Christine Mbabzi started designing clothes in her bedroom in Rwanda. In March 2014 she made her dream of owning her own store a reality.
When Christine Mbabazi started designing clothes in her bedroom in
the Rwandan capital of Kigali, she had big ambitions. Now the owner of
her own store -- Christine Creative Collections -- she has even bigger
plans: turning her fashion boutique into a household name.
"The brand is promoting
African fabric and African designs, with my creativity, and developing
it to the rest of the world," says the young entrepreneur.
Launched last March,
Mbabazi's startup produces and sells a wide variety of eye-catching
fashion items, including bags, shoes and clothes. Mbabazi says Rwanda is
at the very heart of her brand, so every creation in her store is
handmade with locally-sourced materials.
It's still a big challenge convincing people you can go to work when you have a African fabric suit.
Christine Mbabazi, CCC
Christine Mbabazi, CCC
"I love the African
fabric," she says. "[Growing up] I liked looking unique, [so] I used to
cut my clothes in different ways -- I used to change them, I used to sew
with my hands. It all inspired me to come up with what I have today."
Mbabazi, who is also a
radio presenter, makes use of social media to reach new customers, but
says she has found it difficult to convince people that traditional
fabrics are acceptable in formal settings.
"My friends saw
me and saw I was very unique in parties, weddings, even at work --
that's how the word spread out. It's still a big challenge convincing
people you can go to work when you have a
African fabric suit but we are
still fighting those small challenges."
Her next step is to take
the brand, which she calls CCC for short, out of Rwanda. "I want to be
exporting things made in Rwanda," she says, "so that when you are in
Europe and you see something, you're like this is from CCC."
Find out more about Mbabazi in the video below:
Find out more about Mbabazi in the video below:
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