in fashion

“She represents so many teachers in my lifetime. My dad, a lifelong learner, an educator. My mom, an educator in fashion. My Auntie Carolyn, a Blue-Ribbon teacher turned principal. I'm surrounded by them. They've been a part of who I am.”

My mom, an educator in fashion.

The finalists for the most sought-after prize in fashion — awarded annually — are meant to foreshadow the future of the industry, and not since Paris-based label Marine Serre won in 2017 has a brand centering reuse and upcycling taken the title.

In 2018, designer Bobby Kolade, armed with a masters in fashion design from the Academy of Arts Berlin Weissensee and experience at both Margiela and Balenciaga, returned to his native Uganda with the goal to invest in the local fashion economy.

Often credited as sparking an ’80s revival in fashion, his voluminous, one-of-a-kind party dresses come to life through a combination of contrasting thrifted fabrics like denim, taffeta, chiffon, leather and lace.