I LOST MY CAR, HOUSE AND STORE IN ONE MONTH AND BECAME AN ALCOHOLIC SAYS FRANKLIN SAIYALEL

Fashion stylist and designer Franklin Saiyalel popularly known as Kenyan Stylista has shared how he went from being broke to deep depression to having suicide thoughts twice.

In an interview with NTV, Franklin said his problems started after his investor pulled out, “I had an interest in fashion, then I met a fashion designer Patricia Mbela. She became a good friend and I learned from her and along the way, I decided to focus on styling. I would style magazines and I got a chance to style for Vogue Magazine. Then I decided to start my suit line, I grew my online presence and got a lot of customers but my products wasn’t good.

Luckily, I got a customer who walked into my store one day and an investment opportunity came out of that, I got the money I needed to grow the business. I bought all the assets, a car, I got a store and machines, basically, all the money went into the business. Then investor started being sketchy and we hadn’t finished the paperwork and I had to return everything.”

He lost all his assets and became depressed and an alcoholic, “He felt like the business wasn’t growing.  In May 2017, I lost everything, my car, house, store and my relationship ended, every week something was happening. I was drowning, I managed to pay the investor over a year.

It affected my relationship with people, I was always out I didn’t want to think about my problems. I became an alcoholic; I would oversleep, wake up and anxiety checks in so I would drink again. I had suicidal thoughts twice. I didn’t realise I was going through depression. But I managed to see a therapist and started exercising and praying that worked.”