Kigali Fashion Week founder, organiser up in arms amid contract termination

A dispute has emerged between Kigali Fashion Week founder John Bunyeshuli and LG Events Rwanda CEO George Lugoloobi following the termination of a seven-year management agreement that transferred the event's operations to the events company. The agreement, signed in November 2025, was intended to revive Kigali Fashion Week after a two-year hiatus. At the time, Bunyeshuli announced that he would step back from day-to-day management, expressing confidence that the new team would preserve and expand the platform's legacy. ALSO READ: Ugandan firm takes over Kigali Fashion Week on seven-year deal Under the arrangement, LG Events was tasked with managing and repositioning Kigali Fashion Week, which returned in May 2026 under the theme Rebirth: Culture Meets Elegance. The company had pledged to transform the event into a broader creative ecosystem supporting designers, models, investors, and other industry stakeholders. However, relations between the two parties have since deteriorated. Bunyeshuli said he terminated the agreement after losing confidence in Lugoloobi and LG Events' management of the brand. According to him, several associates from Africa and the United States informed him that Lugoloobi had approached them with proposals to purchase shares in Kigali Fashion Week, despite not owning the brand. He wanted them to buy shares from him, yet it is not his property. It is my brand, Bunyeshuli said. The founder further alleged that Lugoloobi later approached him with an offer to purchase Kigali Fashion Week outright, a proposal he said he rejected. I gave him a chance to manage the brand, not to own it, he said. Bunyeshuli also claimed that LG Events was contractually required to provide periodic management reports but failed to do so. In addition, he accused the company of failing to pay some Rwandans who worked on the 2026 edition of the event. He took money, didn't pay the people and disappeared. I have not seen him for the last six months, Bunyeshuli alleged. While Bunyeshuli declined to provide evidence publicly, saying any supporting documents would only be submitted to competent legal authorities, Lugoloobi has denied the allegations and defended LG Events' stewardship of Kigali Fashion Week. He said the company invested heavily in rebuilding and repositioning the platform, with the goal of transforming it from a single annual fashion show into a sustainable creative industry platform. Our vision was to move Kigali Fashion Week beyond being just a one-day event into a broader creative ecosystem that creates value for the industry, Lugoloobi said. According to him, the visibility and renewed attention generated by the 2026 edition were the result of extensive planning, creative direction, and significant financial investment. The success and visibility of this edition did not happen by accident. It was built through strategy, execution, sacrifice, and considerable financial risk, he said. Lugoloobi argued that large-scale productions often require substantial upfront investment and may not generate immediate profits, despite appearing successful to the public. Responding to allegations regarding finances, he said any concerns should be addressed through appropriate legal and institutional channels. ALSO READ: Kigali Fashion Week returns with call for investment If there are financial concerns, the appropriate authorities and investigative institutions should review them professionally and transparently, he said. Lugoloobi also dismissed suggestions that the dispute was centered on ownership of Kigali Fashion Week, insisting that LG Events respects the founder's role and the platform's history. We are not fighting for ownership. We respect the history of the platform and the role of its founder, he said. However, he maintained that LG Events' contribution to rebuilding and promoting the event should also be acknowledged. The dispute leaves several issues unresolved, including allegations of unpaid workers, questions surrounding financial management, compliance with reporting obligations under the agreement, and claims that ownership interests in the fashion platform were offered for sale without authorization. The termination of the agreement raises questions about the future management and direction of Kigali Fashion Week, one of Rwanda's most prominent fashion platforms.

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Kigali Fashion Week founder, organiser up in arms amid contract termination