Rwandan fashion designer, model, and actress Aline Amike has gained attention thanks to Hollywood star Lupita Nyong’o, who wore a handcrafted bag from Amike Studio, a Rwandan brand owned by Amike, during the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), which ran from February 15 to 25.
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The ‘Black Panther’ movie star was among seven individuals comprising the International Jury at the film festival. In an Instagram post shared with her over 11 million followers, she expressed: "Jury Duty has been fun, and Berlin has been kind. Thank you to the lovely talent, Aline Amike, who handcrafted this bag for me; it happened to complete my outfit of the day!”
In an interview with The New Times, Amike revealed the inspiration behind the bag’s design. She shared: "The bag is inspired by the game called ‘Dame’ that I used to play a lot with Fanta bottle covers, known as checkers elsewhere. We played it when I was growing up. I love the pattern, so when we were exploring beading patterns for our collection, this checker pattern came to my mind first.
"I think it’s because I had just come back from visiting my hometown Gikongoro and had been playing most of the days I was there.”
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Reflecting on Nyong’o’s endorsement of her brand, Amike expressed: "It still feels unreal. I feel so honoured by how much she liked my work, and it gave me another perspective on the potential the brand itself has. It is something bigger than me, it’s the collective dedication of every woman on my team. Truly inspiring.”
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Regarding her travels and work, Amike shared, "I momentarily relocated to Berlin, Germany, to pursue a degree in screen acting. I also used this as a chance to expand my fashion brand to not only offer our products in Rwanda but also share the beautifully handcrafted pieces in Germany. I am currently working as an actress, studying, and running the fashion business both in Berlin and Rwanda.”
Amike joined the Berlinale Talents community, a select group of filmmakers recognised for their creative prowess and influence within their respective communities. This year, only 200 talents were chosen to be part of this community.
Amike Studio specialises in experimenting with beads to create unique fashion pieces. Apart from Nyong’o, other celebrities who have endorsed the brand include B-Threy, Angell Mutoni, and Kaya Byiinshi.