Joram Muzira, 34 was your average Ugandan student. He never imagined he would be a driving force in the fashion industry.

“I went to Lake Victoria Primary School, Mwiri Primary School, Bushenyi Town School Primary School and St Francisco Primary School, Hoima, where I completed my P7,” he says.

He started working as a waiter in his S6 vacation and he was promoted to cashier, events manager and public relations and marketing.

“All the while I was studying for a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and I graduated from Makerere University in 2008,” Muzira says.

His big break came when fashion mogul, Sylvia Owori, entrusted him with one of her biggest fashion shows — Forever Love.

“I was hired as casting director, show director and producer. All the models that I had cast for the show commended me for my great leadership and asked me to start managing them, which led to the birth of my agency, Joram Model Management (JMM),” he says.

Today, Muzira is the creative director for JMM, an agency he started in 2012.

“We have 20 models working in New York, Paris, London and Milan. Some of my models, like Aamito Lagum, Akello Patricia, Aliet Sarah, Aketch Joy Winnie, Paul Mwesigwa, Ayak Veronica and Moussa Dhiako are internationally recognised,” he says.

Since the agency’s inception, Muzira has been on a roll.

He has participated in the New York Fashion Week 2018, Shadowing Rachel Young and interning with LDJ Productions.

LDJ is one of the top New York Fashion Week production companies. Muzira has worked with Karen Lee Productions and Jan MalanUmzengli Productions.

He was in the show production for South Sudan Fashion Week 2021 and Italy Fashion Show- Revolution Africa.

Muzira also produced the fashion show at the UNAA CAUSES in Washington DC, US in August 2018.

He was also the host for the SEED PROJECT 2018, an initiative sponsored by the US Embassy in Uganda, Paper Fig Foundation, Kampala Fashion Week and proudly produced by the LDJ Productions. On the local scene, Muzira has been the casting director, fashion show producer and model coordinator for the annual Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards (ASFA’s) from 2013 to 2019 and Miss International Uganda 2019.

He was the scout, head show producer and pageant coach for Miss Tourism Uganda from 2015 to2018; mentor and scout of Miss Uganda beauty pageant 2013 and 2014.

His work also involves judging beauty pageants such as Miss Albinism East Africa 2018, in Nairobi Kenya; Little Miss Uganda 2018 & 2018 and Little Miss Universe 2018.

His agency holds master classes and equips young people with skills, such as confidence building, personality development, branding social media, corporate social responsibility, speech and diction.

He has included diversity in the fashion and modelling world by working with different organisations such as the Uganda People Living with HIV to fight stigma.

In the next 10 years, he sees himself as one of the biggest leading mother agents worldwide.

Muzira’s driving force has always been passion and determination.

If he had 20 minutes with anyone in the world, it would be legendary fashion model Naomi Campbell because she has been a beacon of hope to many in the modelling and fashion world.

The fashion industry was hit badly by the COVID-19 pandemic, but, for Muzira, it was a blessing in disguise. 

“We scouted extensively online on social media and groomed many new faces,” he says.

Muzira believes he has left a mark and a solid legacy for those that will come after him.

“I can boldly say the next generation will have a strong beacon of hope to look up to. In my next life I would still want to come back as me,” he says.