一位肯尼亚的企业家克服非洲时尚业的挑战，在网络上开了一家时尚小店，并希望成为非洲大陆顶尖的时尚零售出口商。

Interest in African fashion is growing around the world. But designers and artisans on the continent often have a hard time setting up the marketing, distribution and payment systems that would help them capitalize on the popularity of their pieces abroad. Our correspondent Okwi Okoh tells us how one Kenyan entrepreneur could be holding the key to overcoming those challenges.

Beverly Lwenya is checking in on what she hopes will eventually become one of the top fashion retail outlets on the continent.
Her boutique - which is exclusively located online - is called The Afropolitan Shop, and when Beverly isn't meeting with designers and artisans to stock its virtual shelves with jewelry, handbags, shoes and other fashion accessories; she's updating the site's blog, Twitter account and Facebook page.
Through the internet, she mostly targets Africans in the Diaspora and non-Africans who are looking for affordable yet trendy, high-quality products from the continent.
The venture began after Beverly started a blog to chronicle her experiences as an African living outside the continent. Those experiences not only gave her the idea for her business, but its name as well.
Beverly Lwenya said, "I would go back and forth between Kenya and the States and people would always ask for earrings I was wearing or necklaces or bracelets or sandals - the Maasai sandals - so you know it got to the point where I was like maybe I should try and make the things available that I can get when I am in Kenya so the idea for the Afropolitan Shop was born shortly after the blog actually in 2008, 2009."
Beverly says that one of the biggest problems facing budding entrepreneurs - especially those in Africa's fashion industry - is access to affordable but highly visible places to stock their wares.
Beverly Lwenya said, "What I see Afropolitan Shop doing in this space is creating retail space online so shifting the focus from store front to online what this does is still move products for the designers, they are still able to sell and not only are they able to sell locally but abroad as well."
CCTV's Okwi Okoh said, "When it comes to fashionable clothing and accessories and the creative people who make them, Africa - and Kenya in particular - is not in short supply. But the problem comes in when you want to get these trendy items into the hands of people around the world who want them, and that's where Beverly Lwenya and the Afropolitan Shop come in. She wants to fill that gap but its not just about payment, deliveries and marketing, it's also about meeting the designers one on one, face to face?
The Afropolitan Shop officially launched last year and is yet to break even, but Beverly says she's encouraged by the inquiries and consequent attention the designers on her site have gotten from all over the world.
Rachel Njoki and her partners have been running Nini's Afrique Boutique since 2009. They specialize in designing bags and beaded sandals and were among the first to list on the Afropolitan Shop.
Rachel Njoki said, "We want to really grow, we want to open our workshop and for that to happen it's for Beverly to succeed and bring in more business, but things grow gradually."
Beverly knows there are many tough miles ahead before she can achieve the kind of international recognition and success she dreams of for the Afropolitan Shop and its partners. But hard work and creativity aren't going out of style anytime soon in Africa, so she might just get her wish one day soon.