Rosemary Runyenje and Georgia Fernandez have emerged as the winners of Team Kenya’s fashion and design competition for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Georgia Fernandez, 23, currently pursuing her Masters Degree in the USA and a former student of Peponi School, clinched the top spot for the closing ceremony design. Her design for the opening ceremony also secured the third position in the same category.
Meanwhile, Rosemary Runyenje’s design will be showcased by Kenyan athletes and officials during the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on July 26.
The unveiling of the winners took place at Talanta Plaza, where they were presented by the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK). The event was graced by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, NOCK president Paul Tergat, and other dignitaries.
A total of 114 entries were submitted for the competition, which underwent rigorous evaluation by a panel consisting of coaches, players, former athletes, and sports journalists. The judging criteria emphasized Team Kenya’s themes and the comfort of athletes during the games. Starting from over 100 entries, the panel narrowed down to the top 20, and subsequently, selected the final three designs for each category.
Vincent Okumu secured the second position in both the closing ceremony and casual wear categories, while Akinyi emerged as the second runner-up in the opening ceremony category.
Runyenje, aged 29, expressed her happiness upon winning, describing the award as the ultimate recognition for the career path she passionately pursued, despite initially rejecting her mother’s suggestion to study pharmacy at university.
“This is huge considering that I am not really known in the fashion industry in Kenya. I feel so thrilled and humbled; for sure, I am speechless especially with the fact that my design will be showcased worldwide through the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympic Games. My mom is very happy as well for this moment because to be honest she did not want me to be a fashion designer. She had bigger dreams for me and she wanted me to be a pharmacist. However, after my first year in school and seeing my passion for this career, she then started supporting and she even bought me my first sewing machine,” Runyenje told People Sport.
Runyenje, the third-born in a family of three, graduated from Kenyatta University in 2017 with a degree in Fashion and Design. She draws inspiration from her late father, who started with nothing and became an architect.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba congratulated the winners and all the designers who participated in the competition to dress Team Kenya at the Summer Games.
Ababu emphasized that the Kenyan attire will be a matter of national interest, reflecting the nation’s brand as the most successful African country at the Olympics.
“We have been counting down the days to the Olympics and everyday has mattered, we have been deliberate. We have taken time to curate a fitting look for Kenya. We have been careful to make sure that when Team Kenya steps out in Paris on July 26 the whole world will stand and say wow! Here comes Africa’s most successful nation at the Olympics. The whole world must see our arrival.We have spent months to think and imagine a look that will be uniquely Kenyan, reflecting the special character of our country,” Ababu said.
The winners of the competition were awarded with Ksh 300,000 each while runners in each category bagged Ksh 200,000. Second runner’s up walked home with Ksh 100,000.
