Our mission is to share the beauty of Africa with the world through luxury fashion in an ethical way.
Founding Brothers:
Koy was founded by two brothers, Alastair and Jimmy Scott, who were born and raised in Africa. "From growing up in Kenya, we were surrounded by the stunning striped Kikoy fabric. It was a dream of ours to show the world Kenya’s bright and beautiful culture in an empowering and luxury way, and Kikoyfabric struck us as the perfect way in which to do so"
Our promise - valuing the inspiration:
From the moment our first blazer was stitched, we made a promise to give 5% of revenue (not profits) to projects within Kenyan communities, helping the people, the place and the wildlife. Africa has so much to offer and while many choose to give back to it, there are some who sadly choose to exploit it. It is our promise to value what this stunning continent has given us.
Investment/The Growth:
Midway through 2017 we received investment from a hedge fund in London, which enabled us to quit our full time jobs and pursue the dream!
We went from offering purely striped blazers and waistcoats made from Kenyan Kikoy fabric to launching an entire collection of blazers, shirts, polos, shorts, and more, all with subtle yet eye-catching details of Kenyan Kikoy Fabric. We expanded our events circuit to 12 events a year, plus stocking in over 13 stores UK wide and 6 safari lodges in Kenya. In 2019 we turned over 10x what we did in our first year and we haven't looked back since...
Kenyan Kikoy Fabric:
"Used like never before"
Kikoy has a very unique striped pattern that is iconic to Kenyan culture. If you've ever been to Kenya, you would have most likely spotted this fabric used by the locals in a variety ways. From home decor, to wraps for warmth, for carrying babies on their backs, etc.
Over the years tourists took a liking to this fabric and started using it for sarongs on the beach, towels, beach shorts, etc: and now because of us - luxury fashion...
Kikoy has never been used before in the way we use it! It took us years of developing the fabric for it to be suitable for our premium garments. Thanks to our team of local Artisans in Kenya, we are now in the position to produce many new and unique stripes and colours of Kikoy.
We are proud to continue our partnership with the East Africa Character Development Trust (EACDT) with a new £30,000 (4,624,000 KSH) donation…Back in February 2019, we first visited the EACDT and began our commitment to supporting the amazing work that they do with our first donation of £2,176. This grew to £9,576 over the first 3 years of our partnership (2019-2021).
We are so happy with the progress and results that the EACDT have achieved so far, we decided to further increase our donation to £10,000 per year for 3 years (2022-2025). This donation will help fund over 520 character development sessions per year, impacting over 1200 children.
Launched in 2013, the mission of the East Africa Character Development Trust(EACDT) is to transform the lives of thousands of disadvantaged young Africans through Character Education and sport.
Approved by the Kenyan Ministry of Education and working in 17 schools in the Nairobi area, the EACDT is dedicated to improving the lives of children, some of whose stories you can read here. In a country with no no free secondary education and where youth unemployment is 55%, a good education is critical to a child’s future. Using a syllabus inspired by the work of the world renowned KIPP Foundation in the USA, we have developed an innovative programme that marries Cricket and Character Education.
Success in life depends on more than academic learning. We instil character strengths deemed essential for development and success; and, as importantly, we empower children to express their voices and thus help them improve their own communities.
As with many others, we believe that Character Education is incredibly important. In the United Kingdom the former Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan began the process of putting it into the National Curriculum. President Kenyatta of Kenya has also talked about the importance of both education and character.
In Africa, where living and working conditions are much more uncertain and challenging and where de-stabilisation and extremism are real, major issues , it is needed even more.
At every stage we aim to build the characters of the girls and boys in a deliberate, planned and structured way.
Our Character Education Programme instils those values, skills and attitudes that enable children to reach their potential at school, at home, in their communities and in the workplace. Cricket lends itself especially well to developing essential characteristics. It creates a dynamic in which players are not only team members but are also individuals charged with particular responsibilities from which there is no hiding place. It demands high levels of concentration, strategic thinking, stamina and physical courage. It is a complex sport offering a range of different opportunities to contribute, on and off the field. Cricket’s best traditional values – play hard, play fair – are highly relevant to all aspects of the human experience.
EACDT works with up to 4,000 children a week. We have 12 full time African cricket coaches, skilled in Character Education. Learn more about them here. Our Operations Director is a schoolmaster by profession, with an MBE for his work with under-privileged children.
Most of the schools we work in are in massively deprived and dangerous areas. Many of the children have been orphaned by HIV/Aids. Their future could be bleak. But the work of the EACDT gives children some fun in their lives with cricket and in developing character, self control and confidence gives them hope for their future.
