The history of the Italian Malindi, which now spans several decades of stories, characters and legends, is not only made up of tourists and travellers passing through, but also and above all of compatriots who have stopped to breathe in Africa and have found fertile ground to bring their own desire to work and often their professionalism.
This is certainly the case with Stefania Livi, whom many now know as ‘Stefy Wildside’, because of her ‘trademark’, which is not just a shop but a griffe and, I would say, a way of experiencing Kenya.
Growing up in Milan in the world, or rather in the fashion district between Via della Spiga and Via Montenapoleone, Stefania has been the only Italian fashion designer working permanently on the Kenyan coast since 1992.
She personally designs and produces original and exclusive clothing and accessories and her brand, in the Third Millennium, has conquered thousands of international tourists, the Kenyan jet-set in Nairobi and VIPs passing through Malindi.
The secrets of this success, which combines Italian excellence with African materials and labour, are soon explained: creativity that is never banal and never an end in itself, quality and research into materials, a desire to surprise and a pinch of conceptual art.
Over the years she has explored all Kenyan and sub-Saharan African materials: from the beads that adorn belts, bags and sandals with unusual designs, to the famous Zairean bakuba, with which she was the first to create bags that everyone has imitated. Her dresses and shirts made using Tanzanian khanga and Nigerian kithenge are splendid, with an all-Italian taste and design and an attention to finishing that is rare to find in Kenya.
As well as giving a touch of exotic elegance to high quality materials imported from Italy.
Another aspect that makes Stefania's production unique is her love for art, which has led her on more than one occasion to collaborate with painters and photographers who gravitate around Malindi and Watamu. She has often hosted exhibitions of paintings in her shop and has also launched lines of accessories and clothing (bags, pochettes, wallets, but also t-shirts) inspired by African photographers, such as Francesca Partesi, Giampaolo Tomasi and Leni Frau.
At WildSide you dive into the ocean of a fashion visionary, in which classic creations, intriguing insights, a vintage touch and a lot of elegance float in the beauty of an Italian-style Africa to wear and carry. Wildside Shop is located at the Sabaki Centre in Malindi, next to the Bar Bar on Lamu Road.
You can follow it here: https://www.instagram.com/wildsideshopmalindi/