Makau Yole is a passionate creative and founder of MaSanaa, a Kenyan brand making personalized custom beaded wrist wear. The name is the pluralization of the word ‘Sanaa’ which means art in Kiswahili. Each piece is hand-crafted, paying full attention to detail. The process begins with intentional design, combining both beauty and comfort. The brand focuses on convenience and quality, specializing in leatherwork and beadwork.
“You know, I’ve been pushing this brand to be a global thing because I want to push products across the world,” says Makau. The brand has clients from Kenya, South Africa, Belgium, The UK to mention a few. About his passion for creating he says, “I’ve been doing creative work since I was a child. I remember when I was young, I used to like making things with paper. I also drew a lot. So naturally I decided to do that for work.” He combines both art and technology in his work, creating an immersive website where a client can design their own wrist wear, specific to their taste.
Makau has been doing creative work for the longest time. However, for tech, he did have a turning point. “I remember it was in 2020. I didn’t like the whole tech thing. I used to feel like, you know, in tech there’s no physical product and I’m an artist who likes physical things. So I never used to understand all the hype around tech because there’s no tangible output. Then in 2020, I I realized it’s everywhere, you know and when something is in every part of your life, it’s just best to get good at it.”
He started learning how to code. He realized that there was an issue when it comes to customised accessories, where there was no way of knowing how a product was going to look before it was made. The only option one had was to get a picture of a similar product, or take a similar product to someone who makes the product and show them. “I mean, so that was a pain point that I needed to solve for my business. Yeah, actually, it was an internal. It was just a tool for myself. I wasn’t even doing it for the public but then after it was complete, I thought, I can’t be the only one.”
A typical day in his life? “So when I wake up, I stay in bed for like half an hour, thinking. I’m usually just planning. First of all, I recap what I did the previous day and what I want to get done today. I then arrange those things in order so that when I get out of bed, I have a clear direction. I don’t look at my phone because I feel like it’s too early to start processing input from other people. I don’t look at my phone for like an hour until I’m done, you know, freshening up, bathing and eating. Then I look at the phone, actually the messages I have, especially work related. And then from there, whatever I planned in those thirty minutes, that’s what I’ll be doing.” Makau is also intentional about family and friends, ensuring that he carves out time for his loved ones.
He is also working on a platform, sanii.io, where clients can create and order from different artisans. “I’ve been getting a lot of requests for products and I don’t like to disappoint. You know, when a customer comes and they say, you know, I’m looking for this, make this and then you probably don’t. So that needs a solution.”
His parting shot? “Everyone is unique and you should do life your way. It’s so important to listen to yourself because you’re the one who knows what excites you, what you want to do and what you want to pursue. It’s a very internal thing. There’s no one who can give you a blueprint for your life. I don’t even think there’s a blueprint, you know, you’re figuring it out as you go but it’s very crucial to listen to yourself and be yourself,”
Visit masanaa.com and follow them on Instagram and every other platform; Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn.
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