Fashion designers and education in Nairobi:Challenges and opportunities

This chapter focuses on fashion and the role of Higher Education (HE) in the fashion design sector in Nairobi and Kenya more broadly. It provides a brief introduction to fashion as an economic and creative sector in Kenya. The chapter introduces some of the literature on HE and the creative economy, looking specifically at the challenges of creative education. It reviews the education provision and policy framework of HE and fashion design education in Kenya. The chapter identifies the role of HE as a key provider of creative human capital for the fashion sector, and consider the education and training provided in relation to the demands and needs of industry. It focuses on the role HE can and needs to play in developing value-adding opportunities in fashion and textiles, and reconnecting with broader developmental goals and agendas which might influence the sector’s next stage of development in Kenya.