A few years ago, Katende Godfrey was designing and producing garments from his living room in Kampala. Today, he welcomes clients into IGC Fashion’s flagship store in the city centre and leads a growing creative enterprise that has taken Ugandan fashion to international audiences. The journey between those two realities has been shaped by persistence, creativity, and a deep belief that Uganda’s heritage belongs at the centre of contemporary fashion.
Drawing inspiration from indigenous materials, Lubugo barkcloth, raffia, and cowrie shells, Katende has built a brand that challenges perceptions of what African fashion can be. His collections combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design, celebrating heritage while speaking to new audiences at home and abroad.
The decisive turning point came in 2023 when he joined the Creative DNA programme.
‘The British Council partnership gave me exposure that completely changed how I saw my work and my business,’ Katende says. ‘It helped me position IGC Fashion on a regional and global stage and connect with people who believed in what we were building.’
The doors that opened were significant. Among the collaborations that followed was Woven Worlds, a partnership between IGC Fashion and Salford Slow Fashion in the UK, a project exploring the relationship between traditional textiles, sustainability, and contemporary design, while bringing new international attention to Uganda’s barkcloth heritage. His work has since been showcased in London, New York, Johannesburg, Dakar, Cairo, and Nairobi, with further support from the British Council, Prince Claus Fund and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Karun Thakar Fund enabling deeper research and public engagement around indigenous textiles.
Yet some of the work he is most proud of happens closer to home. The IGC Fashion studio now serves as both a creative workspace and a learning hub for emerging designers. Through Fashion Cypher, a community initiative he founded, young people from underserved communities gain practical skills, mentorship, and pathways into creative careers. In Northern Uganda, the programme supports young people with training in sewing, design, and garment production, creating routes to income and self-employment where few existed before.
His annual platform Kwetu Kwanza brings together designers, artists, and communities to explore sustainability through creativity, and a partnership with Nyege Nyege, one of East Africa’s largest cultural festivals, is carrying those conversations to even wider audiences.
For Katende, success is not measured only by international showcases. It is measured by the young creatives who discover confidence in their talent, the communities finding new economic opportunities through fashion, and the growing appreciation for Uganda’s cultural heritage.
His vision remains unchanged, to prove that Uganda’s heritage is not something to be preserved behind glass, but something to be worn, celebrated, and carried confidently into the future.
Our Impact Stories is a curated collection of individual stories showcasing the impact of British Council programmes across Arts and Culture, English and Schools Education, Higher Education, Non-Formal Education, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across Sub-Saharan Africa. From fashion entrepreneurs in Ethiopia and Kenya to educators in Rwanda, animators in Nigeria, and heritage preservationists in Zimbabwe, the book captures the breadth and depth of what our programmes make possible when ability meets opportunity.
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