Katende Godfrey
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Katende Godfrey | |
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| Born | 13 December 1993 Uganda |
| Citizenship | Ugandan |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Organization | IG Community Fashion Limited |
| Known for | Barkcloth fashion, Fashion Revolution Uganda |
Katende Godfrey (born 13 December 1993) is a Ugandan fashion designer who works with barkcloth, a traditional Ugandan textile known locally as Lubugo. He founded IG Community Fashion Limited in Kampala and is the country coordinator for Fashion Revolution Uganda.[1][2]
Early life and education
Katende completed his Primary Leaving Education Certificate at Kazo Mixed Primary School in 2009. He went on to Kazo Central College, where he obtained his Uganda Certificate of Education in 2014. He completed his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education at Kawempe Standard Secondary School in Bwaise in 2015.[2]
Career
IG Community Fashion
Katende runs IG Community Fashion Limited, a Kampala-based company producing garments from indigenous Ugandan materials: Lubugo (barkcloth), Nsimbi (cowrie shells), and Obuso (raffia).[1]
His Gugumuka collection, which features costumes made from these materials, has been exhibited at Nairobi Design Week (2025) at Waterfront Karen, Kenya,[2] and at a 2024 exhibition called "Alternative Realities" at Marist College, curated by Guzangs.[2]
Fashion Cyphers
Katende started Fashion Cyphers in 2019, a programme offering free craftsmanship and art classes. It has run in 12 regions of Uganda, with classes for street children, young single mothers, and members of endangered tribes.[2]
Since 2023, he has also organised Gugumukira Mu Kazo, a street fashion show in Kazo featuring work by local tailors and Fashion Cypher participants.[2]
Fashion Revolution Uganda
Katende became country coordinator for Fashion Revolution Uganda in 2021. The role involves organising events, sustainable fashion tours, and workshops across Uganda.[2] Fashion Revolution operates in over 90 countries.[2]
Kwetu Kwanza
Kwetu Kwanza ("Ours First" in Swahili) is an annual sustainable fashion event in Kampala that Katende has organised since 2019. The event includes exhibitions, film screenings, talks, and workshops, with participants from across East Africa.[2]
Exhibitions and international work
In 2023, the British Council selected Katende for its Creative DNA programme. He was one of seven sustainable fashion designers from Sub-Saharan Africa who exhibited at London Fashion Week, curated by Fashion Scout.[3] He also took part in a fashion delegation to Senegal, organised by Dakar Design Hub, where he collaborated with a Senegalese designer on a traditional Bubu garment.[2]
At the 2023 IATF/CANEX exhibition in Cairo, Katende exhibited two pieces alongside other African designers.[2]
In 2024, he was one of four designers at the King's Birthday Party at the British High Commission in Kampala, and he spoke on a panel at the Socreative Summit in Johannesburg about cultural heritage and fashion entrepreneurship.[2]
Katende served as fashion curator for the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) 2025. He organised two runway shows and two exhibitions, including ten new outfits made from Lubugo.[2]
Woven Worlds
In 2025, Katende partnered with Jessie Stringer from Salford Slow Fashion on Woven Worlds, a project funded by a British Council International Collaboration Grant. They ran workshops in Manchester and Kitgum, producing garments from upcycled Ugandan materials.[3]
Other projects
FSPI-Uganda (2022–2024)
Working with the French Embassy in Uganda's FSPI programme, Katende ran workshops with breakdancing communities in Kampala and Northern Uganda. The project, called "Floor Moves to Slow Fashion," combined financial literacy, visual identity, and sustainable fashion sessions. He designed over 70 uniforms from upcycled materials for Ugandan breakdancers ahead of breaking's debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[2]
Clothed with Protection
In 2022, British artist Luke Jerram commissioned IG Community Fashion for a project sponsored by the University of Southampton and IMPRINT Network. Katende managed the project, which brought together ten Ugandan designers to create garments promoting vaccination for pregnant women. The project included catwalk shows and community outreach.[2]
Recognition
Katende received funding in 2025 from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Karun Thakar Fund for research on Lubugo (barkcloth), including a podcast series.[2]
He is an awardee of the Prince Claus Fund.[4]
In 2025, Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, met with Katende during a visit to Uganda and posted about his work.[5]
Media
Katende has been featured in Uganda's Daily Monitor,[1] Franz Magazine,[2] and the Dutch publication Een Leeuw Op Straat.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Katende stitches stories through bark cloth". Daily Monitor. Uganda. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 "Meet the Ugandan designer Godfrey Katende". Franz Magazine. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Godfrey Katende & Salford Slow Fashion". British Textile Biennial. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ "Katende Godfrey". Prince Claus Fund. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ Daren Tang (2025). "WIPO Uganda visit". LinkedIn. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ "Modeontwerper Godfrey Katende: 'Mijn creaties gaan over inspiratie, duurzaamheid en de Afrikaanse cultuur'". Een Leeuw Op Straat (in Nederlands). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
External links
This article "Katende Godfrey" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.