When Passion Meets Papers: The Story of Cate.X.Couture

Some makers stumble into their craft by accident. For Catherine Kwamboka — known to nearly everyone as Cate — it was there from the very beginning, in the scraps of fabric she stitched into doll clothes as a six-year-old in Kibera. Those childhood experiments have grown into Cate.X.Couture, a handmade crochet label built on creativity, resilience, and a deep belief in slow, sustainable fashion.

A childhood stitched in fabric

Cate's fashion story began in play. As a young girl, she and her friends would act out little family role-plays, and the "children" in the game were dolls — dolls that needed clothes. So Cate made them, cutting up scraps of fabric and sewing them together with a needle and thread. She was barely six years old.

By around twelve, she and a classmate had taught themselves to crochet, using yarn and hooks borrowed from her friend's mother's shop. They didn't know the names of any of the stitches — they simply kept making bags, mixing techniques as they went, until a teacher caught them crocheting in class and told them to stop. Craft ran in the family, too: her aunties crocheted shawls and seat covers, and although they were never formal teachers, Cate learned by watching them keenly and figuring out the rest herself.

Learning the craft from scratch

Everything changed in 2020. During her pregnancy and the COVID period, Cate finally sat down and learned crochet properly — from scratch. This time she learned the real names of the stitches, how to keep them neat, how to work rows and rounds, and how to read and translate patterns instead of guessing. What had started as an escape, and a kind of therapy through a difficult season, slowly became a genuine craft, and then a business.

"I normally say: when passion meets papers."

From free samples to first orders

Her first "customers" were friends and family. Cate would ask friends to buy the yarn, then make things for them for free — practice pieces that quietly sharpened her skill. Her first real orders followed soon after: a cousin who loved what she made, and a young woman she was mentoring in styling, who trusted Cate enough to pay for a complete handmade set. Small as they were, those early orders were turning points — proof that people believed in her work.

Teaching, and inspiring others

Today, the tables have turned. The same person who once learned by watching others is now the one being watched. New crocheters come to Cate for guidance — how to perfect a stitch, how to get into shows, and one of the hardest questions of all for any handmade maker: how to price your work fairly. She has attended fashion shows as an eager member of the audience, always learning, always taking notes.

"I've not yet made it to where I'm supposed to be — but right now, I'm already an inspiration to so many people."

Slow fashion, upcycled by hand

Sustainability sits at the very centre of Cate.X.Couture. Cate is passionate about slow fashion, so alongside fresh yarn she upcycles materials that would otherwise be thrown away — old jeans and t-shirts reborn as bags, apparel and accessories. Because every piece is crocheted or sewn entirely by hand from different reclaimed fabric, no two are ever exactly alike. Prefer a particular colour or size? Cate gladly takes custom orders and makes each piece to order.

Finding Afribit — and Bitcoin

Cate's path into the Bitcoin circular economy began, fittingly, in a sewing class. There she met Laura, who introduced her to the Afribit Upcycling Queens — the women-and-girls collective led by Steph. It felt almost like magic: Cate had been dreaming of starting her own upcycling and recycling venture, and here was a group already doing exactly that. She joined, bringing her own talent for tote bags to the team.

Through a financial-literacy session — where Afribit co-founder Ronnie spoke — she discovered Bitcoin. Cate has since completed her first Bitcoin classes and enrolled in more, and today she accepts payments in Bitcoin over the Lightning Network: fast, low-fee, and straight from a phone. For her, it all connects: discarded fabric turned into lasting value, sats circulating within her own community, and creativity turned into a sustainable livelihood.

The road ahead

Cate.X.Couture is still being written, one stitch at a time. Cate is learning tailoring so she can craft every lining and detail herself, and she is determined to keep growing the brand while creating opportunities for other young people. Her journey — from doll clothes and borrowed crochet hooks to a label of her own — is proof of what she believes most deeply: that with dedication and purpose, creativity really can become a career.

Explore Cate.X.Couture on Afribit Marketplace and carry a piece of handmade, one-of-a-kind wearable art — checkout is quick and easy with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network.