For Lisa Marler, moving from her own country, eight years ago, to another far-off country, was not just an act of relocating, but also an opportunity to use her skills and passion to add something to the vision of her new country of residence.
She felt the best thing was to do something that truly identifies with that country, which is why she ventured into a Made-in-Rwanda interior design business.
The U.S-born Marler, who currently runs three parallel businesses, Studio Rwanda, Studio Marler and n’Intoki, had a dream to do something that would contribute to Rwanda’s development, and opportunity came when one of her friends was leaving the country and wanted to sell her shop.
Lisa Marler currently runs three parallel businesses, Studio Rwanda, Studio Marler and n’Intoki.
All the three shops specifically deal in Made-in-Rwanda products and designs made by Rwandans, and that was her dream as an interior designer.
When an acquaintance wanted to sell her four-year-old business, Marler saw an opportunity to advance her dream from a business standpoint because this was the same shop that she often bought her stuff from.
It also presented an opportunity to enhance her interior design ideas by giving her clients more Made-in-Rwanda options through her interior design consultancy.
She started coming up with new designs and products which they shared on social media and people started showing interest.
Today, they are looking to open more shops in Kigali and Musanze-Kinigi, to meet the demand. Currently Studio Rwanda is located at Ubumwe House below Kigali Business Centre (KBC).
"Everything in our shop is produced in Rwanda. From the furniture, to the tables, to bookcases and bathroom vanities,” Marler says.
Marler and her team work with clients and artists to redesign the exterior and interior of premises with Made-in-Rwanda décor and furniture, which they make themselves.
The only raw material they get outside Rwanda are quality textiles which sometimes they have to import from South Africa, England or the United States.
"We import some of our textile materials and the reason is, we just don’t have capacity here in Rwanda,” she says.
The shop currently employs seven people, but with all the different vendors they work with, they employ about 80 people.
"Between the production facility for handbags, wood production and upholstery plus lighting and all of our metal working, yeah, we’re about 80,” says Marler.
Target market
Marler also saw an opportunity in the fact that Rwanda is currently putting efforts in promoting ‘Made-in-Rwanda’ and people are warming up to it.
Their market includes people who either want to upgrade their furniture or move into new locations, as well as landlords who get clients and they insist on having Made-in-Rwanda products in the house, particularly expats.
"Kigali is such an international city and we have so many expats from so many different countries living and working here,” she says, adding that they tend to be used to a certain standard and that is where they come in.
She works with artistes who give the designs a real traditional touch yet with a modern feel. Some of their clients include Bank of Kigali and Question Coffee, among others.
Today many people consider a Made-in-Rwanda themed interior design as an upgrade, which is why they are seeing many clients coming for Made-in-Rwanda furniture or interior designs.
However, the journey has not been without challenges. One of the challenges is getting dried wood or getting a drying facility willing to dry it long enough to meet the standard of wood they want for their products.
According to Natasha Kakwaya, the Studio Rwanda shop manager, many clients came to like n’Intoki handbags because they are handmade and are made out of pure Rwandan leather.
"Our bags are really detailed and quite unique, made out of both leather and also wool and in beads. We support Made-in-Rwanda artisans who are really talented in making handbags,” Kakwaya says.
The bags can be found in all sizes, from small to medium, laptop bags and big travel bags, and today, many people find them trendy and stylish. N’Intoki also makes stylish linen scarfs which are stitched locally by talented Rwandans. The shop works with artistes such as Innocent Buregeya and another upcoming artiste called Edson, alongside local artisans, to give them a platform to show how good they are. The company provides them with the machines and space to do their work.
The interior design company and furniture shop seeks to promote Made-in-Rwanda and also show the world that good products can be made locally.
Studio Rwanda also seeks to accessorise spaces in houses or buildings, not just with good furniture, but also complementary units such as the piece tray side table, which is knitted like a basket.
Kakwaya says that Studio Rwanda features are meant to create a fun environment in the house or public spaces, from beautiful sofas to pillows and art pieces that make a space appealing and beautiful. They also work with cooperatives such as Isano Women’s cooperative to make some products such as knitted scarfs as a way of supporting them.
Marler moved to Rwanda eight years ago to join her husband Christopher Marler, who had moved to Rwanda a year earlier to establish the Africa Digital Media Academy, in partnership with the Government of Rwanda.