{"id":56409,"date":"2025-11-28T16:49:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T16:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/british-council-set-to-launch-fashion-accelerator-programme-in-rwanda\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:10:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T13:10:08","slug":"british-council-set-to-launch-fashion-accelerator-programme-in-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/british-council-set-to-launch-fashion-accelerator-programme-in-rwanda\/","title":{"rendered":"British Council set to launch fashion accelerator programme in Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>British High Commissioner to Rwanda Alison Thorpe announced the plans on Thursday during a ceremony marking the 77th birthday of His Majesty King Charles III at the British High Commissioner\u2019s residence in Kigali.<\/p>\n<p>The event brought together members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, cultural figures, and friends of the UK and Rwanda, with guests raising glasses in honour of the King and the enduring partnership between the two nations.<\/p>\n<p>In her remarks, Thorpe highlighted the growing UK-Rwanda collaboration across development, trade, and culture, noting that the launch of Creative DNA aims to showcase fashion as a viable career path for young people while boosting Rwanda\u2019s creative economy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is just the first step in the British Council\u2019s long-term plans to support capacity building within Rwanda\u2019s wider creative and cultural industries,&#8221; she stated, adding, &#8220;These projects remind us that bilateral relations are about people, collaboration, creativity, and having fun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At the event, the envoy also celebrated the contributions of eight Rwandan designers who participated in a unique design project, creating dresses that blended UK and Rwandan culture for the High Commissioner in collaboration with experts from the University of Westminster.<\/p>\n<p>Patrick Muhire, founder of Inkanda House, who emerged top in the project, described the experience as both humbling and inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to make a dress that she could never find elsewhere, a dress that represents my country,\u201d he explained. He chose inyegamo, a traditional Rwandan material once used in home d\u00e9cor, to symbolise Rwanda\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n<p>All eight designers who participated in the programme are set to travel to the UK next year for a fashion show and cultural exchange at the University of Westminster, while also exploring new markets for their creations.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, praised the project, framing it as a symbol of the creativity and dynamism of UK-Rwanda relations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInitiatives such as the collaborative fashion design project between Rwandan designers, the University of Westminster, the British High Commission in Kigali, and the Rwanda High Commission in London reflect the creativity and dynamism of our bilateral ties. This is only the beginning,\u201d he said, affirming the Ministry\u2019s support for efforts that strengthen the country\u2019s creative industries.<\/p>\n<p>The Creative DNA programme is expected to provide Rwandan designers with opportunities to develop their skills, gain international exposure, and access new markets.<\/p>\n<p>The birthday celebration featured performances by young dancers from the Sherry Silver Foundation, music by Mike Kayihura, and Alyn Sano &#038; Band, among others.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98387 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a0897-2.jpg\" alt=\"British High Commissioner to Rwanda Alison Thorpe said the launch of Creative DNA aims to showcase fashion as a viable career path for young people while boosting Rwanda\u2019s creative economy.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98386 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a0916-2.jpg\" alt=\"Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, praised the project, framing it as a symbol of the creativity and dynamism of UK-Rwanda relations.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98385 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1020-2.jpg\" alt=\"Thorpe announced the plans on Thursday during a ceremony marking the 77th birthday of His Majesty King Charles III at the British High Commissioner\u2019s residence in Kigali.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98384 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1072-2.jpg\" alt=\"The event brought together members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, cultural figures, and friends of the UK and Rwanda.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98383 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1140-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98381 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1158-2.jpg\" alt=\"It was a night full of fun.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98380 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1151-2.jpg\" alt=\"Guests raised glasses in honour of the King and the enduring partnership between UK and Rwanda.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98379 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1181-2.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Muhire, founder of Inkanda House, who emerged top in a recent fashion design project, described the experience as both humbling and inspiring.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98376 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/565a2893-2.jpg\" alt=\"Some of the dresses made by Rwandan designers were on display.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98377 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/565a2885-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98382 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1085-2.jpg\" alt=\"Kids from the Shelley Silver Foundation entertained the guests with their energetic and coordinated dance moves.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-98378 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/054a1167-2.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Kayihura and his band performed at the event.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The British Council is set to launch a fashion-focused accelerator programme in Rwanda next year to support the country\u2019s emerging designers, nurture creative talent, and position Rwandan fashion on the international stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000098388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","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":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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