Made in Rwanda fashion designs are already drawing huge attention from fashion enthusiasts in Dubai after Rwanda designers’ collection impressed fanatics who attended last week’s Rwanda-Austria Fashion Connect.
Co-curated by Rwanda and Austria at the ongoing World Expo in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the fashion show held Friday evening, March 25, at the Austrian Pavilion attracted six fashion houses from Rwanda and Austria presenting 36 various collections.
House of Tayo, Haute Baso and Maison Munezero were among top Rwandan fashion houses that took part in the fashion event. Pierra Ntayombya, Chief Executive Officer of Haute Baso, explained that it was an opportunity not only to reconnect but also learn from other fashion players’ experiences towards building a more competent and creative fashion industry in Rwanda.
"This opportunity has been beneficial because we have been able to exchange with our Austrian counterparts. We have been able to learn from their traditions and their cultural practices when it comes to fashion and textiles and it gave us an opportunity to come to Dubai Expo and be able to target a new market,” said Ntayombya.
For Jean Vainqueur Munezero, Founder and Creative Director at Maison Munezero who was presenting his designs in Dubai for the first time, there is a need to strengthen collaborations between the designers from both countries following a successful showing at the Austria-Rwanda Fashion Connect.
"I am so excited that I was able to participate at this event physically. It’s been over a year collaborating through the internet and finally here we are in Dubai. There is hope for a bright future and hopefully more collaborations will exist between Austrian designers and mine,” he said.
Rwanda’s Ambassador to UAE, Emmanuel Hategeka, was among the honorary figures who attended the fashion event. Hategeka highlighted the role of the fashion industry in promoting cultural heritage and driving economic development.
"Fashion is an industry and scene to express and promote our cultural heritage, a platform to showcase tradition while embracing modernity. Presenting Rwanda-made and Austria-made collections at Expo 2020 Dubai is a golden opportunity to take these beautiful styles and designs from our talented designers to the international stage,” he said. "It is also an opportunity to get connected to new markets.”
The Ambassador said that in Rwanda, fashion and design, like other sectors of the economy, benefit from a supportive business environment.
The Made in Rwanda campaign which started in 2015, leading to the Made in Rwanda Policy adopted in 2017, provided a framework to boost local production as opposed to relying on imports.
It has equally stimulated demand at home and abroad. Globally, the fashion industry is one of the creative sectors with huge potential to contribute a significant role to the global economy. Statistics show that the fashion industry is valued at three trillion dollars, translating into 2% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product, while it also employs millions of people, according to findings from Fashion United Estimates.