Our Story

Hello!

I'm Kirsi, (better known as Kiki), the founder and owner of Esengo.

The idea for the online store came from the fact that it was difficult for me to find an online store in Finland that sells modern and everyday African fashion. For years I had to order my clothes from London or my mother sewed for me.

Whenever I wore an African dress sewn by my mother, I got a lot of compliments from passers-by and I was always asked those two questions;

"Where can you buy something like that?"

"Can your mother sew for me too?"

Since there was clearly a lot of demand and interest, I decided to set up my own online store in the spring of 2023.

Our brand name ESENGO means joy in Lingala. With our  beautiful hand-crafted garments, we want to bring joy to both the manufacturers of our clothes and their users.

Most of our products are made in West Africa, Ghana, in cooperation with a female-led small dressmakers shop in Accra. The dressmaker shop is owned by a young female seamstress, Esi, with whom we have worked closely throughout the manufacturing process. We got to visit the sewing workshop in the spring 2023, getting to know the working conditions and the seamstresses. The sewing shop has a total of 7 permanent seamstresses, four women and three men.