Growing up, Job Brian Jura was a smart kid, an A student. He performed well in his exams and got to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

As he continued with his studies, Job Brian knew he didn’t want to pursue his course as a career.

He had a love and passion for the country and wanted to develop something that would show his patriotism but not with the regular Kenyan flag colours.

“When I was a fifth-year student at JKUAT, I wanted to find a way to combine fashion and patriotism. I didn’t want the normal way that people used to wear red, black, and green shirts to represent Kenya. I needed a fashionable way to show that I’m patriotic and that’s how Home 254 was birthed,” said Job.

For his initial capital, Job had to borrow KES5,000 from M-Shwari and KES2,000 from his friend to buy stitched hoodies and sweatpants. He would then brand them with the Home 254 logo.

From the humble beginnings of having a small shop at Kenya House Complex in the Nairobi CBD, Home 254 has grown into a fully-fledged fashion brand that does its stitching, designing and branding.

Now in its eighth year, it has been success after success at Home 254 with more collaborations helping to accelerate its growth.

“We don’t only sell quality Made in Kenya products, but we sell a feeling of belonging. Whether you’re in Kenya or you’re traveling outside of Kenya, we need you to have that Kenyan feeling with you,” said Job.

Following their growth journey, Home 254 is one of the partners working with S-Hook, the Safaricom platform that seeks to empower the youth by leveraging the power of technology.

In the Culture hook, Safaricom seeks to enable GenZ to pursue passion points such as sports, content creation, and fashion.

Watch the video below to see how passion, drive, and mentorship can lead to a successful brand.