Popular Rwandan Fashion designer Matthew Rugamba has featured on Under 40 CEOs, a continental initiative celebrating young business leaders aged 40 and under from East, West and South Africa. The initiative seeks to research and celebrate young business leaders in Africa with a focus on their journey, process, and their proposed destination. Rugamba is the founder and proprietor of House of Tayo, which was founded in 2011 and created out of the desire to find a unique way to showcase African sophistication, style and flavor through contemporary, locally-made clothing and accessories. “With style influences ranging from the Motown era to traditional British tailoring they seek to combine elegance and class with a strong sense of African heritage and iconography,” the authors of the ranking said. The ranking recognized Rugamba for having a distinctly Rwandan-born brand that works with local artisans and tailors, they support the local community by providing stable income and employment opportunities. “With its unconventional combination of colors and patterns, the brand is bold and futuristic; edgy, yet sophisticated; and reflective of the current proliferation of African arts, culture, and style on the world stage,” the ranking noted.
