Ciiru Waweru, the Kenyan entrepreneur behind FunKidz furniture company.
Meet the Kenyan Furniture Maker Building the “Ikea” of Africa
In July, Face2Face Africa covered the story of a young Kenyan mother and entrepreneur who invented a special type of furniture that is set to take the African furniture industry to the next level.
Ciiru Waweru, is the owner of FunKidz, a 6-six-year-old brand that specializes in unique kids’ furniture. Many people now refer to it as the “Ikea of Africa” due to its high-quality furniture and its ability to manufacture large quantities of excellent furniture.
In an interview with Quartz, Waweru acknowledged that many people are still skeptical about products made in Africa.
“We need to stop putting things in a label, in a box, and saying this isn’t African enough. What does that even mean? Through our design and products we hope to bridge that stereotype gap where you look African and therefore your furniture must also look African,” she said.
She revealed that the idea to start the business came from the frustration of trying to find a nice piece of furniture for her first born child.
