Inua

is a Swahili word that means

To Elevate or To Raise Up

Inua

is a Swahili word that means

To Elevate

As the name suggests, the hallmark of our existence is to elevate. We are a brand here to serve fashion forward, conscious consumers around the world. Our premium leather goods are handcrafted in Kenya and allow our customers to look good while supporting a greater purpose. ‍

Not only do we aim to empower African artisans by bringing their handmade luxury products to the global stage. But we're also driven to empower Kenyan youth through education. As we focus on serving our customers with high quality products, we hope to broaden our impact by offering scholarships to deserving students.
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10% of all profits will be invested to promote youth education in Africa. This initiative will provide opportunities for the next generation, as a way to help eradicate extreme poverty. With our products we guarantee that you will not only look good, but will be supporting a greater purpose while doing so!

Inua Leather Inc came to be through a progression of events that are worth mentioning to understand our Journey. I left my home country, Kenya, to study in the United States by way of an athletic scholarship. Basketball gave me an opportunity that is not afforded to many from an impoverished neighborhood like mine.
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For this reason, I have always felt privileged and blessed for the path sports cleared for me. But as the saying goes "To whom much is given much is expected" so from the day I boarded that plane to leave, I knew I had a responsibility to at some point return and make a difference. ‍

My first attempt at answering that challenge came when I spearheaded a charity project my freshman year. A group of us spent the semester collecting new and gently used shoes for kids back in my country. The project was a huge success, we shipped over 250 pairs of shoes to the slums of Mathare. It was exciting to get pictures of the kids smiling with their new shoes on. However, the excitement soon faded when I thought more on the actual impact of this project.‍

I started to realize that to sustain these happy faces and smiles, I would have to keep sending shoes. Then I thought about the local shoe venders, how do projects like these affect their businesses? From all these thoughts, I knew I had to find a better way to help. I wanted to make a difference without creating a culture of dependency. Instead, to promote sustainability while strengthening the local economy and actually change the trajectory of the lives of those whose story I know too well.
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My second year in college came with a bit of a challenge. Due to unavoidable circumstances back in Kenya, I took on the responsibility of paying my baby sister’s tuition. My first thought was to get a part time job to earn enough to send her to school. But as a student athlete class, practice, weight room, games and study halls left no time for that, so I had to get creative. I reconnected with an old friend in Kenya who was in the leather industry making a variety of products. We came to an agreement where he would occasionally ship me products that I would sell around campus. I made enough selling the shoes, bags, belts and wallets, to not only cover his costs but also the full cost for my sister’s tuition.
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