24-YEAR-OLD Anaclet Tuyishime is a fashion designer who specialises in crafting leather bags and footwear in Kigali. His dream is to make a mark on the fashion world. He joined the field four years ago and has since developed a deep attachment to the profession.

He said he had a dream of owning a fashion house as an adult after joining Ecole d’art de Nyundo in 2014.

"I had this desire of becoming a fashion designer ever since my childhood. After graduating at Ecole d’art de Nyundo, I saw my dream become true after doing a design course. Despite all the challenges I met on the way, it didn’t discourage me as I was very passionate about it,’’ he says.

"I decided to venture into fashion as I loved the idea of being self-employed. I also wanted to inspire young people to become self-made and self-employed instead of job-seekers but most importantly to express myself and my ideas as a fashion designer,’’ he said.

some of his shoe 

That’s what inspired him to start up his own fashion brand he dubbed ‘Umuringa fashion Brand’ which currently produces both eco- friendly leather bags and women’s footwear.

Starting up, Tuyishime revealed that he started crafting his own bags by using his hands, a crochet with needles and a small leather tissue only.

"I started by crafting my own bag and later, I started to make bags for my friends. It didn’t take long for people to recognise how unique my bag was. They started approaching me asking where I bought it. Everyone was surprised after hearing that I made it on my own. They started giving me orders to make bags for them too. The fashion business began just like that,’’ he says.

In 2018, he started crafting these eco-friendly leather bags alone, where he used to craft over five bags a day. He kept on growing in his career and bought machines to improve production.

For Tuyishime, experience comes with time. He says he has been growing bigger in the industry and has also started receiving orders from abroad.

handbag designs

Talking about their specialty and the impact so far, Tuyishime says they try to make good quality products that stay longer and also products that are affordable to everyone.

He further explained that Umuringa fashion brand has made a huge impact in the society where it gives training to youth who want to join the fashion industry and also provides jobs as well as part time jobs to the youth in their neighborhoods.

"We have been providing jobs in many ways, for example some people are now selling our products and we refer to them as our business partners and we are grateful that they are making a living out of it,’’ he says.

Asked about the biggest lesson he has learned so far in his career, Tuyishime says, "I have learned to believe in myself, be a person of integrity and respect people regardless of anything, because you never know who you’re dealing with. It could be your future brand manager, client or others,”

He however, advises young fashion designers to keep dreaming big and to not give up on their goals.

"The idea alone is the capital to invest, for me it doesn’t require a lot to start doing business. As long you have an idea and goals, you will find many ways to put it in action,’’ he notes

For Elvine Umurerwa, a distribution manager at Umuringa fashion brand, she enjoys fashion design as it boosts her creativity and she earns money out of it.

"Creation and exploring something new is the best part for me. It involves thinking out of the box. You think of something unique and something that would attract customers. It really makes me happy to put my ideas out and see them being appreciated by others,’’ she shared.

Umurerwa also stated that she can urge youth to join the fashion industry as it has many ideas to be invented yet it still has few players in it.

Challenges and future plans

Among his future plans, Tuyishime revealed that he plans to open his own fashion house that will sell different crafts and to venture in clothing fashion among the others.

About their challenges, Tuyishime said they are still struggling to find materials  which they use to craft their products, in  local markets yet it takes a long time when they are shipped abroad.