BUZIGAHILL is a new clothing brand with a mission to return Uganda‘s textile industry to its pre- 1970s peaking levels. Today, only 5% of locally produced cotton is consumed by Ugandans, as the rest is exported in its raw form. This transition has been fuelled further by the importation of second hand clothes.
In 2018, with his experience from working with global fashion brands like Balenciaga and Maison Margiela, Bobby Kolade returned to Uganda with an aim of creating a brand that would be produced from local cotton. However, he quickly learnt of the state of Ugandan fashion, and the dominance of second hand clothes that designate little to no value for local designers, and sent some out of the business. Bobby decided to start BUZIGAHILL. A brand now redesigns second-hand clothes and redistributes them back to the global north, where they were originally discarded before shipment to Uganda through their on going project; Return To Sender.
The brand released DROP 02 on 17th AUGUST 2022, a collection features a series of double neck T-shirts, hoodies, jeans, boxer shorts, and shirt dresses among other one off pieces. The pieces from this release are shared on their social media platforms by various creatives.
From the bales imported and distributed to market vendors and boutique owners, each garment is sourced from different importers and and comes from a unique bale. There is only one.
Beyond RETURN TO SENDER, BUZIGAHILL will collaborate on projects with visual artists, fashion designers, second-hand market vendors and artisanal workshops to add value to local supply chains and develop strong creative industries in Uganda.
PRODUCTION: At collection hubs in the global North, second-hand clothes are pressed into large bundles called bales and shipped to the global South in containers.
Exports for the newly independent Uganda relied heavily on coffee and cotton (Masinga M.
Ruhweza A. 2007).
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