Maisha // by nisria

What is Maisha?

Maisha is a fashion and design studio in Nakuru, Kenya featuring authentic fashion pieces made from ethically repurposed materials, a concept widely known as upcycling. The Maisha project is part of our nonprofit nisria, with a mission to create a safe haven for vulnerable children and women. 

Maisha by nisria allows us to support women and children in need in many ways, including internships, jobs, funding for our programs through product sales and more. We are deeply rooted in making an impact in our community and we empower vulnerable children by equipping them with technical fashion skills they can use to make a living once they are out of care. 

We believe our project is a living entity as all our products are created from inspiring stories, hence the name Maisha – a Swahili word that means ‘alive and well.’ This word honors our dear friend and supporter, Randah Taher, who was involved in nisria since the beginning and led the establishment of the Maisha project in the legacy of her mother, Hayat, which in Arabic means life. Randah passed away in 2023, and Maisha by nisria now also lives on in her legacy.

Maisha is all about breathing new life into old by creating statement fashion pieces, tote bags, and hats made from recycled fabrics. We teach our students to source their material from second-hand markets, off-cut fabrics, and industrial materials. Through upcycling, we seek to inspire them to look around them and feel empowered to use what they have to create the life that they want. When you shop with Maisha by nisria, you are also supporting nisria’s programs - learn more about that here.

How it began

We believe our project is a living entity as all our products are created from inspiring stories, hence the name Maisha – a Swahili word that means ‘alive and well.’ This word honors our dear friend and supporter, Randah Taher, who was involved in nisria since the beginning and led the establishment of the Maisha project in the legacy of her mother, Hayat, which in Arabic means life. Randah passed away in 2023, and Maisha by nisria now also lives on in her legacy.

Upcycled Fashion

We recognize the detrimental impact of this waste and have committed ourselves to a sustainable solution through upcycling.

Empowering Communities

To empower possibilities for vulnerable people in our community by equipping them with skills in fashion and design to enable them to make their way out of care as independent adults.

Vocational Trainings

We are rooted in community impact; going beyond fashion by empowering vulnerable individuals under our nisria programs with technical fashion skills and business knowledge.