Clothing maker makes fortune from uniforms

Mehul Shah, director of Omega Apparels Limited, during an interview at its factory in Nairobi on December 13, 2023. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NMG

Six years ago, when Mehul Shah decided to sever his ties with the textile manufacturing company his father and uncle had jointly founded in 1976 and focus on manufacturing final stretch garments, he had a vision clear of the heights he hoped to reach in the country. clothing market.

His father had created a strong foundation for him by establishing Midco Textiles when Shah was still a little boy, opening up the opportunity for him to learn the complex trade first-hand at a fairly tender age.

“At the time there were strict restrictions on the importation of clothing and so local requirements were quite high. My father and uncle saw an opportunity in the demand and that’s why they decided to open a garment factory,” says Shah.

The young man would later officially join the company, which has since become a household name in 2002 and was involved in operational operations for a decade and a half until he felt the time was right to establish his own base independent.

In 2017, he joined a family friend to complete a partial acquisition of the original company for an undisclosed sum, and named their installment Omega Apparels, before proceeding to set up their operational station in the Gil Gil industrial park, in the industrial area of ​​Nairobi.

When Enterprise visited the premises, the site was a hive of activity as an army of more than 350 manual workers rushed to meet specific, individual deadlines in their respective sections of the production line.

What exactly does Omega Apparels offer?

“We specialize primarily in school and corporate uniforms, previously operating under the Manhattan brand as we were franchised to Manhattan USA. We however now have our own brands including Wingman, Blueline, Atlantic, Kifaru, St Austins and Safari,” says Shah, who now sits as a director of the company, noting that the brand depends on the type of fabric and its quality. quality.

“Most of our corporate orders include hospital uniforms, corporate workwear and other similar types of items,” he says, revealing that some of the notable corporate brands for which they have delivered orders include Safaricom, Airtel and Order Express.

The director explains that school orders, which are usually fulfilled within a few days, mostly come from high-end international schools.

In addition to manufacturing uniforms, the company diversified its business to produce baby clothing under the Blueline brand, with baby vests becoming the main feature of the category.

Other classifications include informal shirts and knitwear, with plans to begin production of socks having reached advanced stages after the manufacturer identified sites for new factories in the Juja and Athi River regions.

Asked what sets Omega apart from other players in the market, Shah highlights the continued empowerment of staff as well as the significant visibility of the company’s brand.

Mehul Shah, director of Omega Apparels Limited, during an interview at its factory in Nairobi on December 13, 2023. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NMG

“Our brands are strong and our quality is also very strong. This is what has kept us in the market, because people know us for our brand and our quality,” he says.

“Our labor turnover is also very slow. We have very experienced workers who have been with us for quite a long time. The longest-serving person in this position lasted 32 years. When we separated from Midco, we retained the majority of the staff. We have been working with them for an average of 20 years and so they are very experienced in what they do.

Covid windfall

Shah is proud of his ability to maintain 100% of the company’s workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic, when dozens of other companies made layoffs following the economic shutdown.

The ability to stay afloat, he says, was made possible by a windfall after the company struck a deal with the state to supply some components of highly sought-after personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care facilities public.

“During Covid we had the foresight to immediately transform the factory into a PPE manufacturing facility and this really allowed us to avoid laying off staff. At the time, there was a huge demand because it was critical equipment and things were not coming from outside so we had to look to local solutions,” he recalls.

The owner reveals that the company may explore in the coming days the possibility of venturing into other markets due to an increasingly challenging operating environment in Kenya due to the new taxes introduced.

Deep Shah (left) and Mehul Shah, directors of Omega Apparels Limited, at the factory in Nairobi’s industrial area. FILE PHOTO | NMG

He notes, however, that such explorations could face headwinds as many countries fight to support their local industries instead of promoting outside companies.

“We may look to venture outside, particularly to our neighbors in East Africa, but there are no concrete plans yet.”

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