Rwandan fashion talents are surely going places. If you have watched Neptune Frost, a 2021 science-fiction romantic musical film produced and directed by Saul Williams, and Anisia Uzeyman, you have perhaps wondered who the people behind the creative costumes such as bags made out of jerry cans among others are. These were crafted by ‘Ibisazi designers Nyabyo.' A glance at their designs, one may be at a loss for words as they create them from anything around them, from waste, cutlery, wood to plastic, et cetera ‘Ibisazi designers Nyabyo’ is a local fashion brand that was created by Frederic Niyongabo and Emmanuel Ndiratuma, to deliver inimitability to the local fashion scene. According to the founders, starting up the brand wasn’t easy as most Rwandans didn’t resonate with their style that they referred to them as ‘Ibisazi’ to loosely mean ‘crazy or weird.’ They recycled most of the things, such as clothes, bags, metals and a lot more. “We decided to take on the mockery name, we didn’t throw in the towel as we wanted to prove to the locals that we were determined to unveil something new, and also inspire young talents, Ndiratuma states. He stresses that the duo reached out to other young talents and the group grew to eight members, and are diversely skilled in art such as; painting, music, fashion and design, poems, and music. The fashion designers note that what makes them unique is that they use old and waste products that are no longer in use and convert them into new designs, and accessories. By doing so, they note that they end up conserving a number of non-renewable resources, keeping the environment clean, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, preserving natural resources, and lessening pollution. The youngsters explain that social media has played a role in exposing them not only locally, but also internationally, a thing that scooped them a deal to work with known fashion stylist Cedric Mizero, to design costumes for the Neptune Frost movie. What an experience they had! They are currently the masterminds behind the outfits of ‘Katogo’, a musical film directed by artiste Noah Gersh, expected to be out in February next year. The designers hope to produce their own movie next year, they are optimistic that it will take them a period of nine months to complete. Some of their future plans are to create musical instruments out of objects and items that can produce sound. Niyongabo elucidates that one of their dreams has been constructing a mega art studio of their own, and finally, they have collected some money and made their dream a reality. They will be launching it on December 29. Since they have been struggling to have a platform to showcase their work, the studio will assist them to exhibit all their crafts, and will be divided into different departments, such as art, designs, poetry, and music. “We look forward to helping young talents to have a platform to share their knowledge, and skills but also discover their hidden talents, express themselves and believe in themselves, and find their identity. We believe that there are a lot of talents that lack the support to create and show the world what they’re capable of,” they state. Niyongabo highlights that most young people have given up on their artistic talents due to lack of finances and platforms to sell their work. He is of the view that artists require support and cheer as that’s how they can earn from their talents, but also curb vices such as being idle and its results like drug abuse, and so forth. The stylists believe that Rwandans ought to support their own artists, as that way, they would feel valued and develop the zeal to even do better.
