Kigali Fashion Week to help build local fashion industry

Kigali Fashion Week is ready to roll out the red carpet in November, thanks to the support of the local business community. Last Friday, several individuals and representatives from local businesses pledged to support the Fashion Week. This was during a fundraising drive for the fashion event held at the Kigali Serena hotel. Kigali Fashion Week opens November 8, with a VIP fashion show at Kigali Serena hotel, and a fashion concert on November 9. The event will be funded entirely from sponsorship donations. An unspecified amount of money in cash and pledges was raised at the event. “Fashion Week is important because everything in this world is about fashion,” said John Bunyeshuli, CEO, Kigali Fashion Week.This is the second year of Kigali Fashion Week and many people hope it will attract international attention and help build the local fashion industry.“We’re trying to build the fashion industry in Rwanda. We’re really trying to push it to become a leader and eventually the African capital of fashion,” said designer Candy Basomingera.Kigali Fashion Week recently caught attention of the fashion industry in New York City.“We volunteered to help raise the production value and hopefully bring some international attention to the event,” said David Steinberg, Senior Vice President, of LDJ Productions, an event management company based in the United States.Steinberg said he hopes to instill the fact that fashion is a business and help local designers build business to sell their products in Rwanda and abroad.“The fashion here is beautiful, more colourful and more traditional. It will be interesting to see how that makes a mark on the international scene,” Steinberg added.

Leisure

Kigali Fashion Week to help build local fashion industry