When Joyce Lumoo Murairi moved from Kinshasa to Johannesburg, she had to start her fashion business from scratch—in a new language, with no customers, and no clear plan. “I knew how to sew clothes,” she says, “but I didn’t know how to tell a story through them.”
Today, as founder of Nyumbani Fashion, Joyce has turned that struggle into strength. “Fashion is more than wearing something,” she says. “It’s about communicating something.”
Her collections weave Congolese culture into every design, proving that resilience and reinvention can be as powerful as any fabric. For Joyce, every outfit is a statement: failure isn’t final—it’s just the first stitch in your comeback.
“Fashion isn’t just about what you wear,” Joyce says. “It’s about how you carry your history, your values, your voice. And I want the world to hear Africa speak.”
From the ground up
Joyce’s journey began not in a studio but on the floor of her childhood bedroom, where she and her sisters turned scraps of old fabric into doll clothes. “We didn’t have much, but we had creativity,” she remembers. “That’s where the dream began.”
Inspired by her mother, a fashion designer herself, Joyce’s love for design deepened early. She later enrolled into a fashion school in Kinshasa, learning the craft formally. But what came next was all heart. She launched Furaha Couture with a few African print tees, bags, and eventually dresses. The vision? Bold from the start.
Sewing with purpose, building with strategy
Joyce had the eye, the hands, and the heart. But she didn’t yet have the roadmap. “I didn’t know how to scale. I didn’t know how to build a collection, price it, or even track my money.” Like many creatives, she was swimming in talent but stuck in survival mode.
That changed when she joined the Anzisha community. With mentorship, she transformed from hobbyist to entrepreneur. “That was a turning point,” Joyce says. “I learned to think like a leader, not just a maker.” She even rebranded with the help of another Anzisha entrepreneur, proving that in this journey, collaboration beats competition.
Clothes that carry culture
Nyumbani Fashion isn’t chasing trends. It’s chasing truth. Her 2023 collection (Furaha Couture) was a love letter to African architecture, specifically South Africa’s bold, geometric structures. But the deeper message was, “Our heritage is worth wearing,” she says. “I want my clothes to reflect who we are and where we come from.”
Forget fast fashion. Joyce is here for fashion that lasts – high-quality, handmade pieces rooted in meaning and cultural pride.
Behind every stitch, a strategy
Joyce’s work may look effortless, but behind each piece is late-night hustle, sharp learning curves, and fearless resilience. “I used to think business was just about making money,” she admits. “But now I know it’s about solving problems.”
Her first real sale was two bags her brother sold for $100. A small start, but a seismic shift. “That $100 made me believe this could be real,” she says. She reinvested it into new materials, honed her craft, and set her sights higher.
Fashion became her tool not just for self-expression but for social change. Jobs. Culture. Representation. Joyce is stitching all three into every design.
The village behind the vision
Joyce’s journey has never been solo. Her time at African Leadership Academy gave her more than lessons. It gave her a tribe. Friends helped her build her Instagram presence. Lecturers cheered on her early fashion shows. Coaches became family. Even her customers turned into ambassadors.
“When you’re building something from scratch, belief from others becomes fuel,” she says. And Joyce doesn’t hoard that support. She pays it forward, mentoring younger creatives, collaborating with peers, and reminding everyone that there’s room for all to shine.
Legacy in the making
Joyce dreams of more than fashion shows. She envisions a creative and business hub for aspiring designers in DRC. “I want to teach others how to build brands that mean something,” she says. “Not just beautiful clothes, but sustainable businesses that uplift communities.”
She’s challenging the idea that fashion is just a hobby. “Fashion is power. It’s development. It’s how we show up in the world.”
Lessons from the cutting room floor
Joce has learnt to ask for help, manage money with intention, and give herself permission to grow slowly. “I used to feel like I had to have it all figured out,” she says. “But growth is a process. And every step counts.” Today, Joyce walks taller, speaks louder, and leads with confidence. “I’m not the same Joyce who just liked to sew. I’ve become a woman with a mission.”
Joyce’s brand is rooted in culture, dignity, and bold African pride. From childhood scraps to signature collections, Joyce is living proof that fashion can be both a fabric and a force.
Advice from Joyce:
“Be bold. Be kind. Don’t wait for permission. You don’t need millions to start – you just need a reason. And once you find yours, hold onto it like your life depends on it. Because in some ways, it does.”
From Kinshasa to the continent and beyond, Joyce isn’t just making clothes. She’s tailoring a future, one stitch, one story, one legacy at a time.
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👉 Want to see more of Joyce’s story? Watch The Journey Season 3 to follow her story and get inspired to build your own impactful business.
