About Collective Rw

From left to right

Collective Rw is an organisation that was founded early 2015 by 5 established fashion designers in Rwanda who are working in collaboration with industry experts to support and promote a dynamic creative sector which in turn generated new jobs and empowers opportunity-driven youth and underserved communities.

Matthew Rugamba is the Founder and Creative Director of House of Tayo, founded in August of 2011. Since then he has presented collections at Africa Fashion Week London 2012 and has had his work featured in local and international press such as, The Huffington Post, Forbes Africa, BBC news and CNN's "African Start-Up" . House of Tayo was identified as one of the top ten African menswear designers of 2012 by OkayAfrica. 

Linda Mukangoga was born in Washington, DC to parents who migrated from Rwanda. Linda spent time between the US and Rwanda and finally moved to Rwanda permanently to work for Gahaya Links, a company training rural women to produce handicrafts for an international market. Participating in the design and production for pieces carried by international retail chains Anthropologie and Macys strengthened Linda's belief in the ability to showcase Rwanda in a global market and at the same time empower the girls she works with. From this belief, Haute Baso was born. Although she majored in International Relations at university, her heart had always been in fashion. Currently serves as an Acumen Regional Fellow 2016. 

Teta Isibo is the founder and CEO of Inzuki Designs, a Rwandan brand specializing in jewelry, accessories and interior dé cor products that are a fusion of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary designs, handmade by local artisans. Her brand seeks to transcend traditional Rwandan design and customize it to suit a modern and international market. 

Sonia Mugabo has always been passionate about fashion from an early age. As a child, she was fascinated by the design process; from colors, to cuts and textures. After exploring the fashion scene in New York and interning at Teen Vogue in 2011, she knew she was destined to pursue a career in fashion. In 2013, after graduating from Buena Vista University, she moved back to Rwanda to launch her fashion brand. 

Candy Basomingera grew up with a passion for high quality design aesthetics in clothing, architecture and interior design. With the hopes of one-day settling in Rwanda, she studied International Relations in the UK to pursue what she thought would be more relevant for the Rwandan context. In 2009, she moved to Rwanda and worked in the public health domain for three years and in 2013, she finished a postgraduate degree in Gender and Development. All that time, she had continued to draw and have produced designs for herself and friends. It was in the summer of 2013 that she realised there could be a real opportunity in fashion. Translating her creativity into a business, she launched her fashion brand Baso in September 2013. A couple of months later, she met Linda Mukangoga and they decided to merge their brand into Haute Baso.

Courtesy: Collective Rw