It is evident that the Basketball Africa League (BAL) aims to make a significant impact both on and off the court, and by using basketball as an anchor, they strive to drive economic growth, foster social change, and create new opportunities for the youth in Rwanda and across the continent.
Matthew Rugamba, founder of House of Tayo, a renowned fashion house in Rwanda, is one of many benefiting from the Basketball Africa League that has come to Rwanda. During an interview with The New Times, he said that given the close connection between entertainment and fashion, he saw a great opportunity to showcase his work to new audiences.
"In 2021, during the first edition of the BAL, we had the chance to create a shirt for one of the executives which he greatly appreciated. As a result, we continued designing shirts for him throughout the tournament.
He was impressed with our work and recommended us to several individuals within his network. As the year progressed, we had the privilege of dressing more people associated with the NBA Africa and BAL networks. I am truly grateful for the doors that the BAL has already opened for me and the House of Tayo,” Rugamba said.
The president of the BAL, Amadou Gallo Fall, was also spotted rocking the Ijezi t-shirt during the second season of BAL that took place in Kigali, Rwanda.
Also Read: House of Tayo’s popular ‘Ijezi’ comes of age
Aside from House of Tayo, there are other brands that have benefited from the exposure brought on by the sports business week long event, and Izubaa by Elodie Fromenteau is one of the lucky few.
Speaking to The New Times, Fromenteau shared her sales experience with one of the players in town for the Basketball Africa League. She made and sold a suit inspired by Michael Jordan’s off the court looks in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
"I had an experience with this player called Kareem who liked the Jordan’s suit I made and I made a t-shirt to go with it. When you see pictures of Jordan leaving the game or going to meetings, that’s the kind of suit he’d be wearing. It’s very IZUBAA and oversized. When he came I didn’t tell him it was the Jordan suits but that’s what he went for. I took his measurements and he’s going to come back to pick it up.” says Fromenteau
Tamba Niyigena, founder of Revolution Workshop, a fashion brand currently in partnership with the BAL amidst the basketball tournament is of the view that reshaping how the African culture is perceived on the global scale is important, and basketball is one way to capture heritage.
"Through our designs, we embrace the essence of African culture, infusing it with the energy and passion of basketball and art. I am honored by the opportunity to collaborate with the BAL to style their different guests,” he says.
The management of the Moshions brand also weighed in on the matter, expressing that sports business has contributed not only to an increase in sales, but also in regards to publicity and visibility. According to the Moshions team, sales particularly increase during multinational conventions, sports events, and tourism events such as Kwita Izina.