LOOKS LIKE AVIDO

February 8, 2024

LOOKS LIKE AVIDO

A brand launched by David Avido in 2017 .

After completing a diploma in Fashion and Design, she honed the solid skills needed to grow as a designer and began creating and expressing her message in Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Africa, located in Nairobi.

In order to improve the environment in slums, Looks Like Avido employs hearing-impaired people living in slums, and through the AVIDO FUNDATION , a foundation established by David, it donates 20 % of its sales to schools, provides purified water and school uniforms, and provides activities to ensure that people can receive an education with peace of mind, as well as vocational support to encourage women to find employment.

Furthermore, she is the founder of Kibera Fashion Week, a fashion show based in the slum, and advocates the importance of cultural dissemination.

Today, LooksLikeAbeed has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Vogue Italy , Vogue USA , Al Jazeera ,CNN , Essence , and National Geography , and is the face of Coca-Cola's mineral water brand, Keringet. He also received a Presidential Medal for donating 28,000 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, making him a Kenyan superstar.

A large billboard on a national highway in Nairobi advertising Keringet: "Great things come from unexpected places"

Source: CROSS TRADE

In addition, they provide costumes for international artists such as Chronixx , Cecile , Christopher Martin , Ghanaian Stallion , Romain Virgo , Everton Blendah , Don Carlos , and Jah Cure . They also support Bruno Mars and Beyoncé . (※)

Chronixx

Source: LOOKS LIKE AVIDO

David Abeid's Early Life

Source: LOOKS LIKE AVIDO

David grew up in the Kibera slum in Nairobi. As the eldest son in a single-mother household, he had to become independent early on.

He dropped out of school and began working long hours with no hope of adequately supporting his younger siblings and mother. Filled with despair, he quit his job and wondered what he should want from life and what was wrong with him. Was it because he was born in Kibera slum?

Kibera slum is said to be the largest slum in Africa. It is true that friends around here have been arrested, and drug addicts and crime are more prevalent than in the surrounding areas. It is also known as an area that locals do not want to approach.

In an environment where wrongful arrests are common, being with others is a way to protect yourself. In order to secure your alibi, despite the conflict of what to do not only in the future but also in the present, you join a dance crew.

And this will change your destiny.

Dance requires the creation of costumes, and while I was making costumes, I began to think that "anyone can work in this job if they learn," and so Looks Like A Bead was launched in 2017 .

David has never felt ashamed of being from Kibera slum. On the contrary, he is proud. This is because, although the people in the community are poor, they support each other. David also does not focus on profits, but always wants to give back to the community.

Source: CROSS TRADE