The Sowairina By Vivo Lea Collection - Grace's Take.

The Lea collection that we launched last month in partnership with Grace Msalame has been a great labour of love. It is made up of some really beautiful pieces that are extremely maternity friendly, however, we wanted to make sure that they were transitional pieces that can be worn by all women. Whether you are expecting, in the postpartum stage or not expecting at all, this collection is for you! The collection consists of some warm items, casual ones and some that you can wear when you want to dress up. We chatted with Grace on her thoughts around the collection and this is what she had to say...

Tell us a little bit about the Lea collection.

The Lea collection was born out of the existing partnership between myself and Vivo. As you all know, I am expecting a little one soon so it was only fitting that we came together to give you this maternity collection. We decided to name the collection Lea which is Swahili for nurture.

                                        Photo c/o Somboriot Kipchilat

What inspired the different pieces in the collection? 

This collection has various pieces and it was very important for me and the fantastic design team at Vivo to pick comfortable yet cute pieces. We have some free-flowing pieces, some fitted pieces, like the ruched bodycon and tops that give your bump that pop and accentuates it. We also have maternity pants, tops and leggings in this collection to cater our expectant and postpartum mums. The colours in this collection are black, burgundy, white, red and a beautiful dark green. There is only one blue piece, and that for me is a special colour right now,  for one reason only. ;) The beauty of this collection, however, is that most of the pieces are transitional and whether you’re expecting or not, you’re bound to find something that you’ll love.

                                         Photo c/o Somboriot Kipchilat

What are your favourite pieces from the collection and why? 

My favourite piece right now is definitely the Satin Kaftan, just because of how comfortable and flowy it is especially with my due date fast approaching. It makes you feel regal and free. It’s the kind of piece that can be worn by anyone, especially when you’re on holiday. Another favourite is the faux wrap bodycon dress, and whether you’re pregnant or not, you will look for it.  

Photo c/o Somboriot Kipchilat

What do you know for sure now, that you wish you knew when you were a first-time mum?

For me, my first time as a mum was two kids in one go, my firstborn twin girls. It was really overwhelming and I was also quite young. Right now, what I know for sure is that mums, it's going to be okay. As mums, we literally worry about everything, but what I am learning is that kids are very resilient and your energy really rubs off on them. It’s all going to be okay, make sure you enjoy the journey and embrace every step because they grow very quickly!

Photo c/o Somboriot Kipchilat

Why did you pick Vivo to partner with on this collection?

I think it goes without saying. It has been a very organic process for the past five or six years. I’ve grown from being an ambassador for them to creating collections with them and I’m so thankful to Wandia and her team for embracing me. I am learning so much from them, I am enjoying every part of it and I guess for me it was natural from our first collection and now in the stage, I am in to create a maternity line. I am really looking forward to seeing some of you in any of the pieces, I’ll be so humbled and so proud because this has truly been a labour of love and passion from myself and the Vivo team.

Watch Grace talk more about the Sowairina x Vivo Lea collection