Uganda designers for Kenya Fashion Week
Jul 08, 2004
Ugandan designers are going to feature big in this year’s Kenya Fashion Week as Sylvia Owori and two young designers showcase their designs in East Africa’s largest fashion market.
By Kalungi Kabuye
Ugandan designers are going to feature big in this year’s Kenya Fashion Week as Sylvia Owori and two young designers showcase their designs in East Africa’s largest fashion market.
It has only been twice that Uganda designers have showcased their talents outside our borders, and in both times, it was during the Face of Africa modelling contest.
In 1999, Natasha Kainembabazi, produced a collection which was part of the regional finals held at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel. She also had one for the continental finals held in Windhoek, Namibia.
The next year, 2000, Sylvia Owori also designed for the regional final in Dar-Es-Salaam, and the finals in Cape Town.This time around, she plans to introduce her designer label, Ziper, in Nairobi next week, when the Kenya Fashion Week takes place between Friday, July 16, and Sunday July 18.
“It is a pity that the Kenyans will get to see my label before I launch it in Uganda, but I’ve been doing a lot of things and, what with the Miss Uganda contests, I’ve had to postpone it several times,†she said.
“But after all this is over, I will present the Ziper label to Ugandans, probably around November.â€
Owori said the Kenya Fashion Week was at a very convenient time. It offered her a chance at many international buyers, and she is looking forward to some big orders.
“The Kenyan market is largely unknown territory for Ugandan designers, but my label is comparable to anything you find in New York, Paris or Milan. But it is good for me and good for Uganda to explore it,†she said.
“Every designer has different strengths and a different style, so we will see what the Kenyans have and they will see what we have.â€
Owori will display her collection in two parts, ready to wear designs that include everything from casual, working to evening wear; and the haute couture, where outfits are custom made on order.
In total, she will have 30 garments on show, and will carry along two models from her Ziper Modeling Agency to help in the catwalk.
Meanwhile, the organisers have revealed that two young Ugandan designers were among the 12 winners in the Kenya Student Fashion Design Awards, open to final-year students in recognised colleges of fashion in the region.
Kwala Momiba and Winnie Alum Obale will join four Kenyans, four Tanzanians and two Ethiopians in creating a spectacular outfit based on the design sketches they submitted.
The outfits will be presented and the winner announced during the opening show on Friday at 6:30pm at the Carnivore Gardens, the venue.
The shows will have India’s international fashion label Satya Paul also taking part, and they will bring along one of India’s biggest models, Tanushree Gupta, a former Miss Universe contestant.
International hair stylist, Randolph Gray, who is said to have Naomi Campbell among his clients, will be on hand to style the models’ hair.
Ends
Ugandan designers are going to feature big in this year’s Kenya Fashion Week as Sylvia Owori and two young designers showcase their designs in East Africa’s largest fashion market.
It has only been twice that Uganda designers have showcased their talents outside our borders, and in both times, it was during the Face of Africa modelling contest.
In 1999, Natasha Kainembabazi, produced a collection which was part of the regional finals held at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel. She also had one for the continental finals held in Windhoek, Namibia.
The next year, 2000, Sylvia Owori also designed for the regional final in Dar-Es-Salaam, and the finals in Cape Town.This time around, she plans to introduce her designer label, Ziper, in Nairobi next week, when the Kenya Fashion Week takes place between Friday, July 16, and Sunday July 18.
“It is a pity that the Kenyans will get to see my label before I launch it in Uganda, but I’ve been doing a lot of things and, what with the Miss Uganda contests, I’ve had to postpone it several times,†she said.
“But after all this is over, I will present the Ziper label to Ugandans, probably around November.â€
Owori said the Kenya Fashion Week was at a very convenient time. It offered her a chance at many international buyers, and she is looking forward to some big orders.
“The Kenyan market is largely unknown territory for Ugandan designers, but my label is comparable to anything you find in New York, Paris or Milan. But it is good for me and good for Uganda to explore it,†she said.
“Every designer has different strengths and a different style, so we will see what the Kenyans have and they will see what we have.â€
Owori will display her collection in two parts, ready to wear designs that include everything from casual, working to evening wear; and the haute couture, where outfits are custom made on order.
In total, she will have 30 garments on show, and will carry along two models from her Ziper Modeling Agency to help in the catwalk.
Meanwhile, the organisers have revealed that two young Ugandan designers were among the 12 winners in the Kenya Student Fashion Design Awards, open to final-year students in recognised colleges of fashion in the region.
Kwala Momiba and Winnie Alum Obale will join four Kenyans, four Tanzanians and two Ethiopians in creating a spectacular outfit based on the design sketches they submitted.
The outfits will be presented and the winner announced during the opening show on Friday at 6:30pm at the Carnivore Gardens, the venue.
The shows will have India’s international fashion label Satya Paul also taking part, and they will bring along one of India’s biggest models, Tanushree Gupta, a former Miss Universe contestant.
International hair stylist, Randolph Gray, who is said to have Naomi Campbell among his clients, will be on hand to style the models’ hair.
Ends