SIAFU is a modern Kenyan weaving house, born in Nairobi, shaped across the continent, and connected to a global design movement. Founded by Gladys Macharia, SIAFU honours the quiet power of craft: the human rhythm of the loom, the warmth of natural fibres, and the beauty of things made with intention.

For Gladys, the journey began in Northern Kenya, where creativity came from the ground beneath her feet: maize, beans, clay shaped into beads. Years later, the same curiosity led her to Florence, to Italian fine jewelry, and to a deeper understanding of design built on history and handwork. Returning home, she discovered a gap no one could ignore: a once-thriving Kenyan textile industry fading into memory, and with it, centuries of skill and culture.

SIAFU exists to ensure those skills not only survive, but evolve.

Our workshop in Nairobi is home to a growing collective of weavers. Together, we transform heritage techniques into textiles that feel deeply modern: refined, soulful, and unmistakably African. We create with purpose, training new generations, expanding opportunities, and building a future where Kenya’s weaving traditions are recognized on the world stage.

At its core, SIAFU is a conversation between craft and culture. Every piece we make is a story of place, of process, of community. Woven slowly, to live beautifully, in spaces that value connection and belonging.

This is design shaped by many hands. This is African craft made to last.