Uniqueness should be at the center of fashion with the intention of impressing clients. Laurent Nsengumuremyi, also known as Nelly, 25, is one such designer determined to showcase peculiar designs in the local fashion industry. The new fashion designer recently sought a means of penetrating in the fashion industry and introduced ‘Rufuku’ collections. ‘Rufuku’, is a fabric of the old-fashioned blankets that he uses to make all sorts of attires, from blazers, cardigans, to skirts, dresses, and many others. Nsengumuremyi said that his customers were surprised by the Rufuku design as they thought it was out of fashion, but he assured them that history, in fashion, repeats itself. The inspiration he said came about as he was reminiscing about his childhood memories, of the blanket that kept him warm. He started using the ‘Rufuku’ blanket at the age of 10 and throughout high school when he left his village for Kigali, where he realized that blankets are old-fashioned. The designer’s wish was to bring back the value of ‘Rufuku’ through fashion. He started with short-sleeved cardigans that he made for himself that eventually attracted positive comments from those that saw him wear them. Surprisingly, he started receiving orders of ‘Rufuku’ cardigans, suits, and other designs from clients. This pushed him to make more, as people reacted to the design more than he expected. The support he got from people while starting has pushed him to achieve his dream of showcasing Rwandan designs. Nsengumuremyi is the founder of a Kicukiro-based local fashion store, known as “Nellystore Fashion House”, which sells Made-in-Rwanda fashion and accessories. The stylist started fashion designing as a hobby some years back, but started it professionally in 2019. He started with an online store and saved up some money to open his fashion shop. “I was once a fashion model after my secondary school, and it pushed me towards fashion designing. I was also inspired by the outfits of different designers during fashion shows,” Nsengumuremyi said. He carried on that the higher rate of unemployment also impelled him to start his own business to employ the jobless youth. So far, his one-year-old business has managed to employ five permanent workers. The stylist is a student of Tourism and Travel Management at University of Tourism Technology and Business Studies (UTB).
