Bobby Kolade was born in Sudan to Nigerian-German parents and raised between Kampala and Lagos. He holds a master’s in fashion design from the Academy of Arts Berlin Weißensee and has professional experience at Maison Margiela and Balenciaga in Paris.
His Kampala-based label BUZIGAHILL transforms second-hand clothing into luxury fashion,redistributing the re-identified garments to their origins in the Global North. The idea behind it is reflected in the continuous title of the respective collections: “RETURN TO SENDER”.
You have now been designing clothes for at least half of your life. Do you remember how you first got in touch with fashion?
The very first time was when I was 14 years old, working as a presenter for a TV station in
Uganda. There was no budget, no stylist, and they put us on TV every Saturday. So, I
somehow had to make my own clothes.
I just started cutting up clothes at home, drawing on them, and pinning them together
before then taking them to the tailor down the road. I did that for a couple of years and
then eventually forgot about it. I had no idea that this was actually what I was going to do
with my life.
I didn't even know you could study fashion.
Yet this is exactly what you did.
I did, but by mistake.
When I moved to Berlin, I wanted to do something in design. But this is 2005 – for
somebody who's just come from Kampala, the only design you know is graphic design. So,that's what I enrolled in.
During my first year, however, I was always around the fashion kids, by default. And since
there was the opportunity to try out different things during the first year, I eventually
switched.
Prior to BUZIGAHILL, you already had another label called Bobby Kolade. Why the need to start again?
My business partner and I closed the label in Berlin after three years, mainly for financial
reasons. One of the factors was that I was extremely stubborn about sustainability.
All the materials were dead stock or organic, natural fibres. The entire production process
was local. From an impact point of view, it made a lot of sense. But from a business
perspective, I set myself up for failure.
But even after closing my brand, it took me quite a while to move back to Uganda. It was a
long process.
Could you talk us through that process?
It was a process of self-discovery, to use that clichéd term.
I was completely disillusioned with fashion. I had just closed my brand. I had tried to find
work in Paris, which also didn't work out. And I realised that maybe what I wanted from
fashion wasn’t available, because what I wanted was impact. I wanted to feel like I was
generating something rather than destroying.
During those years, however, I found my way back to Ugandan cotton, which took me down an intense research phase. And then this first idea came about: creating a sportswear brand,only using organic Ugandan cotton. Think American Apparel – is there a Ugandan version?
So when I found a factory in Uganda, I got myself a job there.
What happened next?
My job there was to set up a design studio. But that didn't work out either.
Honestly, there was a time when it seemed like nothing I did was working.
However, during that period, I got to learn a lot about the cotton industry in Uganda, and
how unfortunately, it was in decline. It became very clear to me that there was no way I
could create a brand using Ugandan cotton. It just wasn't possible.
So, I did what we all do in the country: I turned to second-hand clothes.
Paint us that picture.
By January 1, 2021, my contract with the cotton company had expired. I bought a bale and
just started.
I was in my living room, not knowing what I was doing. The last time I had upcycled in this
way was probably, you know, as a teenager.
Then a couple of months later, I hired a tailor. By the end of 2021, we were six people, and
the first collection came out in April 2022.
Let’s talk about the motivation behind BUZIGAHILL. How would you describe what is
wrong with today’s global fashion industry?
Well, I think Return to Sender is the message, really. We're talking about a global supply
chain that suffocates the Global South and that, as we all know, is exploitative. It's waste
colonialism. As a label, we are trying to reverse the supply chain, even if on a small scale, of course.
And why the need to send it back? Because as I understand it, the way the label operates right now, you rely on the West to be profitable.
The Global North has the purchasing power. And I think that’s the political message.
To be realistic about which markets can afford what things.
What are additional challenges?
Oh, gosh, there are so many! My whole life is a challenge. (laughs)
I think the biggest challenge at the moment is accessing global markets.
In most trade jurisdictions in the Global North, there are preferential trade agreements with Africa. The only issue is, you need to prove that your product is actually from Uganda. And we can't get that certificate of origin because the Ugandan officials look at our upcycledproducts and are like, well, no, you didn't make this.
They don’t appreciate the concept.
They don't understand what upcycling is. And they can actually be really hurtful with their
rhetoric sometimes. We have literally created an entire manufacturing process. We should
be celebrating this. But instead, they look down on us and refuse to give us this certificate, which would in fact enable us to generate more revenue in Uganda and pay more taxes. And so, 30% of our revenue goes to the EU.
What about other challenges?
Another challenge is the material itself. Each piece needs to be treated differently due to
the variety of material compositions. You need to consider factors such as the weight and
condition of the fabric and the type of print on it. It requires a lot of material understanding and analysis. It's a labour of love, and it's not always easy to communicate that. So, we're not just making up these prices, they really are a reflection of the number of days it takes to make these pieces.
What kind of reactions do you receive in Uganda?
For the first few years, we kept a very low profile because things can be tricky.
I wanted us to hit the four or five-year mark to feel safe and recognised.
Recognized internationally?
To feel safe locally and recognised internationally.
Now, more people know about Buzigahill* because of international interest. The reactions
are amazing. Most people love the audacity of Return to Sender.
However, the price will obviously always be a contentious issue because a Ugandan knows how much a shirt costs at the market. And they're like, ‘Wait, this is now $350 – how? But generally, I think Ugandans are really proud of what we're doing.
How do you look at the Ugandan fashion scene today?
I think it has a long way to go in terms of quality. I mean, the creativity is there. The second-hand clothing market, the Owino market, is an upcycling hub already. Solutions have been invented right there, at the source. But for me, if upcycling isn't well finished, then it just looks like a DIY project.
The love for tailoring and for detail just isn't there. Maybe it's a reflection of the different
kinds of training programmes.
What’s your view on the role of the diaspora in all of this?
I love this question! It's something that's been on my mind for the past few months.
I think the diaspora often forgets that it has the purchasing power. They have the dollars toinvest in the right places. Yet they are perpetuating the very systems that are causing the collapse of the motherland.
So, my appeal is to all the hashtag users, the Black Glamour girls and so on. How many of them order clothes or beauty products from Africa?
It's so simple. If we say that we are a strong diaspora that stands with Africa, then we better buy Africa. Anything else is hypocritical. They need to break the psychological barriers and tell their friends: ‘It's okay to shop from Kenya. It will arrive with DHL. It's fine. You can send it back if you don't like it.’
As a label, we even offer free shipping. Door-to-door delivery: Berlin, Uganda, three days.
Finally, where do you see the future of fashion?
The future of fashion has to be upcycling. Even before recycling, we need upcycling. The
issue with recycling is that it requires a lot of technology and investment, which is not
readily available to everyone. Whereas with upcycling, all you need is a pair of scissors and a sewing machine. Literally anyone could do it.
I really think this should be the future.