our story
about us
We met as teenagers at Rift Valley Academy, a boarding school in Kenya. Annette, the daughter of a Danish father and a Kenyan mother, and Evan, an American brought up in Zimbabwe and Malawi, are adult TCK's (third culture kids) whose lives have been forever shaped by childhoods in Africa.
Annette is a freelance graphic designer working across branding and merchandise design. Evan's background spans humanitarian work, automotive design at Ford's product development center, and a fine art practice focused largely on paintings of the African continent. Years after first meeting, we were reconnected by the shared idea of building a design focused enterprise connected to Africa.
about our name
Nusu is the Swahili word for "half," so nusu nusu literally means "half half" or a mix of things. In Kenya, the term is often used to describe someone of biracial heritage, but it can also describe our own diverse cultural experience as TCK's - raised between places and shaped by more than one culture. Further, recognizing that some of the most influential movements in art, design, and music have come from the energy created at the intersection of different cultures, the name also perfectly reflects our aspiration to combine contemporary design with African experience, place, and craft.
Also, it's a bit cheeky and fun and we like that.
about our products & process
Simply put, we set out to create the Africa-inspired apparel we always wanted to wear. True to the spirit of being nusu nusu our design inspiration comes from Africa while production is currently done in the USA, just outside Saint Louis. We use premium tee and sweatshirt blanks and print in small batches at a family owned shop where we can be involved in the process and obsess over the details. We personally inspect each item before packing and shipping to you.
Wherever possible, we strive to reduce the environmental impact of our processes and packaging. To help offset emissions created by shipping, we pledge to donate the cost of planting one tree per order to the Kijabe Forest Trust in Kijabe, Kenya.