Sisters Stitching Together
Over 7,000 miles away in Uganda’s Ntungamo district, sister seamstresses Caroline Kyomugasho and Komwaka Rita spent the last few weeks creating three immaculate new looks for C. Miller Boutique’s 2022 Black History Month Collection. Intrigued, inspired and enamored by the Ugandan fashion industry, we talked to the women behind the collection to learn more about their relationships with fashion and their journeys as designers.
Caroline Kyomugasho has made sewing a part of her day to day life, whether that be creating clothes for her sons or crafting a masterpiece for her clients. Known as a talented seamstress in her community, Caroline spends much of her day sitting behind a sewing machine. “Here, people think when you can sit on the sewing machine you must sew fashion,” but Caroline’s true interest is in sewing accessories. Inspired by her “passion to interact” with others, Caroline loves that “whenever [she] creates something new it attracts new people.”
Studying textiles and fabric decoration at her university, Caroline knew she wanted to learn to sew so that she could make products out of her own original decorated fabrics. When she asked her mother to teach her the basics of sewing, her whole world changed.
To Komwaka Rita, “clothing means opportunity and creativity.” Also learning to sew from her mother, Rita quickly knew that what had started as just a passed-down-passion would end up meaning something more to her. “I wanted to develop the skill into something bigger.” Constantly evolving with her environment, Rita finds her inspiration from the world around her. “What inspires me most about Ugandan fashion is the fact that it changes everyday, so I have to keep up.”
“Also, life does inspire me. In general, Ugandan and African design patterns are derived from our very own culture and events going on,” adds Caroline. The continent of Africa is home to over 3,000 different ethnicities, Uganda itself having four distinct ethnic groups, each with their own unique cultures attached to them. This rich ethnocultural environment has fostered a dynamic market for fashion that challenges the sisters to create clothes and accessories that are as diverse as the people they create them for. Highlighting the significance of patterns in Ugandan and African design, Rita recognizes the necessity of feeling a connection to your clothes. “These patterns usually speak to us, that’s why one is usually attracted to clothes with particular patterns,” she stated.
Caroline and Komwaka Rita’s pieces for the collection, The Caroline, The Rita and The Victoria, blend C. Miller’s classy, boss babe style with confident, bold patterns and silhouettes, merging two distinct cultures in a collaborative celebration of black beauty, brilliance and excellence. To purchase a piece from the collection, inquire within and someone from C. Miller Boutique will be in touch with more information.
Wishing you confidence, happiness, and love.
Xo,
