Meet the Ugandan maverick showcasing her culture through fashion

euronews (in English)

"Veryl Designs is not just me, it's the people I work with. It's the models, and it's the creatives we shoot with. It's a whole ecosystem. It's my culture. It's Africa."

Transcript

00:00 I love to sew, I like to create things that are out of the funk.

00:04 I like to stand out.

00:06 I didn't go to fashion school, but growing up I used to like to express myself.

00:12 Sometimes business is hard.

00:14 Really I've been making it up as I go.

00:16 I'm authentically myself.

00:18 I create for me and somehow the world loves it.

00:22 My main goal was I want to manufacture in Uganda.

00:25 I've always been proud to be Ugandan.

00:27 I want to show our culture.

00:30 My name is Rachel Boshave.

00:31 I am the founder and creative director of Virool Designs.

00:36 Virool Designs is an African fashion print line.

00:50 When I started Virool Designs, the goal I had in mind is I'm going to showcase my culture.

00:56 I'm going to showcase modernized prints because I always hated generic fashion.

01:00 We are a slow fashion luxury brand.

01:07 We don't mass produce.

01:08 Our main aim is to always think of the environment.

01:13 We never throw away cutouts.

01:16 Nothing is wasted in our production line

01:19 because whatever we're using comes from the environment.

01:22 I used to be an accountant.

01:24 I was working and all of a sudden I felt sick.

01:28 My doctor told me, "You will never be able to do a normal job."

01:32 Endometriosis and fibromyalgia, what I suffer from is called invisible disabilities.

01:37 I'm constantly in pain.

01:38 Sadly, there is no cure.

01:40 I went through a period of depression as well.

01:43 What I channeled that into was let me create.

01:48 I started to sew.

01:49 I was just sewing for myself.

01:51 Friends are like, "You sew really good pieces."

01:54 My friends start wearing my stuff.

01:56 People are asking, "Please produce more."

01:58 My sister's like, "Set up a website."

02:00 Day one of launching, we got 20 orders.

02:03 In the first month, 10,000 people went onto my website.

02:10 At one point, we had 5,000 orders.

02:13 That was the turning point.

02:15 That's when we expanded.

02:22 People always ask me, "What is bespoke?

02:25 What is ready-to-wear?"

02:26 For new, upcoming designers, what you start with is a ready-to-wear collection.

02:31 That's available to immediately purchase.

02:34 It's standardised sizing.

02:36 Bespoke range is what you say made to measure.

02:43 When it comes to bespoke, I make sure I choose a very obscure print that you won't find.

02:48 I always say, "I want quality."

02:51 I want you to wear it and know that you are going to look beautiful.

02:55 You're going to stand out.

02:57 I can't count the number of comments I see.

03:00 "That's made in Uganda?"

03:02 Yes, it is made in Uganda.

03:04 And it is quality.

03:05 Some of the things that I've been able to achieve have been because

03:13 the relationships I've had with all designers is not just me.

03:16 It's the people I work with.

03:18 It's the models.

03:19 It's the creatives that we shoot with.

03:21 It's a whole ecosystem.

03:22 It's my culture.

03:24 It's Africa.

03:25 It's very important to build trust with your team.

03:31 My tailors know what I like.

03:33 They know the quality.

03:35 They know how fast we need to do it.

03:36 I'm her seamstress.

03:42 I make her dresses.

03:43 She selects the fabric herself.

03:46 She comes up with the design and I make the outfit.

03:49 Being part of Veryl Design gives me exposure

03:52 and I get to do what I love most.

03:54 And the designs have turned out beautifully.

03:58 As a model, I have to wear a lot of clothes.

04:00 When I first saw Veryl Designs,

04:02 I realised I particularly liked it because it was playful.

04:05 It was done in an interesting way

04:08 that's different to what you currently see out there.

04:11 And that really spoke to me.

04:14 The fact that the items are customised to your body

04:17 just made all the more difference.

04:19 It's something that fitted perfectly

04:21 because it was made for me.

04:22 You need to keep getting better

04:31 and that only works when you have a solid team.

04:34 When you're open to criticism,

04:37 there's beauty in knowing that you don't know it all.

04:39 My social media is my life.

04:41 I know it all.

04:43 My social media is where you have the behind the scenes.

04:46 It's very important to me to also show people the journey.

04:50 And I think that's what's improved or grown our brand.

04:54 There's so much that goes into creating a brand.

04:57 If you're going to start a business, do it properly.

05:00 You need to be passionate about building a business.

05:06 Otherwise, you can't handle the long nights.

05:11 Be open-minded.

05:12 Build that team.

05:13 Pride yourself in your work

05:15 and be willing to take criticism.

05:18 Find out what you're good at and create.

05:21 Now that I've made it, I need to bring my people.

05:28 I'm not the only fashion designer.

05:30 There's so many good designers in Uganda.

05:33 The goal is one day to have my own production line

05:36 where we do our own prints.

05:38 I want to employ Ugandans.

05:40 I want to work with Ugandan creators.

05:42 I want to show that you can create quality

05:45 from Africa, from Uganda.

05:47 I know it's a big dream, but we're going to get there.

05:51 [Music]

05:54 [Music]

05:57 [Music]

05:59 (gentle music)

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