Sonia Mugabo

Last updated
Sonia Mugabo
Born1990 (age 3233) [1]
Kigali, Rwanda
NationalityRwandan
CitizenshipRwandan
Alma mater Buena Vista University
(Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication and Graphic Design)
Occupation Fashion designer
Years active2013 — present
Known forFashion
TitleFounder & CEO of Sonia Mugabo Fashions

Sonia Mugabo is a Rwandan businesswoman, fashion designer and fashionista. She is the founder and chief executive officer of the fashion label Sonia Mugabo, which is named after her. [1] [2]

Contents

Background and education

She was born in Kigali, [3] on May 5, in 1990. [2] In an interview with Forbes Africa in August 2015, [4] Mugabo stated that she was four years old during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi. [5] She attended Green Hills Academy, an international pre-university institution of learning, in Rwanda. [6]

She then received a scholarship to finish her high school education at Lake Forest Academy (LFA), a prestigious co-educational boarding and day high school (grades 9 to 12), located in Lake Forest, Illinois in the United States. [6] She attended Buena Vista University, in Storm Lake, Iowa, United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Communication and Graphic Design. While at university, she interned at Teen Vogue, in New York City, in 2011. [6]

Career

Mugabo is the founder and chief executive of the Sonia Mugabo Archived 2019-07-30 at the Wayback Machine fashion label, which is named after her. She established her fashion label in 2013, after graduation from university. The label made its first public showcase in October 2013 at the "Kigali Fashion Week". As of November 2017, the label develops two collections annually. [1] Sonia Mugabo designs clothes for both men and women, using locally sourced material. [1] [6]

Other considerations

In March 2017, Sonia Mugabo was named among "30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa 2017" by Forbes.com. [2] As of March 2017, she owned two branded stores in Kigali. [2] A reader of the English language daily newspaper, the New Times , wrote to the Editor in January 2017, noting that Mugabo is an inspiration to the youth. [7] In September 2021 Sonia Mugabo was engaged with Known businessman Giego Twahirwa [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwanda</span> Country in Central Africa

Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is highly elevated, giving it the soubriquet "land of a thousand hills", with its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the southeast, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. It is the most densely populated mainland African country; among countries larger than 10,000 km2, it is the fifth most densely populated country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kigali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kigali</span> Capital and the largest city of Rwanda

Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relatively new city. It has been Rwanda's economic, cultural, and transport hub since it was founded as an administrative outpost in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962, shifting focus away from Huye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faustin Twagiramungu</span> Rwandan politician (1945–2023)

Faustin Twagiramungu was a Rwandan politician. He was Prime Minister from 1994 until his resignation in 1995, the first head of government appointed after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) captured Kigali. He then exiled himself to Belgium.

Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana, néeKanziga is the widow of former President of Rwanda Juvénal Habyarimana and former First Lady of Rwanda from 1973 until 1994. Kanziga is part of both Tutsi and Hutu lineage that long ruled an independent principality until the late nineteenth century. She was arrested by French authorities on 2 March 2010 in France following the French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Rwanda.

Jean-Paul Samputu is a Rwandan singer, songwriter, and musician. A winner of the Kora Award in 2003, Samputu travels the world as a cultural ambassador for Rwanda.

The Rwandese National Union was a conservative, pro-monarchy political party in Rwanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeannette Kagame</span> First Lady of Rwanda

Jeannette Nyiramongi Kagame is the wife of Paul Kagame. She became the First Lady of Rwanda when her husband took office as President in 2000. Kagame is the founder and chairman of Imbuto Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the development of a healthy, educated and prosperous society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Mushikiwabo</span> Secretary General of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

Louise Mushikiwabo is the fourth and current Secretary General of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. She previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Rwanda from 2009 to 2018. She also served as Government Spokesperson. She had previously been Minister of Information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyamata</span> Rwanda Popular Place

Nyamata is a town in the Bugesera District, southeastern Rwanda. Nyamata literally means "place of milk" from the two Kinyarwanda words "nya-" (of) and "amata" (milk). It is the location of Nyamata Genocide Memorial, commemorating the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Infrastructure (Rwanda)</span>

The Ministry of Infrastructure is a department of the Government of Rwanda. The Ministry is responsible for infrastructure policy and development throughout the country. Claver Gatete is the current Minister of Infrastructure.

Mani Martin is a Rwandan singer, songwriter, actor and performing artist. He has won numerous awards. His unique musical sound that reflects the Afro-fusion, urban and traditional sounds has received National & international attention hence being described by "Rwanda Spectrum Magazine" as one of the best live music performing artists of the Rwandan music scene. Mani sings in Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, English and French.

Eric Nshimiyumuremyi, better known by his stage name Enric Sifa, is a Rwandan singer-songwriter and inspirational speaker. In 2002, he won a Rwandan singing competition that launched his music career and garnered him radio and television airtime in Rwanda. In 2006. a Portland, Oregon based non-profit organization working in Rwanda included him in a band that toured the United States to promote child sponsorship. After touring he remained in Portland and has since released three studio albums and an EP.

Miss Rwanda 2014, the fourth edition of the Miss Rwanda pageant, was held on February 22, 2014 at Petit Stade of Remera in the province of Kigali.

Jenny Ohlsson is a Swedish diplomat who has been serving as State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation Matilda Ernkrans in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sweden) since November 2021. She was the first Swedish ambassador to Rwanda.

Samuel Ishimwe Karemangingo, is a Rwandan filmmaker. He is best known as the director of critically acclaim short film Imfura, where he became the first Rwandan filmmaker represented at Berlinale. Apart from being a director, he is also a cinematographer, editor, sound engineer, screenwriter and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Mfuranzima</span> Rwandan writer (born 1993)

Fred Mfuranzima is a Rwandan writer, artist, poet and peace activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beata Habyarimana</span> Rwandan politician and economist

Beata Uwamaliza Habyarimana is a Rwandan economist and financial advisor by profession with over 16 years of experience in the financial industry in domestic, Pan-African and international institutions. Her area of expertise covers business reshuffling and organizational change.

Sandra Nadege Uwayezu is a Rwandan author and poet based in Kigali. Nadege is the author of various poetry collections such as 'The First creation', 'Sense and Sensation' and a memoir titled 'Light in the Dark'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Izere</span> Rwandan record producer

Daniel Izere commonly known as Dany Beats, is a Rwandan record producer, sound engineer, songwriter, and entrepreneur in the music industry.

Kamatari Thierry, popularly known by his stage name Racine Rwanda is a Rwandan rapper, poet and songwriter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 LOAC (30 March 2016). "Sonia Mugabo - The startup story of a fashion entrepreneur in Rwanda, building a strong men and womenswear brand that celebrates local artisan craftsmanship". Lionessesofafrica.com (LOAC). Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Nsehe, Mfonobong (13 March 2017). "30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa 2017". Forbes.com . Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  3. Theos, Uwiduhaye. "Ubuhamya bwa Sonia Mugabo warwaye agahinda gakabije agashaka no kwiyahura biturutse ku bikomere bya Jenoside". abantu (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved 2021-09-10.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Mugabo talks about her fashion dream, plans for local industry". The New Times | Rwanda. 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  5. Guttman, Amy (31 August 2015). "From Genocide To Gen Y: The Rise Of Rwanda's Creatives". Forbes.com . Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Mugabo, Sonia (2 November 2017). "Sonia Mugabo: About Us". Kigali: Sonia Mugabo. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. Fernandes, Clarence (2 January 2017). "Sonia Mugabo is an inspiration to the youth". New Times (Rwanda) . Kigali. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. Theos, Uwiduhaye. "Umuhangamideli Sonia Mugabo yambitswe impeta y'urukundo - IGIHE.com". igihe.com (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved 2021-09-13.