Elizabeth Uwiduhaye gives her view on Rwandan fashion

Born in the capital city Kigali, Elizabeth Uwiduhaye is now a UK-based model with a strong interest in food science and nutrition. On a recent shoot for Africa Fashion, we managed to catch up with Elizabeth to find out more about the fashion scene in this famous East African country.

Twenty years after the war, Rwanda is now a very different country. With a boom in the sale of coffee, tea and concrete – as well as elections scheduled for 2017 – the economy seems to be firming up.

The banking system is becoming stronger and tourism is making an ever increasing contribution to the countries finances. As we know very well from Africa Fashion’s articles on other nations, an improving economy invariably leads to a higher spend on fashion.

With Kigali Fashion Week ready to kick off on 17th July, Elizabeth is upbeat about the future. We met up with her at a classic African jewelry shoot held in our studios and, during make up sessions with Baib Cosmetics, we decided to find out more.

“Overall, there is an upsurge of interest in fashion in Rwanda”, said Elizabeth. “We have a lot of shows now, but Kigali Fashion Week is easily the biggest”.

“As well as local dignitaries, the Kigali Fashion Week event also draws in designers from around the world”, said Elizabeth. “It has become a really important part of the social diary back home”.

To open up the event this summer, organisers will be using a mixture of Rwandan and foreign models for the first time.

“The theme for this year’s edition is ‘The power of love'”, said Elizabeth. “It will include the Fashion Festival, Cocktail Fashion Show and the Kigali Fashion Week this July and the finale will be held at Kigali Serena Hotel in November. We are all looking forward to it”

These shots are the first in a series by Peter Branch for Africa Fashion.