COLLABs
Here you can find out everything about our collaborations. Get to know the artists we work with to create your fashion and the many other talents we work with.
Fatuma
- Artist / Uganda -
Fatuma (left) and Ebou from COLLAB (right)
Fatuma Hassan is an artist from Uganda who designed motif for our 2023 T-shirt collection. Her art is particularly characterised by its contrasting and merging colour combinations. Her work stands for the empowerment of young generations.
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Fatuma's story
Fatuma was born in Ndjamena, Chad. She lives and works as an abstract artist, graffiti sprayer and muralist in Jinja, Uganda. From 2014 to 2017 she studied at the Nagenda International Academy of Art and Design, where she graduated in Fine Arts. She then became a member of the Uganda Visual Artists and Designers Association (UVADA) and an ambassador for The Creative Tribe, Jinja, Uganda. Since then, Fatuma has embarked on an incredible journey using her talent as a medium to empower young women in the traditional African context. Her colourful works quickly became known throughout the country, earning her style recognition and appreciation. Today Fatuma is one of Uganda's most active muralists with over thirty murals in different parts of the country. She was the first Ugandan artist to join the popular Afri-Cans movement, taking her art across borders to Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya.
Design draft by Fatuma and printing process
Abimbola Creations
- Hand weaving / Kenya -
Abimbola is a weaving mill in Nairobi, Kenya, where a small team weaves the unique diamond motif for our shirts by hand. Abimbola is one of the few facilities that continues this traditional craft and passes it on to the next generation.
In this video, the director of Abimbola Creations, Grace, introduces her weaving workshop and explains how the fabrics are made.
Kitintale skate park
- Urban Hotspot/ Uganda -
Kitintale Skatepark is an urban cultural hotspot in Kampala, Uganda. It is where skating, breaking, rapping, sewing, graffiti and urban gardening all come together. Young talents demonstrate their skills and learn from each other.
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In 2021, we have put together a great video project with skaters and breakers @shakirah.ug, @hamuza_naxy, @skoolboy_faruk and @buoytexus to showcase their skills and COLLAB's first organic collection.
IAN NNYANZI
- Visual Artist -
Ian Nnyanzi is a visual artist and photographer from Kampala, Uganda. With his photo series "Sunny Dayz" he is the first artist we worked with in 2021.
Art by Nnyanzi
My work can best be described as avant-garde; a mantra that is evident in my photographic work. My work intricately expresses how humanity, nature and structures are presented in their complex forms. I am a Muganda by tribe (singular for Baganda), a Bantu ethnic, also the dominant tribe in Central Uganda - East Africa; known for their vibrant culture, strong heritage and ancient traditions still practiced today. The Baganda have always been skilled craftsmen, artists and musicians. I am all about building inclusive communities and platforms where established and emerging artists of all genres can collaborate in photography, architecture, public art, hip hop, modern and abstract art, impressionism, conceptual and contemporary art.
‘SUNNY DAYZ’
directed by @nnyanziian for @collab_clothing_ featuring @buoytexus and @kara_shanti.
Location: Kampala, Uganda.
MUYOMBA
- Designer -
Muyomba is a self-made designer and entrepreneur from Kampala/ Uganda. He has been presenting his collections at multiple fashion shows since 2013.
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How did you become a designer?
I used to work in my parents' business, where we made leather shoes, mainly for school uniforms. After a few years I wanted to move into fashion. I taught myself tailoring by reading books and practising in a friend's tailor shop where I could borrow a machine. A few years later, I professionalised my skills and had enough customers to make a living. In 2013, I started my own tailoring shop in Kampala Central. I started making all kinds of clothes like dresses, skirts, shirts, shorts and suits for weddings, business events and farewell parties. I make them from plain materials or from Kitenge (the name used in Uganda for African wax prints). I have also designed several collections for other designers. In 2014, I designed my first collection completely by myself and presented it at my first fashion show organised by the American Embassy. Now I do a collection every year for different fashion events. I have been able to expand my tailoring business and employ three other tailors, including my sister. It has been a long journey.
What are your goals?
My goal is to have two different fashion shops. One for business, where I would like to focus on making suits, and the other for artistic fashion crafts. My dream is to have my designs and other people's designs in the second shop, so that I have a place where I can showcase my artistic crafts.
What does Afro-Fusion street style mean to you?
In Uganda, women mostly wear Kitenge dresses and skirts. You will see less men wearing Kitenge, although it is becoming more popular in men's fashion, especially when it comes to Kitenge shorts and trousers. On special occasions, such as weddings, you will often see a married couple where the wife wears a kitenge dress and the husband wears a plain suit combined with a bit of kitenge. They use the same kitenge patterns to match. This is a form of Afro-fusion fashion that is common here. Nowadays, there are many young urban designers in Kampala who create such Afro-Fusion street styles and it is becoming more and more visible on the streets of Kampala.