Evelyn College is the pioneering design school in East Africa and beyond, having played the foundational
role in bringing the design profession to this part of the world. In the mid-1970s I saw that while we
enjoyed the services of tailors there were no local fashion designers whose garments they could
produce. So this is what inspired me to establish Evelyn College of Design, which opened its doors in
1976. Students joined us not only from around Kenya but from many other African countries, and we
are so proud that many of them went on to great careers in the industry, including far afield in Europe
and the US.
Now here we are, with over four decades of existence behind us, still developing the best of fashion
designers. We enjoy very strong industry linkages, which facilitate not only academic collaboration but
also provide job and internships opportunities to our students during and after completing their studies.
A very strong alumni base also makes it easy for us to foster strong ties with the industry within which
they operate.
Another source of great pride is our BTEC accreditation, which enables us to offer this globally
recognised qualification. Not only that in general terms, but in these very challenging days of restrictions
imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, our partnership with BTEC has given us access to the best of online
teaching and learning techniques, enabling us to continue with our programmes uninterrupted, right to
the point of examinations and certification.
We are at the advanced stages in pursuing Kenya TVET Authority accreditation to enable us deliver TVET
courses, and we look forward to enrolling our first Cohort in January 2021.
We have the best of faculty at the college, and they are therefore able to get the best out of our
students. Imagine how good I feel as the founder of this institution, seeing such wonderful momentum
despite living through this Covid-19 era.
