{"id":2000123515,"date":"2026-08-25T11:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T09:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000123515"},"modified":"2026-08-25T11:37:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T09:37:24","slug":"rwandan-designer-maurice-nigiyena-showcases-at-african-fashion-week-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwandan-designer-maurice-nigiyena-showcases-at-african-fashion-week-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwandan designer Maurice Nigiyena showcases at African Fashion Week London"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nigiyena, a beneficiary of the British Council\u2019s Creative DNA accelerator programme, participated in the eight-day AFWL 2026 programme held from August 17 to 23 at 8 Northumberland Avenue and the British Council Headquarters in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His participation marked the first time Rwanda was represented at the AFWL showcase through the Creative DNA programme, which supports emerging African fashion designers by strengthening their skills, expanding their networks and creating opportunities to access international markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership between the British Council and AFWL built on the success of their debut collaboration last year and sought to connect African designers with new audiences while supporting the development of creative economy ecosystems across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme featured discussions on issues shaping the continent\u2019s fashion industry, including African Fashion in Education, Creativity Beyond Borders and African Futures: Where African Design Is Going Now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigiyena founded Matheo Studio, a fashion brand recognised for its cinematic and Afrofuturist approach, combining avant-garde silhouettes, African narratives and detailed craftsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His work has previously been showcased on major platforms, including Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Kigali and international showcases connected to New York Fashion Week, contributing to Rwanda\u2019s growing presence in global fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on his participation in the Creative DNA showcase, Nigiyena said the programme had played an important role in helping him develop his business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMatheo Studio has been a labour of love and I\u2019m glad that Creative DNA has been by my side to help it get to the next level. My participation at the Creative DNA showcase at African Fashion Week London will be a great eye opener for my business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

British Council Rwanda Country Director Rebecca Picton said Nigiyena\u2019s participation provided an opportunity to highlight Rwanda\u2019s growing fashion and creative talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaurice is a great ambassador for the new wave of Rwandan and African designers. His participation at the Creative DNA showcase will not only be of great benefit to him and boost his potential as a creative to watch, but we also hope that it will help to shine a spotlight on the wealth of creative talent in Rwanda,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigiyena was among 10 designers selected to present under the Creative DNA banner at this year\u2019s AFWL. The group included Bettydora Odhiambo of Atieno Studio from Kenya, Adedayo Ilori of Dimeji Ilori from Nigeria, Joan Nantege of Joan Jade from Uganda, Mastewal Belay of Mastewal Alemu from Ethiopia, Neema Nkatha Kinoti of Ohana Swimwear from Kenya, Chido Kaseke of Patch Maoko from Zimbabwe, Nyame-Nhyiraba Awura of Republic of Africa from Ghana, Ropafadzo Kuki Mapira of Soleil from Zimbabwe, and Solome Kiflu of Xufan from Ethiopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative DNA is the British Council\u2019s fashion initiative aimed at supporting and strengthening Africa\u2019s fashion ecosystem by nurturing designers\u2019 skills, deepening their knowledge and expanding their professional networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The British Council said the initiative is designed to help emerging African fashion entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses and connect with international markets while contributing to the growth of creative industries across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The British Council is the UK\u2019s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and communities worldwide and operates in more than 100 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rwanda\u2019s fashion talent took centre stage in London as designer Maurice Nigiyena showcased Matheo Studio at African Fashion Week London 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rwandan designer Maurice Nigiyena joined 10 emerging African designers at African Fashion Week London 2026 under the British Council\u2019s Creative DNA programme.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Maurice Nigiyena brought Rwanda\u2019s emerging fashion talent to the international stage with a showcase at African Fashion Week London 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwandan fashion designer Maurice Nigiyena of Matheo Studio showcased his work at African Fashion Week London (AFWL) 2026 as part of the British Council\u2019s Creative DNA programme, giving Rwanda\u2019s emerging fashion talent a platform on the international stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000123558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000123515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000123558,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-2.56.53-PM-2.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"Rwanda\u2019s fashion talent took centre stage in London as designer Maurice Nigiyena showcased Matheo Studio at African Fashion Week London 2026.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":882,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-2.56.53-PM-2.jpeg","width":882,"height":1280},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-2.56.53-PM-2.jpeg","width":882,"height":1280},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-2.56.53-PM-2.jpeg","width":882,"height":1280},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-2.56.53-PM-2.jpeg","width":882,"height":1280},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-2.56.53-PM-2.jpeg","width":882,"height":1280}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000123515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000123565,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000123515\/revisions\/2000123565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000123558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000123515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000123515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000123515"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000123515"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000123515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}