After a six-year hiatus, Kigali Fashion Week made a highly anticipated return last week, bringing together designers, models, stylists and fashion industry stakeholders from across Africa for a celebration of creativity, culture and innovation.
Held at different venues across Rwanda’s capital, including Kigali Universe and The Pinnacle Kigali, the event featured designers from seven African countries, reaffirming its place as one of the region’s growing fashion platforms.
Uganda made a notable impression at the revived showcase, with several homegrown brands representing the country on the runway. Among them were Kirkland Kampala, Bobbin Case, Studio Craft, ORM Streetwear, Joan Jade, Bezalel, and Stand Out Africa/Emivazi.
For Ugandan designer Steven Kasozi, founder of Kirkland Kampala, the event marked an important milestone, his first showcase outside Uganda.
Kasozi unveiled a collection titled MSETO, a Swahili word meaning blend or fusion, designed to bridge Uganda’s cultural heritage with modern urban fashion.
The collection featured a mix of traditional materials and contemporary silhouettes, incorporating Kikoi fabrics and cowrie shells into denim jackets, skirts and streetwear-inspired pieces.
Speaking after the showcase, Kasozi said the collection was rooted in the lived experiences of ordinary Ugandans and aimed at celebrating resilience, ambition and everyday creativity.
“The core of MSETO is about telling the story of the Ugandan hustler. It captures resilience, hard work and creativity, while drawing inspiration from aspects of Uganda’s cultural heritage,” he said.
Kasozi is no stranger to Uganda’s fashion scene, having previously showcased at events such as Kikumba Fashion Festival, Africa Art Fashion Festival, Uganda One Festival, and Gombula Festival.
Beyond the glamour of the runway, Kigali Fashion Week also served as a platform for conversations shaping the future of African fashion.
Panel discussions and workshops explored pressing issues within the industry, particularly sustainability and the economic realities of building environmentally conscious fashion businesses.
Kasozi joined discussions at Institut Français alongside fellow Ugandan creatives, including cultural curator Rashida Nalumoso and designer Joan Jade, where conversations focused on sustainability and long-term value creation in fashion.
According to the designer, the discussions challenged his thinking and offered fresh perspectives on how fashion businesses can remain both creative and commercially sustainable.
“The discussions challenged some of my assumptions about sustainable fashion and highlighted the importance of producing with purpose and creating long-term value,” he said.
The revival of Kigali Fashion Week also created opportunities for regional networking and cross-border collaboration, with creatives exchanging ideas on how East Africa’s fashion ecosystem can grow collectively.
Kasozi believes stronger partnerships among designers, photographers, videographers and other creatives could help amplify East Africa’s visibility on the global fashion stage.
“There is a lot of talent across the region. Greater collaboration between designers, photographers, videographers and other creative professionals could help strengthen East Africa’s presence internationally,” he said.
The return of Kigali Fashion Week comes at a time when fashion events across East Africa are increasingly evolving beyond runway presentations into spaces for cultural exchange, business networking and talent development.
For Ugandan designers, the event offered more than visibility. It provided a chance to position local creativity within a broader continental conversation about identity, sustainability and the future of African fashion.
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