After six years away, Uganda International Fashion Week returned to the runway on Saturday night with a glamorous showcase of African creativity, culture and contemporary style at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
The Grand Finale Gala brought together designers, models, fashion lovers, creatives and industry players from Uganda, East Africa and beyond, closing a week-long celebration held under the theme “Fashion for Impact.”
But beyond the sequins, silhouettes and runway drama, UIFW’s return carried a bigger ambition: to show how fashion can become a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and dignified livelihoods.
Opening the evening, UIFW founder and Arapapa Fashion House lead designer Santa Anzo said the platform was designed to give young Ugandan creatives more than a moment in the spotlight.
“The Uganda International Fashion Week is here to show how much talent young Ugandans have. We want to give the public a glimpse of that talent and connect these young people to future partners, investors, managers and even mentors,” Anzo said.
Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika, coordinator of the GROW Project, one of the event’s partners, said supporting women-led enterprises was central to the initiative.
“Our goal is about supporting women enterprises and ensuring that women are guided onto the path of creating comfortable livelihoods and employment opportunities for themselves. We are here to shine a light on the different activities women are undertaking to eradicate poverty, provide for their families and change the status quo,” she said.
Then came the fashion.
Ugandan designer and Johnnie Walker influencer Lincoln Axarya opened the showcase with AXARYA, presenting contemporary pieces built around the idea that fashion can be both comfortable and beautiful.
He was followed by Natasha Rubadiri of Natwe Fashion House, Joanita Nabasegera of Lulungi Couture, Dutah Muhangi Bomukama and Abbas Kaijuka.
The Ugandan contingent shared the runway with an international lineup featuring Kenya’s Hellen Tolbert, Nigeria’s Ikpen Yvonne Akwitti, Ghana’s Eunice Blessing, Zimbabwe’s Danayi Madondo and South Africa’s Kwenzi Nkomo.
India’s Rahul Singh provided one of the evening’s most distinctive moments, adding an Asian creative perspective to a showcase largely rooted in African fashion.
Despite their different aesthetics and cultural influences, sustainability and heritage emerged as common threads. Designers incorporated locally available materials, traditional techniques and cultural references into collections that gave familiar identities a contemporary edge.
And the runway did not simply provide a platform for the clothes.
According to Anzo, all the designers sold the pieces they presented, offering perhaps the clearest indication that Uganda’s fashion audience is increasingly willing to move from admiring local design to actually buying it.
The evening also placed inclusion firmly in the spotlight. Persons with disabilities and refugees participated in different areas of the fashion week, including modelling, design and photography.
For Mary Nakimuli, a deaf model who walked at UIFW, the experience represented a personal breakthrough.
“This has been a very good platform for me because it has built my confidence and made me believe that I can achieve my dreams. UIFW was my first platform to ever walk on, and it has been a game changer for me. I now plan to pursue modelling as a career,” she said.
Models also received runway training, mentorship and exposure to international production standards from industry professionals, including Lincoln Axarya and South African fashion producer Andiswa Manxiwa.
By the time the final looks disappeared backstage, UIFW had delivered more than a glamorous comeback.
It had offered a glimpse of what happens when fashion is treated not simply as something to wear, but as an industry capable of creating careers, opening markets and putting Ugandan creativity on an international stage.
The Grand Finale was supported by the World Bank Group, Bayimba Foundation, the GROW Project, International Trade Centre, Explore Uganda, Johnnie Walker and Afros & Mo.