At a tender age of seven, Eunice Kaliningufu, already knew she had what it took to become a fashion guru.

Now a Grade 10 student at Life International Christian Academy, Kaliningufu, 15, says her love for fashion has only grown.

"As a young girl, my games included mimicking models. I loved clothes and colour which made me spend many hours in my bedroom trying on different clothes to see which looked better on me.

"As I grew older, my love for fashion grew too.”

"One day, I went to my mother’s bedroom, closed it and started trying on her clothes even though they were too big for me. I tied straps around my waist so that they would fit. I vividly remember how, one day my mother beat me up for messing up her bedroom. But, in reality, she already knew I liked fashion,” Kaliningufu adds.

Kaliningufu’s passion for fashion has seen her get a chance to be, (for her first time) a judge during the just-concluded Kigali Fashion Design Challenge. Age did not stop her from leading the panel of judges at the event.

"At first, to be honest, I was kind of nervous, because I was the youngest on the panel. It was a good experience,” she said.

Kaliningufu says fashion helps her express herself. "Through fashion, one can simply express themselves and fashion defines the type of person one is.” she explains

Her role models are American stylist Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein while she also tries to learn from Sunday Justine’s experience.

The latter is a local designer who owns Kitenge Fashion House and organises Kigali Fashion Design Challenge, concluded last month.

"Anytime I am dressed in a Kitenge print, I feel like I am looking good. His collections never disappoint,” she talked of Sunday’s fashion collections.

Kaliningufu now has fashion among her future plans and dreams of owning her fashion house, just after pursuing her university studies.

"Fashion is a vast industry but I want to be a designer in the future. I like fashion design and, if things turn out well for me, after pursuing my university studies, I will have my own fashion house and I also have a dream to be an engineer. I can easily juggle both,” she said.

What motivates Kaliningufu is her mother’s support.

"My mother does not like fashion as much as I do, but she is very encouraging and supportive and tries to help me achieve my dream,” she says.

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