Sonia Mugabo boosts Rwanda’s fashion industry with elegant, locally-made clothing.
In 2013, Sonia Mugabo returned to Rwanda after completing a degree in Visual Communication and Graphic Design at Buena Vista University in the United States and interning at Teen Vogue in New York. Instead of staying abroad, she flew back to Kigali to build a modern fashion brand that would reflect Rwanda’s culture, employ local talent, and shift the country’s fashion industry towards homegrown production.
That same year, she launched her label Sonia Mugabo, a contemporary fashion house offering both menswear and womenswear, emphasising high-quality, bespoke, and ready-to-wear pieces. The brand quickly gained attention for its bold prints, botanical motifs, and a balance of tropical, bohemian style with elegance. It appealed to Rwanda’s growing middle and upper classes, which were beginning to seek locally made alternatives to imported fashion.
While building her brand, Mugabo was also helping to shape an entire industry. She hired Rwandan artisans, sourced materials locally, and ran a business where 80% of her workforce is female. Her company became one of the few in Rwanda producing contemporary garments at scale, offering job opportunities in a country still dominated by second-hand clothing imports. At the same time, Mugabo’s work aligns with Rwanda’s evolving national strategy. As of 2018, the Rwandan government introduced a “Made in Rwanda” policy and banned secondhand imports to grow local industries and stimulate manufacturing.
Currently, the garment sector contributes just 5% to Rwanda’s manufacturing base, but with investments in textile infrastructure, financing, and vocational training, that number is expected to rise, and Mugabo’s effort directly contributes to this. Her design collections showcase Rwandan identity through modern silhouettes.
By reducing dependence on imported fabrics and labour, her brand also joins the ranks of fashion brands serving as a blueprint for what fashion in Rwanda could become. Sonia Mugabo has been recognised internationally as one of Forbes Africa’s “30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs” and has dressed African First Ladies. The entrepreneur’s goal is to expand the brand beyond Rwanda and enter international markets such as North America and Europe.
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