When Ugandans leave home to begin new lives abroad, their compass rarely points to Spain. Many have settled in familiar English-speaking countries, such as the UK or the US. Others have emigrated to the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But Wyne Kirabo charted an unexpected path—moving to Girona, Spain, where she is building a fashion brand that bridges two worlds.

In Spain, African designers are not common, but Ms Kirabo has turned her Ugandan roots into a competitive advantage. Her brand blends African vibrancy with European minimalism, reshaping how the continent is perceived on European runways. From confronting cultural shocks (like the “wrong-tasting” bananas) to mentoring young designers back home, she is not just creating clothes; she’s crafting a legacy.

Ms Kirabo opens up about her journey, the myths she wishes to shatter about African fashion, the mentorship initiative she is running in Kampala and her boldest dreams for the future.

Musaazi Namiti conducted the interview. It was edited for brevity and clarity.

---

What was your turning point that took you from Uganda to Spain, and how did that shape your fashion journey?

Moving from Uganda to Spain was a big life change I made with my partner. After living here for about two years, after knowing each other, we decided that it would be better for us to live in Spain than to live here for a lot of personal reasons that probably may not make a lot of sense for another person.

What was the hardest cultural adjustment you had to make when you moved to Spain?

I think that would be the food because you know when you move to a different place, you have your brain already with a mindset of how things have to taste. You know, if you want to eat a banana, you have an understanding of how a banana has to taste. You’re eating avocado, the same thing.

For me that was a shock. You go to a restaurant and ask for meat, but their meat does not taste like the meat you know. That was quite a change that I had to make, plus the people—the way they live life in general because they are more individualistic; they are not communal kinds of people. So it was quite an adjustment for me.

Other than that, I think the rest of them were acceptable. They were not that hard to adjust to. Like the pace of life, the general things, they were not that hard to deal with.

How does your Ugandan heritage influence your identity and work as a fashion brand abroad?

As a fashion brand, [it is] my culture. When you visit our websites or check all the social networks, you will see that one of the things that we focus on is to mix cultures. Our clothes are all made with a mix of occidental and African culture. The colours, the prints—all of this kind of thing—they communicate to where I come from and where I am currently located.

So my culture is basically part of my day-to-day [life]. I work with my culture every day.

What’s the one misconception about the fashion industry you wish people would drop?

In my opinion, I think the biggest misconception is that fashion is a hobby. More than body identity and all of that kind of stuff. I think it’s more the misconception that it’s a hobby. It’s a business and there are a lot of rich people in the fashion business.

For example, Zara is one of the richest [fashion brands]. When you mention the top 10 richest or the top 5 richest in the world, you mention Zara. And Zara is mainly a fashion house. It has nothing to do with cars and I don’t know what. I think that’s where the misconception comes from—that fashion is a hobby; people do it just to pass time. [But] fashion is a business just like any other business. And as any other business, the eye that you have towards your business is what determines whether it’s a hobby or it’s a business. 

Have you faced any bias in the European fashion scene because you are African? And if so, how do you deal with it?

I haven’t. I’ve been lucky [in] that I haven’t faced any bias when it comes to my work. And I think if you check, for instance, on our LinkedIn [page], you’ll see that we put up a post that says Africa has a competitive advantage, mainly because of how I’ve experienced being an African in Europe. People are looking at fashion coming from Africa as something new, something that they’ve never experienced. So we have a totally untapped market. And as long as people—which takes me to the previous question—start looking at fashion as a business, not as a hobby, they will get to understand that article [we published on LinkedIn]. Africa has a competitive advantage, especially in the European world.

Do you feel African countries are represented in European fashion?

No, no, they are not.

Why is that?

When I went to study fashion at the University of Girona […], I was the only African there. There are not so many of us that are studying fashion. And if there are not many that are studying, that means the output is that little, which is equal to very little representation.

So no, there isn’t enough. And for that reason, this time around, when we came to Uganda, we decided to launch a mentorship programme, which is running right now. We’ve already started it.

We met, I think, two days ago or one day ago, I don’t remember so clearly, with young fashion designers that want to start their journey into fashion and launch it on the world level. We want to push not only Wyne Kirabo to the forefront, but also other fashion designers. And with that, we are working hand in hand with Harmony of Minds.

Are you mentoring or creating opportunities for aspiring Ugandans who want to work in the fashion industry?

A thousand percent. Actually, that is exactly what we are doing this time around here. We’re going to be here for one month doing the mentorship programme with Harmony of Minds and various fashion designers.

With these designers, what we are doing is we are trying to show them, from the beginning, how you create a design, how you produce a design. They are working hand in hand with print artists so that they can develop their personalised prints and create a design out of those prints. And from there, they’re meeting with photographers.

If you doubt you’re a fashion designer, don’t do it—because when the hard days come, doubt will make you quit.

So we are introducing them to photographers that are in the industry, videographers in the industry. And then they’re going to go do selection for models so that they can present their designs, which in turn are going to be launched at Makerere University at the School of Arts where there’s going to be an exhibition. On August 7, they’re going to be putting up an exhibition where they will be showcasing the pieces that we are mentoring them in.

If you could change one thing about how the fashion industry is portrayed, what would it be?

If I had to change one thing, I think I would change the misconception that African fashion is cheap or low quality. Whenever you mention an African fashion brand, people often view it from a European perspective. In that perspective, they associate African fashion with local markets—like in Uganda, where there’s a word or style that refers to places where you get inexpensive or secondhand clothes. So when they hear “African designer,” they immediately think of cheap fashion. That’s what I would change, because African fashion is rich in identity and has a high-fashion quality that hasn’t yet been fully recognised or appreciated.

What’s one Spanish habit you’ve picked up and one Ugandan habit you will never drop?

I think I’m a foodie in that case. There is a certain way that they eat bread with garlic and a drizzle of oil. They usually use sourdough. I love that. I think it’s [now] one of my favourite ways of eating bread. If I don’t eat bread in that style, I feel like I haven’t eaten bread that day. It doesn’t matter if I have.

And the Ugandan habit that I cannot drop? I think that will still go back to food. I’m a foodie again, like I said. I love my food. That would be the way I spice food, the way I cook my food. I remember someone was asking me, “Does your fashion follow you at home?” And yes, it does. Because when I’m cooking, I want my Royco. These kinds of things that kind of bring me back home. So basically, yeah, those things I cannot let go.

When you miss home, Uganda, what’s the one thing that instantly takes you back?

Music. When I miss home, I switch on an application for Ugandan radio, and I just listen to them [presenters ] speaking and playing Ugandan music in the background while I work. That’s my way to get back home when I’m missing it.

Can you tell us about your favourite musicians?

My favourite Ugandan musicians?

Yeah. I’m glad you added “Ugandan” because favourite musicians can be Canadian, can be American, can be Spaniard.

My favourite musician—I’m going to say her name mainly not because she has the best songs out there or whatever, but I love the way she presents her music. And that would be Naava Grey. I think she has such a commercialised but yet elevated way of doing music. And I appreciate that. So that would be Naava for me.

Outside fashion, what’s your hidden talent or passion that would surprise people who take interest in what you are doing?

Wow! Do I have another talent? I’m not sure. But I think it would be teaching young people. I love dealing with young people. And a lot of my family members will be like, “Winnie, are you sure?” But yes, I do love dealing with young people, especially the preteens. I love their young minds, how they are so innocent, but still kind of adults, but not.

There is that point of, for them, they are feeling I’m an adult, but then they are not. And I just love how their brain works. So it’s my favourite part that would surprise people.

Maybe you can tell us more about that. Why young and not teenagers, for example?

I think teenagers are more ready for revenge for everything you said. It’s a no. Before they even understand what you’re saying, it’s a no. And the preteens, I think they are almost there to the revenge side, but they are always willing to hear you out. And that gives them such a mindset that I like. People that you can have a conversation with, that is fluid, but at the same time, they can reason with you. I like that.

If you were not in fashion, what is it you think you would be focussing on now?

If I was not in fashion, I would have been a lawyer.

Why law?

I’m laughing because one day someone asked me and I told them that because I wanted to argue out with people. But I loved law from a very young age because I think I watched a movie that made me feel like I want to be that.

I want to be someone that is confident in themselves. Someone that knows what is happening around them and can defend people that actually need it. And I think a lawyer is that kind of person—their brain doesn’t switch off.

And I always feel like my brain works in that fashion. Even when I’m quiet, my brain keeps on running. And I love that. And in school, I always loved debating. It was one of my passions.

So, in school, what are the subjects that you excelled at?

I excelled in English and Literature in English.

What’s the boldest dream you are chasing inside or outside the fashion world?

Boldest dream? Inside or outside the fashion industry? I think my biggest dream—and I think if I achieve that I would say that I have done what I had to do in the fashion industry—is to see my name, Wyne Kirabo, up there. There is a big brand, but when I start seeing people being interviewed and they say: “It was Wyne Kirabo that inspired me to do this. I’m a designer because I attended a mentorship programme of Wyne Kirabo and that is how I entered fashion.” When that moment comes, I will know that I have achieved the dream that I set out to achieve.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement since you launched into the fashion industry?

That would be finally understanding my direction. Because at the beginning, I was all over the place. I was not particular about where I was supposed to be going. 

And after I realised, okay, this is the direction I’m going, it started feeling real, and I think that was an achievement. Because as any creative, if you are, for example, a musician and you’re singing jazz and reggae and slow jam and all of these kinds of things, you don’t have a real client base because no one really knows where to put you. When they put up a concert, they don’t know which target audience that they should call you to.

I don’t want to create another Zara. My only competition is myself and the vision I believe in

So I think for me, it was that, for me to finally understand that I want to do this. And with Wyne Kirabo, we decided to go with a mixed culture brand, which meant we are representing both the African and the European side. And we decided that we were going to go with a more elevated look.

So with this, my clients were able to reach us very quickly. When they searched about a particular line of work, they could find us, for example, in the Google search [results]. And I think for me, that was my greatest achievement.

It’s 2025. Where do you see yourself in the fashion industry 10 years from now? Are we going to have something like Zara in Kampala?

No, I will not have something like Zara because I always say when people ask me: “Who is your competition?” And I always say, “No, I’m my own competition.” Not because of arrogance, but because when you start looking at other people to determine where you’re going, then you will lose your direction. So I have my own vision and they have theirs. I don’t know where it’s going.

But as for Wyne Kirabo, we are having to serve two different types of clientele, which is the European and the African market. We prefer to do online sales. And that means there will be chances that 10 years from now, you will not see a shop in Uganda.

However, you may find a procurement office in Uganda so that you can buy our pieces online. And most probably our mentorship programme will have gone to more countries than Uganda because when we launched this, we received so many applicants from different parts of the continent.

So that will be one of the things that we will look into as well.

Finally, what advice would you give a 13- or 15-year-old aspiring fashion designer?

I would tell them if you doubt that you are a fashion designer, don’t do it because any art needs you to be very sure. Because if you are not sure, a lot of people are going to tell you what they are sure of, and that is going to throw you off. So you have to be very sure that this is what you want to do.

You are going to have days that are really hard. For example, you have so much work to do but you do not have the energy to do it, and you are your own powerhouse. So you have to keep pushing yourself.

If you are doing something just because maybe someone said, ah, you know how to dress up, you should be a fashion designer but you know you cannot, don’t do it. Because in these moments when you are an entrepreneur, one of the biggest things is that you are your own boss, which means you are your own supervisor, you are your own everything and you have to up yourself every time. And if you are doing something that you are not sure of, when it is that down moment, you will prefer to sit on your sofa, cuddle up and watch a Netflix movie and that’s it.

So you have to be sure that is the path you have to take. So that is the advice I would give them.

---

We talk to people who matter—whether they are shaping events or offering unique perspectives.