Zakia is a 30-year-old entrepreneur from Musanze with a deep passion for fashion and design. Her professional journey began early - influenced by her grandmother, a professional seamstress who raised her after the loss of her parents. Through this close relationship, Zakia learned tailoring from the ground up and developed a keen sense of fabric, cut and style at a young age. This experience laid the foundation for her current work in fashion and design.
For over 9 years, Zakia has been running a growing fashion business with a focus on custom-made kitenge clothing (traditional African fabrics). Her breakthrough came in 2017 with a large order for a hotel, where she supplied uniforms and other textile products. Since then, she has worked with several well-known hotels and is known for her stylish kitenge outfits for men and women. She currently employs 3 people and plans to expand her team with more tailors to meet the increasing demand.
Despite the positive development, Zakia faces challenges - limited production space, a lack of modern machinery and a lack of financial expertise. Her vision is ambitious: she wants to establish a creative center for African-inspired fashion, promote innovation, strengthen local talent and position her products regionally and internationally. BPN's support is an important building block on her path to long-term entrepreneurial transformation.
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entrepreneur sponsorship
