LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
The African continent represents a rapidly growing marketplace for the beauty and wellness industry. What is really exciting is the emergence of a generation of African women beauty brand-builders who are creating world-class beauty and skincare products that are specifically formulated to meet the needs of African women consumers. In Kenya, Suzie Wokabi is one such trailblazer with her SuzieBeauty brand that is winning legions of consumer fans, both at home and abroad.
Many will be familiar with the name Suzie Wokabi, the effervescent and talented entrepreneur and founder of SuzieBeauty. This revolutionary line is Kenya’s first home-grown beauty brand and Suzie has become a global trailblazer in the industry through her creation of bespoke products for the African woman, by an African woman. An International Relations degree holder, Suzie was trained by MAC Cosmetics and completed an intensive Media Make-up certificate course at the Award Studio Make-up School in Los Angeles. She worked in New York within the fashion and beauty industries from 2001 until 2007, when she returned to her hometown of Nairobi, Kenya.
Determined to pursue her passion in her home market, she created her authentic, affordable, high-quality African beauty brand, SuzieBeauty, in early 2009 and officially launched it in December 2011. Today, she is considered to be one of the top make-up artists on the continent, whose extensive industry experience runs the full gamut from Print Media to Television, Film, Video, Commercials, Runway, and Bridal. She trains her team and mentees to run the artistry part of the business.
Suzie’s work will be familiar to consumers across the African continent as she has been featured in countless local glossy magazines over the years, speaking about her entrepreneurial journey and her much-loved brand. She has graced the covers of local and international magazines, been featured in vibrant design and lifestyle hubs, worked on numerous media houses and productions, and sponsored major beauty and fashion events on the continent. Her media profile continues to drive awareness of the SuzieBeauty brand, both at home and abroad, with her story being covered by world-renowned journalists, featured in the New York Times, and dubbed by CNN as “The Face of African Beauty”. A devoted wife and a mother, her story has been profiled on countless TV and radio stations on the continent. Suzie is also a multiple business and industry award winner, with 30 nominations and/or award wins under her belt. She frequently takes to the stage as a guest speaker both locally and internationally, and she moderates and participates on numerous conference panels around the world each year, addressing various thought provoking topics that are relevant to her industry. Suzie is growing her reputation as a genuine thought leader in the beauty space, and she sees her purpose being an instrumental contributor to the continuing future growth of the African beauty industry.
Speaking about the future plans for the SuzieBeauty brand in 2020, Suzie says:
“I will be launching five new products in the first half of 2020 which I will reveal as soon as they are manufactured. The beauty products that I will launch are all handcrafted by myself, based on customer needs and requests, and lacking in the market currently. I hope to continue filling the gaps that still exist in the local cosmetics space and satisfy my customer as much as possible! People will be able to continue to buy the full range of SuzieBeauty products at my current outlets in Kenya, and online.”
To find out more about SuzieBeauty or to contact founder Suzie Wokabi directly, email suzie@suziewokabi.com or visit the company website http://suziewokabi.com
Follow SuzieBeauty on social media: