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Bobby Kolade
[edit]Bobby Kolade is a Ugandan fashion designer and the founder and creative director of BUZIGAHILL[1], a Ugandan fashion label that redesigns second-hand clothes from Europe, the USA and Asia, and redistributes the garments back to those markets[2]. Kolade’s public talks and creative work engages with issues related to textile waste, sustainability, and global fashion supply chains[3].
Early Life
[edit]Kolade was born in Sudan to Nigerian-German parents and grew up between Kampala, Uganda and Lagos, Nigeria[1]. He later moved to Germany, where he earned a Master’s degree in Fashion Design from the Academy of Arts Berlin Weissensee.
He began his career in the European fashion industry, completing internships at Maison Margiela and Balenciaga in Paris[4]. In 2018, he moved back to Kampala, Uganda and began working on BUZIGAHILL, which launched in 2022[5].
Career
[edit]Kolade launched his first fashion label, BOBBY KOLADE womenswear (2013-2016), together with Greta Thaysen, producing coats made of Ugandan bark cloth[6]. The label received the Start Your Fashion Business Award in Berlin as well as the New Star Award at the Shenzhen Day Prize, awarded by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network[6]. He was also a finalist for the Woolmark Prize in 2015[7].
In 2021, Kolade co-launched a limited-series podcast, Vintage or Violence, with Nikissi Serumaga, discussing fast fashion waste from a pan-African perspective and Uganda’s textile history[8]. He appeared as a speaker in Vogue Business and the Google Summit, alongside industry professionals including Michael Sadowski and James Rogers, discussing fashion resale platforms and their environmental impact.
In 2022, Kolade launched BUZIGAHILL, releasing its first collection, RETURN TO SENDER, which focused on redesigning second-hand clothing imported from Europe, the United States, and Asia[9]. In the same year, he participated in a panel discussion at the Global Fashion Agenda in Copenhagen on the topic of Subverting Fashion’s Historical Exclusion, alongside Dr. Marsha Dickson and moderated by Moussa Mchangama[10]. He also spoke at the launch of the Regenerative Fashion Hub[1] and contributed to the exhibition Konsum in der Kunst in Biberach an der Riss, Germany, displaying works from the RETURN TO SENDER collection[1].
In 2024, Kolade participated in international discussions on sustainable fashion, including the What Design Can Do Festival in Amsterdam[11] and the Berlin Fashion Summit[12], where he addressed issues related to trade laws and import taxes on upcycled clothing from Uganda. In the same year, Kolade participated a public conversation at An Evening With Bobby Kolade in Rotterdam with curator Rachel Dedman and Louise Bennetts where he delves into his fashion philosophy and activism[13]. He also took part in public conversations and workshops in Milan, London, and Sharjah, focusing on sustainable textile development, circular design methods, and upcycling practices[1].
Awards
[edit]2013:Shenzhen Day Prize, Shenzhen – New Star Award, awarded in conjunction with UNESCO Creative Cities Network[14]
2013:Start Your Fashion Business, Berlin – First Prize, awarded by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises[6]
2015:The Woolmark International Prize, Antwerp – Finalist[7]
2024: Berlin Contemporary category of the Berlin Fashion Week Concept Competition[15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "ABOUT BUZIGAHILL". BUZIGAHILL. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ^ McCool, Alice (2022-04-27). "Right back at you: the Ugandan designer returning the west's cast-offs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ "Bobby Kolade on waste colonialism and the fashion industry". What Design Can Do. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ^ Dazed (2022-04-27). "Meet the Ugandan designer returning secondhand rags back to the West". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ "How Bobby Kolade Is Taking on the Secondhand Clothing Trade". Atmos. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ a b c John, Biki (2014-04-23). "Interview with designer Bobby Kolade - ΠMagazine". Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ a b "Berliner Designer für International Woolmark Preis ausgezeichnet | Berlin Fashion Week". www.fashionweek.berlin. 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ Dazed (2021-08-20). "Vintage or Violence: inside Uganda's secondhand clothing trade". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ Cernansky, Rachel (2022-04-28). "Return to Sender: Bobby Kolade's new collection upcycles Uganda's secondhand clothing for the Global North". Vogue Business. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ Studio, Quest Impact Design. "Illustrious brands and organisations reveal new sustainability actions at Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition". Global Fashion Agenda. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ "WDCD Amsterdam 2024". What Design Can Do. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ^ "202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit". 202030summit.com. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ^ "An Evening With: Bobby Kolade (BUZIGAHILL)". Nieuwe Instituut. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ^ "Résumé eines Nachwuchsdesigners: Bobby Kolade: "Das fühlt sich gut an"". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ^ "Berlin Contemporary Competition: These 5 new fashion labels are among the winners | Berlin Fashion Week". fashionweek.berlin. Retrieved 2025-08-22.