top of page

A Fashion Revolution




Climate Smart Fashion is the future and young Ugandans should not be afraid to participate:



Creative DNA Arica  is a Fashion Incubator Program designed by the British Council implemented in Uganda by Bold in Africa via their non-profit arm Bold Woman Fund. The program takes on 20 women business owners in the fashion and home decor industries in two cohorts of 10. All participants must be women between the ages of 18-35. The program assists the women in scaling their businesses, sharpening their business skills, and strengthening networks within the Ugandan fashion world. Participants are all in the early stages of their fashion enterprises. The women convene at the Bold offices every Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm attending immersive workshops for eight weeks. There are prizes too, a stipend that the winning business uses towards the part of their business they have identified as requiring polishing up and the chance to stock one’s work at the Bold Store at Kisementi. 


A phenomenal set, some are graduates of Makerere’s fashion or business programs, others designers from Tessa’s fashion school, and several are self-taught individuals, all having embarked on this journey fueled by their boundless passion. Take Iman for instance, who felt drawn to tailoring long before begrudgingly pursuing a business degree. Ampurire, with her unmistakable flair, thrives in nothing short of the extraordinary.  Their resourcefulness, spunk, imagination, and audacity leave a lasting impression. I want to be around these women, I want to be dressed by these women, and I want to borrow their outlook on life. They represent the spirit of Kampala embodying those who triumph over it.  


In 2021, Shurea participated in a fashion show advocating for sexual and reproductive rights. A thrilling and enlightening event that dared the audience and models to re-interpret menstrual hygiene. Nearly a quarter of the girls between 12-18 in Uganda drop out of school when they begin menstruation. For those that do, absent rates move from 7% to 28%.  Like these young women, artists have been at the frontlines pushing this through public discourse and onto the policy agenda. It is evident that if well-harnessed these women can use their power to shift culture positively. 


On a macro scale, Uganda has been a dominant player in the fashion scene. A lead exporter of unprocessed cotton, the country has been working towards creating a textile policy that can utilize all of our potential. 

I attended one session before writing this article and the day’s lesson was about value chain addition, led by a Bold trainer, Robert Nsereko; the business development manager for the multinational Beiersdorf in Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Among many things, he encourages the girls to hone in on the expanding trade partner relations between Vietnam and Uganda. Vietnam is doing exciting, innovative things and the government is keen on young people with the capacity to take advantage of this investment. Aware of the global south’s history of exploitation by the fashion industry, Nsereko insists on the women being at the wheel and attentive to the larger socio-political themes. As Nikissi Serumaga discusses in her vintageorviolence, for a long time, countries in the global south were strapped with fashion castaways. Turning these second-hand clothes into purchasable vintage steals was the beginning of Owino. While the market employs Ugandans, it also does so at a comparably lower pay than their counterparts in the North and prevents them from participating in creation by drowning out any relevance for meaningful fashion creatives and effectively thereafter;  the continuation of Uganda’s unique artisanal practice. With the rise of fast fashion, the quality of these clothes has also fallen.  But even within this quagmire, in some pockets of the world like Vietnam,  there is an ongoing fashion revolution, flaws and all. Vietnam which was yesteryear a poor country like Uganda is now a major player in the textile industry exporting to Japan, the US, and the EU. The industry has 4,000 enterprises and directly employs more than 4.5 million people. 


But…


Did you know that the fashion industry is the most polluting entity after oil? Fast fashion means more cheap clothes and more waste. When clothes aren’t being shipped to the third world, 3 billion dollars worth of clothes are going to landfills, taking longer to decompose than some people will ever live.  Never mind the deplorable work conditions of sweatshops usually located in the underdeveloped world. Additionally,  fashion is a very water-intensive industry. The amount of water that goes into producing clothes makes a mockery of drought that if not already here is knocking at the door of many regions. 


Why then should we encourage Ugandans into this industry?


While the fashion industry is guilty of these crimes: promising entrepreneurs, investors, and instrumental policy bodies are looking toward a world of climate-smart fashion. It is the future. For emerging economies like ours: climate-smart fashion is an opportunity to safely lift our countries out of poverty, to preserve unique African artisanal styles, and work towards restoring the power balance between the Global North and South. 


Is this another fad… some stories and policies to inspire you?


Rachel Bashabe, VerylDesigns. . An online African print clothing brand that creates bold print, daring designs made from afro print material that is sourced and handmade both in London, United Kingdom, and Kampala, Uganda.


Katende Geoffrey, IGC fashion, a streetwear brand that uses barkcloth and cowrie shells. 


Kona, Bhavya Kalsi, Co-founder and Lead Designer has built a global brand from our corner (Kona) of the world. Bhavya draws inspiration from her Indian heritage, Kiswahili, and Ugandan roots to create pieces that blend traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics. Focusing on quality materials and sustainable practices, Kona caters to individuals who appreciate sophistication and style. 


Private Sector Foundation Uganda ( PSFU) not only advocates for better entrepreneurship policies but also creates opportunities to support businesses such as the ongoing GROW project meant to directly assist young women entrepreneurs. 


URA& BUBU policy gives tax breaks to small players within the industry as well as reduced to no shipping costs to exporters that abide by BUBU. 


Ethical Fashion Initiative is a sustainable development realization by the World Trade Organization and the UN. It is a global advocacy body for a more responsible and sustainable fashion industry. The initiative’s target is to harness the power of fashion as a vehicle out of poverty by connecting artisans in the developing world to fashion supply chains in the developed world. In Uganda, EFI, through the European Union's support, is conducting The Identity Building and Sharing Business. Having identified Uganda for its unique refugee composition as well as by being one of the top ten emerging economies on the continent, the initiative focuses on enhancing the country’s already existing palm weaving craftsmanship where the leaf is used to cut and weave beautiful baskets and a budding plastics project. Two of the initiatives globally outstanding projects include Cables and Artisan Fashion in Kenya and Buziga Hill: Return to Sender which redesigns vintage clothes and returns them to the senders in the Global North in an attempt to curb the overconsumption and to return dignity to consumers of fashion in Uganda. 



I am hopeful and deeply inspired to peek into moments like this happening in my own country, knowing especially that even in these rooms, the reality of being a young Ugandan entrepreneur is being addressed.  The vibrancy, the brilliance, the enthusiasm, yes… it all blows the heart wide open. Initiatives like this, if well supported,  will drive confidence in our country and demonstrate that indeed fashion is a professional choice that can meaningfully contribute to our economy.

13 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Get Into It

In 2023 amidst bewildered outcries of a post covid collapsing economy, the American multinational four-point Sheraton hotel majestically...

Komentari


  • Instagram
  • Twitter
bottom of page