Suzie Wokabi Gave Kenya Its First Makeup Brand. Then She Kept Going.
After building and selling SuzieBeauty, the Kenyan beauty entrepreneur began a new chapter helping shape the industry she helped pioneer.
When Suzie Wokabi returned to Kenya after years of fashion and beauty experience in the United States, she found a cosmetics market heavily dependent on imported products.
Her response became SuzieBeauty, widely recognized as a pioneering locally created Kenyan makeup brand.
Building for the Woman in Front of Her
Wokabi wanted quality cosmetics developed with Kenyan and African women in mind. Her work as a makeup artist gave her direct exposure to the gap, but building the company required learning fundraising, product development, testing, retail and team building.
The Company Wasn't the Entire Mission
After building and selling SuzieBeauty, Wokabi continued working across African beauty, later taking leadership roles in new ventures. Her career suggests a broader view of entrepreneurship: sometimes the company is one expression of the work, not the entire mission.
SuzieBeauty was the company she built. African beauty became the work she kept choosing.