The experience will take place in Rupari's small, boutique clothing design and tailoring shop. Rupari will share her experience with design, fashion, modeling, tailoring, running a boutique design house, and fashion marketing in Rwanda and E. Africa. She'll share some of her sketches, projects she's working on, and samples of her work. She can also provide feedback on some of your work if you bring it with you.
You'll also spend time with the tailors that work on her designs and learn how they bring Rupari's creations to life. If you'd like, you can try your hand at creating a piece to take home. Or, sit back and watch the expert tailors create something for you. Each curious traveler can choose their own fabric and take home a pillowcase, scarf, bow tie, or traditional necktie.

ENTREPRENEUR
Rupari was born in Burundi and came to Rwanda in 1994. She holds a degree in International Economics from the National University of Rwanda and has worked with NGOs, in public relations, and also in the banking sector. Rupari’s immediate goal is to be successful in the design and production of her clothing lines. She hopes to export her work internationally and eventually open a shop in another country. She’s also passionate about working with other models that wish to pursue modeling as a career. She also hopes to have a larger online presence and increase sales through her website.

EXPERIENCE
Rupari started in the fashion industry as a runway and advert model. She’s worked with designers from East and West Africa, including many Rwandan designers. It was her interest in African fabrics that inspired her to create her first clothing collection. After presenting her first collection in West Africa, she reluctantly returned to her job in the banking sector. She continued to design corporate and special occasion clothes for friends, family, and, of course, herself. As her passion for fashion grew, she started showcasing her work around Africa and in late 2014 Rupari achieved her dream of opening her own boutique.

Touch Of Rwanda Fashion Designs Ltd was foundered by Shema Charlotte a creative designer. It is based in Rwanda, Kigali, Kacyiru. Her brand had registered in January 2018 and started a month after, now it’s been almost 6 months. The company is growing, with a shop and a workshop. It offers different services as “to be able to buy the ready-to-wear and they are already made by different sizes and different materials.

The company's clients are able to choose the size and colors of their choice. Shema and her company had been offering services in tailoring and clothes to different people both men and women and kids. Shema’s main styles are smart casual, an outfit that can be worn at the office, every day and evening for some occasions. She also designs and does accessories such as bags, bed covers, napkins, pillowcases and some materials to use in home decor.

At least seven foreign countries are participating in this year’s show, slated for September 8 at a yet-to-be-specified venue in Kigali, Rwanda. The runway show will be preceded by a model casting session at the Great Seasons Hotel in Gacuriro on September 4. The casting will be open from 1pm to 6pm. This year marks six years since the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show was founded in 2013. Organizers have promised a unique runway show featuring designs from different cultures as the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show returns.

“Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show is a forum for local and international fashion designers to showcase their designs. Our goal is to promote fashion designers and create public awareness of the talent and quality designs in Rwanda,” explained Celestine Ntawirema, the founder. Ntawirema further disclosed that they will be partnering with local modeling agencies to help with the casting of the models. This year, the event has drawn fashion designers and entrepreneurs from Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana, Japan, the DRC, and hosts Rwanda.

Registration for the casting is already open, and each model is required to part with a registration fee of Rwf3, 000, payable to organizers through Bank of Kigali. To qualify, female hopefuls will need to be at least 1 meter 75 centimeters tall, while their male counterparts need to be at least 1 meter and 80 centimeters tall.

“This year we resolved to meet international casting standards. Normally in Rwanda the way we did castings was not to international standards,” Ntawirema explained, adding that all models who will register for the casting will have a chance to attend the show, even for those that won’t be selected. Organisers have also set aside two days of a fashion exhibition, where the public will be able to shop for various fashion items as a way of supporting the ‘Made in Rwanda’ campaign.

THE year 2017 saw the substantial transformation in the local fashion industry propelled by the Made-in-Rwanda campaign.

Local designers made an impression not only on the local scene but also on the international arena. From local fashion shows to international runway shows, Rwanda was represented.

As the year comes to an end, we look at some of the fashion moments that defined 2017:

Kigali Fashion Week (KFW)

The Kigali Fashion Week that took place in February at Kigali Serena Hotel was worth the hype it generated in the build-up to the event. The high turn up added some sparkle to the event. Guests had enough to optically feast on as designers served sizzling styles during the 7th edition of the annual event.

Organised by the CEO John Bunyeshuri, the show featured a total of 17 designers, both international and local. Designers came from Sweden, Japan, USA, Canada, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi with their designs ranging from casual, corporate to wedding attire and swimsuits.

Tradition and creativity were evident although the African print (kitenge) was the most commonly used. For some designers, it was well matched and blended with other fabrics to give a modern look.

The fashion industry also saw new brands emerging. These include Ikwiize, which was established in January this year, with the launched of its first two major shows at Kigali Fashion Week, and CollectiveRW Fashion show.

Ikwiize was born out of a merger between two different fashion lines; Swav, a retail textile and fashion accessories store that has been running in Kigali for the last six years and Qaal Designs, contemporary Islamic clothing brand by the Somali-American fashion designer Nimco Adam Qaal.

KFW later signed a partnership with a Belgium-based company Berex Invest Corporation, to boost its global reach by organising a ‘Made-in-Rwanda’ tour in partnership with KFW.

The launch that attracted over 500 guests was a success in the cities of London and Manchester.

CollectiveRWFashion Week

Held at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village, this year’s edition of Collective RW Fashion Week was bigger and better than the inaugural edition staged last year, with the runway featuring at least ten designers both local and international.

The event was organised by Collective RW, an umbrella organisation of local fashion houses, in collaboration with Illume Creative Studio.

The founding members that exhibited are Haute Baso, House of Tayo, Inzuki Designs, and Sonia Mugabo while the new members that showcased their collections were Amizero, which was first on the runway with its extensive snow white collection; Moshions, Ikwiize, Afriek and Uzi Collections.
Internationally acclaimed South African fashion trendsetter Laduma Maxhosa also displayed his sensational and colorful Xhosa-inspired knitwear. This was one of the most outstanding collections, on a night that had its fair share of African prints (Kitenge).

The designers came together to strengthen, promote, and develop the fashion industry in Rwanda by fostering talent, originality, and representation at the local, regional, and international scene.

The fashion happy hour also featured a live art demonstration by the designer Cedric Mizero and his team, and a live music session by A Ka Dope with artists from several countries.

Early this month, six Rwanda-based brands that form the Collective RW, Inzuki Designs, Sonia Mugabo, Haute Baso and Uzi Collection, as well as House of Tayo and Moshions showcased their designs at their first Nairobi pop-up at the Tribe Hotel, Nairobi. It is part of their target to hold Collective RW fashion shows in different cities across the world.

They were hosted and sponsored by HEVA, an East African fund that invests in the transformative social and economic potential of the creative economy sector in the East African region.

Sonia Mugabo and Teta Isibo named among the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa in 2017 by Forbes.

Kids Fashion Show

In February this year, Joselyn Umutoniwase celebrated the 5th anniversary of her brand- Rwanda Clothing. The private show was attended by several guests including her clients, friends, family, and fellow designers. Held at Business Professionals Network (BPN) offices in Kacyiru, it featured a fashion show, where the brand’s latest collections were displayed by young and adult models.

The private fashion show also was to celebrate the loyalty of her clients, who have stood with her for the last five years. The brand specialises in colorful print designs and blends African fabric with international styles.

Disability is Not Inability Fashion Show

Models in wheelchairs and on clutches rocked the catwalk as they showcased the latest creations by local fashion designers in an event, held at Mulindi Japan One Love grounds in Gasabo District. The show featured outfits designed for traditional wear, Ankara, and costume designs.

Dubbed ‘Disability is Not Inability Fashion Show’, the show was held in collaboration with Talent Group and East African Nights of Tolerance.

The event attracted participants from 12 countries including Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon and hosts Rwanda. It aimed at creating a life-without-limits for people with disabilities. The main objective of the event was to empower persons with disabilities and to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity and well-being of persons with disabilities through fashion.

“Strong Women” photo exhibition.

During his ‘Fashion for All’ tour, Cédric Mizero met several women in the western part of the country, and his experience with them, inspired a photo shoot with photographer Chris Schwagga, to make his “Strong Women” exhibition.

The exhibition was an artistic installation featuring photography, fashion, and “feminine strength, energy, and responsibility.”

On the international scene,

Fashion designer Olivier Niyitanga, aka Gucci Tanga, was Rwanda’s only representative at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Cape Town, South Africa, held in July.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week events are recognised as being the most lavish and prestigious on the continent. Only the most established designers and the best emerging creatives are handpicked and invited to showcase the next season’s collections.

The Mercedes Benz African Fashion Festival 2017 Accra Ghana was produced by a Rwandan organization Fashion Consultant Cooperation mostly known as the producers of Kigali Fashion Week.

The Rwanda-Ghana fashion and textile initiative was also launched, with both Fashion Consultant Cooperation (Rwanda) and Global Ovations the organisers of Mercedes Benz African Fashion Festival (Ghana). It involved the cultural exchange between Ghana and Rwanda through fashion and textile.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Cultural Tourism Week at Red Rocks in Musanze was a buffet of all things Rwandan-from Rwandan cultural fashion designs, traditional food and drink, poetry and spoken word performances, music and dance, basket weaving, traditional story-telling and grain milling, to mention but a few. In its 6th year running, the Cultural Tourism Week run from August 26th to September 1. It was organised by Red Rocks in partnership with the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show, which is now in its 5th year running.

The Cultural Tourism Week run from August 26 to September 1, with the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show falling on August 31. The activities were also peppered with discussions and reflections on conservation by various stakeholders and members of the surrounding local community.

What made the event stand out was the large number of locals from outlying villages who trooped to Red Rocks to partake of the various fun activities, while others simply came because of the prospect of making a quick buck out of souvenir sales to tourists. The women from the local crafts cooperative that operates out of Red Rocks added colour to the week-long activities, draped in colourful Kitengi fabrics and knitting away at their baskets and other tourist souvenirs.

At the Cultural Fashion Show on September 31st, local fashion designers and models showcased a variety of retro designs that date back to traditional Rwandan society; from Inyonga, Inkanda, Inshabure, and Inkindi traditional wear, among others. Through well-executed skits, the models were also able to depict the mode of clothing that was used by former Rwandan kings, royals, royal guards and their military regalia. Guests were able to get a feel of what a typical King’s palace looked like.

According to Celestin Ntawirema, the CEO of Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show, the platform seeks to identify and nurture modeling talent from different parts of the country. To this end, established fashion designers and models were used to headline the Cultural Fashion Show, while the emerging talent picked from the community learns from the seniors. The fashion show also featured many models that are outside of the conventional modeling age bracket, further adding to its uniqueness compared to previous editions.

“We are working in a countryside setting which helps us easily find a variety of traditional clothing in the area as well as other tools that were being used in the traditional era,” explained Greg Bakunzi, CEO of Red Rocks Rwanda. On September 1, a day after the Cultural Fashion Show, Bakunzi was among the 19 people honoured to name a baby gorilla at the gorilla naming ceremony, Kwita Izina, in Kinigi, Musanze. This was in recognition of his work at Red Rocks as a community focused tourism business.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.