In a world where home can feel far and identity sometimes scattered, Annabel Onyango is a cultural anchor. She doesn’t just style clothes—she styles belonging. From dressing East Africa’s biggest names to curating soulful interiors, her work reimagines what it means to come home—physically, creatively, and spiritually—to Africa.
Annabel’s life is woven across continents. Born in Côte d’Ivoire to Kenyan parents, she was raised between Zimbabwe, England, and Canada. After earning degrees in Environmental Studies and English Literature, she found herself in Toronto—qualified, yet unsettled. “What I was running away from in Toronto… was feeling foreign,” she once shared. It was this longing for rootedness that called her back to Nairobi in 2007.
At the time, Nairobi’s fashion scene was barely awake. But Annabel didn’t just come back to Kenya—she came back to herself. That homecoming marked the beginning of a journey where she would use design not just to make things beautiful, but to make them meaningful.
Styling with Soul: Fashion as a Form of Identity
Annabel’s path to fashion wasn’t linear. She moved from radio to lifestyle magazines before launching her own styling business. But it’s that unconventional journey that shaped her eye for detail and heart for storytelling. For her, fashion isn’t just about trends—it’s about truth.
“Styling is like an artist painting a canvas,” she says. “The body becomes a story.”
She is known for:
- Effortless African-ness – championing designers, textiles, and products made on the continent.
- Conscious creation – rejecting fast fashion in favor of slow, ethical, and environmentally mindful design.
- Inclusive beauty – highlighting the power of diverse African women, such as in the #SheIsNairobi campaign, which celebrated women from all walks of life—economists, artists, pilots, and more.
Through her lens, fashion becomes a way of celebrating self-worth, community, and culture—echoing the four pillars of MagicOfBelonging.com: Celebrate, Cultivate, Circulate, and Congregate.
Designing Spaces of Belonging
Annabel’s artistry doesn’t stop with what we wear—it spills into the spaces we live in. Her boutique Republi.ke in Nairobi is more than a store—it’s a sanctuary. Every detail, every texture, every item tells a story of African craftsmanship, intention, and pride.
In a world still shaped by colonial ideas of beauty and luxury, she boldly declares: African creativity is enough.
Annabel Onyango teaches us that belonging is not something we stumble upon. It’s something we design, intentionally and proudly..
One of her standout collaborations, “The Hug” (with Mille Collines), explored how fabrics and space can offer emotional warmth—a project that deeply resonated during the isolating pandemic years.
For diasporans who walk into Republi.ke, it’s more than shopping—it’s a tactile return home. A place where heritage isn’t something from the past, but something to live in and wear with pride.
On Motherhood, Power, and Redefining Womanhood
Annabel is also a mother of two—and she speaks candidly about how motherhood reshaped her understanding of power. “Women carry the world,” she reflects. “Compassion, empathy, balance—these are the real strengths.”
She challenges outdated gender expectations: “I don’t have to cook, wear heels, have long hair, or apologize to be a real woman.” That spirit infuses everything she does—from dressing icons on TV’s Fashion Watch to mentoring the next generation of designers.
Nairobi: Her Muse and Mirror
Annabel credits Nairobi with helping her become who she is. “I feel like it created my career,” she says. Yet she’s also unafraid to speak truth. From celebrating Nairobi’s growing creative scene to calling out gender-based violence, she insists that the city—like the culture it holds—must keep evolving.
Her dream? A Nairobi that is more colorful, inclusive, and daring—just like the looks she creates and the spaces she builds.
Conclusion: Wear Your Belonging
Annabel Onyango teaches us that belonging is not something we stumble upon. It’s something we design, intentionally and proudly.
- Her fashion says: your body is worthy of African beauty.
- Her spaces say: your roots are enough to build luxury.
- Her life says: you don’t have to choose between heritage and modernity—you can embody both.
In a world that sometimes asks us to shrink or soften our identity, Annabel offers a bold alternative: Wear your belonging. Live it. Create it. Pass it on.
As she once said, beauty is “the magic that makes something stand out.” In her hands, African identity doesn’t just stand out—it stands tall.
