Away from the limelight, Ethan Kavuma rather known for being informative and outspoken, is such a goof ball. “I think my TikTok portrays that well, sometimes I am calm & collected, other times am loud around my peers. It varies with the energy I’m receiving” he says.
A few years ago, he stole our hearts with his melodious voice that had many wondering why he was not fully dedicated to the craft of music. But while most of us are trying to master one skill, music is not the only thing he can do ( and very well). Ethan is also an actor (you must catch him on Pearl Magic’s Sanyu Series) and travel enthusiast who just turned a phrase into a brand.
If you think you know him very well, “My personality is totally different from what people expect or what they have drawn in their minds” he says.
Being that his work revolves around expression, I wonder whether he considers himself a conversationalist and he swiftly agrees. “Yes I do believe I’m a conversationalist, I mean I do work on radio & it’s part of the job.”
Looking closely at all his work, Ethan uses his abilities as an outlet to express and demonstrate what he feels needs to be said, nothing too serious and yet truly relatable because every button he presses lands, (how does he do that?). His latest venture is in clothing, and the pieces are not preoccupied with fashion, but rather conversation (worry not, they are still fashionable)
MUKWA
“I normally custom make all the pieces I wear so I had this Vacay coming up and I ordered a few unique outfits. I drafted an idea with the word “MUKWA” and I wanted it printed on a simple white tee” he says. He had no plans of turning this into a mass production, “I was just doing it for myself to have fun and take a couple pictures while I was away” he adds.
When he first put up a picture wearing his Mukwa tee, everyone loved it. “It blew up and the reception was positive, people were asking when I would release the merch because they had fallen in love with the phrase even before. And just like that “MUKWA” was in production” he says.
The Mukwa merch dropped less than 2 weeks ago, and the entire release has already sold out. I asked Ethan about his experience with how people have embraced the drop. ” In a way, Mukwa has been part of my expression for a while. If you have followed me on social media for years, you know I kind of have a way of coming up with catchy phrases, some that I have used in my music as well” he says. “The origin of Mukwa is actually MUKWANO in full (which translates for “Friend” in English). I cut it short to just add spice and make it fun & people have run with it since”.
Consisting of items that aren’t usually focused on by other brands, Ethan thought of including pieces that are fun and playful. In a limited edition, he and his team dropped Cropped Hoodies, Tank Tops, T-shirts and Crop Tops. I wonder whether fashion is a big part of these funky and staple pieces and Ethan responds saying that he would love for people who do wear this merch to just feel the love. “Mukwa represents all the good feelings of Friendship, Good times and Love and Comfort, it’s a little fun experience nothing too serious” he says.
When I joke about how I would look very refined in one of his items, specifically the cropped hoodie which for some reason happens to be my favorite piece ( maybe because of its dramatic touch), Ethan actually thinks I could wear it, partly because that is what this merch is about, fun and comfort. “I would like to believe cropped items shouldn’t be limited to a particular gender. If it makes you feel good, then rock it. I mean research clearly shows men wore cropped items more in the early 90’s, people are just forced to be programmed a particular way” he says.
For the future of MUKWA, he hopes that the brand grows to become something more than just merchandise. But since everything from the collection is fully sold out, he does not plan on restocking because it was meant to be a limited edition, “but I will see” he adds. As we wait for another catchy phrase from him, and probably another drop.
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