International fashion comes to Uganda
It happens in all the fashion cities in the world.
By Kalungi Kabuye
It happens in all the fashion cities in the world. There is the biggest of them all in New York, and others in Paris, London and Milan. The Kenyan was last month, and last week South Africa held hers in Cape Town. And now Uganda is set to join them.
The second last week of November will see the first ever Uganda Fashion Week, and the international world of fashion will finally come to Kampala. In the Exhibition Hall on the ground floor of the Garden City shopping mall, what there is of Ugandan fashion will be on show to whatever eye bothers to look.
“Uganda has for a long time been a testimony of people so dependent on European, American or Asian styles. It is time we introduced mainstream Ugandan fashion with the creativity, glamour and professionalism attached to the international fashion industry,†said Santa Anzoyo, head of Arapapa Consultancy and the project co-ordinator of the Uganda Fashion Week.
Fashion Weeks are held to
showcase the talents of several designers at the same time and the same venue. Unlike individual collections by major designers, these serve mainly to showcase new and relatively unknown designers.
In 2001, African designers got their biggest chance when they participated in that year’s New York Fashion Week, where our own Patricia Namayirira took part as a model.
The South African show that took place in Cape Town last week was designed to introduce South African fashion and design to the world.
Up to now, the Kenya Fashion Week has been the biggest and only one in the region, and has been drawing designers from as far as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda.
Now Uganda will have her time, from November 23 - 24, and design and fashion will move away from the back streets and single-sewing machine operators to the bright lights and glamour associated with the world of fashion.
“We’ve got to move away from the verandas and side-walks because nobody is going to take us serious. Even our own people don’t take us serious, they would rather buy clothes from Europe and overseas,†a highly spirited Santa said.
“We have our own designs and fabrics which are better than the ones in Europe so this is the chance to show them in the right setting,†she added.
Some of the best designers in Uganda will participate in the Fashion Week, Santa said.
There will also be several designers from abroad, just to add spice and am international touch to the event.
There will be fashion shows twice every day during the event, while 40 stalls will show what the different designers have to exhibit. Thirty of these will be reserved for Ugandans, and 10 for designers from abroad. Each stall will be three-square meters large, and will cost $250. There will be not only clothes on show but also accessories like earrings, necklaces, shoes and other fashion items. Not only will they be on show, but also on sale.
According to Santa, just like it happens at the Lugogo Trade Fair, she expects items to be at lower prices than retail.
“We expect the prices to be as low as possible,†she said.
“The biggest for designers and manufacturers is the exposure, both local and international, that they will get. We are looking at a long term multiplier effect for Uganda’s fashion industry.â€
It happens in all the fashion cities in the world. There is the biggest of them all in New York, and others in Paris, London and Milan. The Kenyan was last month, and last week South Africa held hers in Cape Town. And now Uganda is set to join them.
The second last week of November will see the first ever Uganda Fashion Week, and the international world of fashion will finally come to Kampala. In the Exhibition Hall on the ground floor of the Garden City shopping mall, what there is of Ugandan fashion will be on show to whatever eye bothers to look.
“Uganda has for a long time been a testimony of people so dependent on European, American or Asian styles. It is time we introduced mainstream Ugandan fashion with the creativity, glamour and professionalism attached to the international fashion industry,†said Santa Anzoyo, head of Arapapa Consultancy and the project co-ordinator of the Uganda Fashion Week.
Fashion Weeks are held to
showcase the talents of several designers at the same time and the same venue. Unlike individual collections by major designers, these serve mainly to showcase new and relatively unknown designers.
In 2001, African designers got their biggest chance when they participated in that year’s New York Fashion Week, where our own Patricia Namayirira took part as a model.
The South African show that took place in Cape Town last week was designed to introduce South African fashion and design to the world.
Up to now, the Kenya Fashion Week has been the biggest and only one in the region, and has been drawing designers from as far as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda.
Now Uganda will have her time, from November 23 - 24, and design and fashion will move away from the back streets and single-sewing machine operators to the bright lights and glamour associated with the world of fashion.
“We’ve got to move away from the verandas and side-walks because nobody is going to take us serious. Even our own people don’t take us serious, they would rather buy clothes from Europe and overseas,†a highly spirited Santa said.
“We have our own designs and fabrics which are better than the ones in Europe so this is the chance to show them in the right setting,†she added.
Some of the best designers in Uganda will participate in the Fashion Week, Santa said.
There will also be several designers from abroad, just to add spice and am international touch to the event.
There will be fashion shows twice every day during the event, while 40 stalls will show what the different designers have to exhibit. Thirty of these will be reserved for Ugandans, and 10 for designers from abroad. Each stall will be three-square meters large, and will cost $250. There will be not only clothes on show but also accessories like earrings, necklaces, shoes and other fashion items. Not only will they be on show, but also on sale.
According to Santa, just like it happens at the Lugogo Trade Fair, she expects items to be at lower prices than retail.
“We expect the prices to be as low as possible,†she said.
“The biggest for designers and manufacturers is the exposure, both local and international, that they will get. We are looking at a long term multiplier effect for Uganda’s fashion industry.â€