creating a business that can positively impact, inspire and empower women! Buqisi-Ruux is not just about selling shoes, we celebrates African women, women who are shaping the future of our continent. We share stories of these women with the hope that they can inspire women all over the world. 

Biggest success:  Our biggest success thus far is being able to have good quality African-Inspired heels that are available and accessible in the market. We still have a long way to go as we have only just turned one but one is able to access our shoes on online at www.buqisi-ruux.com; you can also find the shoes at stores Kampala and Nairobi. 

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? There are many challenges when starting a business; one of our biggest challenges is finding distribution outlets. We want someone in Nigeria, Angola, London, New York…to be able to go to a store and purchase a pair of Buqisi-Ruux shoes. We are addressing this challenge by going out there are connecting with store that understand our mission and vision, we are also networking to see how best we can grow our brand. 

Related: Female Entrepreneurship Growing Against the Odds in Africa 

Who is your most important role model? Our role models are African women – the backbone of our society. This is why, with every shoe we create we name it after these women who are shaping the future of our continent – CEOs, Parliamentarians, Artists, Poets… 

[box_light]Website   www.buqisi-ruux.com 
Twitter   @buqisi_ruux 
Facebook   www.facebook.com/BuqisiRuux [/box_light]

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Edited by The Story Exchange