Meet Lucy Kirogoi aka Chinese Kikie, 27, a Belgium-based Kenyan digital influencer

Lucy Kirogoi aka Chinese Kikie, 27, is a Belgium-based Kenyan digital influencer, fashionista, activist and chief executive officer at Royal Luxury Hair Extensions. She chats with Jasmine Atieno about her style and fashion interests.

What inspired your moniker?

Back in primary school days, my classmates used to make fun of my tiny eyes and height, so they always called me Chinese.

My second name was also hard for many people to pronounce and they, therefore decided to stick to Kikie. And that’s how Chinese Kikie was born.

Tell us a bit about your hair business 

Royal Luxury Hair Extensions started from constant queries about my hair on social media and even by strangers on the streets in Europe.

People would curiously ask me a lot about my hair changes. I tend to change my hair often from different hair textures to styles and colours. I started the business officially in 2020.

I sell online and ship worldwide all kinds of quality, luxurious, customised human hair extensions and wigs.

What inspired you to invest in hair, and how has been the market reception thus far?

The environment that I grew up in inspired me; I loved and adored hair and hair products.

In Europe, hair is very expensive, and as a coloured woman, I faced a lot of challenges when I moved abroad.

Getting a hairdresser that understands our hair type is so difficult and very expensive. I would have to travel far and wide just to fix my hair.

The adverse weather conditions here are also not favourable to our hair, and at the same time, I want to look neat and well put together, yet it seemed so difficult.

That’s how I got inspired to transform my hairstyles effortlessly without visiting hairdressers.

The reception has been fantastic; I’ve been getting different types of clients from all walks of life around the world.

I can confidently say that I have the best customised human hair in the market.

What’s your biggest challenge as a Kenyan fashionista?

I would say that as a petite woman, I sometimes have to customise almost all my outfits to fit my taste and style. 

What is your YouTube channel all about?

I am a lifestyle, fashion, travel and beauty vlogger. These are the things that I love to do; from DIY’s to travelling to being a wife, a business woman, fine dining experiences, excursions, influencing products and many more.

I have fallen in love with the camera and exposing what I like to people that enjoy and share the same likes with me.

Share with us also about activism, what do you stand for?

I advocate for human rights including LGBTQ, feminism, anti-Female Genital Mutilation, child abuse and violence against women in Africa.

I want to see so many people win and learn to respect each other without judgment and co-exist harmoniously with no judgment whatsoever.

The world would be a better place for everyone. I have been active in this cause for a year now.

Share with us some of your shopping hacks. 

I love the good things in life, but it has to come with a comfortable price. I have previously lived in Germany and in comparison to Belgium, Germany is such an affordable place to live in.

Whenever I travel to Germany, France, or Netherlands, I don’t hesitate to take advantage of the prices that come with quality goods around there.

Before I buy something I always check for discounts and compare prices. I also learned a trick on knowing many different shops and what they offer.

What’s your favourite place to shop?

I love to shop in France during spring or summer seasons. Paris in particular stole my heart when it comes to fashion and style.

Germany on the other hand comes in handy, especially for designer stuff; they sell at an affordable yet ridiculously cheap price.

Here comes the trick; stuff there is unique, they have everything, I mean everything from furniture to cookware. Quality is amazing, seasonal and aesthetically pleasing.