A Nairobi designer is reviving traditional weaving techniques as a response to mass-produced fashion and concerns about its environmental impact. Hillary Mukubwa, founder of Mukabwa Studios, uses hand looms to produce fabrics and clothes, arguing that traditional methods preserve cultural stories and craftsmanship. He views his practice as a way to preserve techniques he believes are being lost to modernization. Unlike electric machines designed for mass production, Mukubwa says hand looms create individual pieces with meaning and artistry. Customers praise the clothing’s organic cotton quality, as well as its distinctiveness, saying the visible craftsmanship sets it apart from typical retail fashion. Mukubwa now hopes to take the stories embedded in his work beyond Kenya, presenting traditional craftsmanship as cultural preservation and an alternative to mass fashion.