By Our Reporter
The Uganda International Fashion Week (UIFW) is set to return this Sunday, August 30th, with a fashion and creativity take over at the Uganda Manufacturers Association, (UMA) Multipurpose Hall, in Lugogo.
The UIFW 2026 will kick off with a Fashion and Business Expo, expected to bring together hundreds of young creatives, entrepreneurs, buyers, industry professionals and international guests. This Expo, whose role is to put the UIFW 2026 theme, ‘Fashion for Impact’, into perspective, will also act as the gateway to the Uganda International Fashion Week 2026.
This Expo will create a space where creativity meets markets, skills meet opportunity, and fashion is presented- not simply as something to wear, but as an industry capable of creating jobs, businesses and economic value.
At the center of the Expo is CREATE, a programme designed to create sustainable, bankable businesses, as well as contribute to tackling youth unemployment and poverty by opening pathways into employment, entrepreneurship and skills development across the fashion value chain.
Through this Expo, which is a pillar of the CREATE programme, the UIFW organizers aim to give over 10,000 young creatives a physical marketplace and networking platform where they can showcase and sell products, ranging from apparel, art & crafts and jewellery, footwear, and all sorts of other creative works.
For three days, the UMA Multipurpose Hall will become a meeting point for creativity and commerce, with business-to-business linkages, exhibitions, mentorship and opportunities for creatives to connect with potential buyers and partners.
The Expo will also celebrate Uganda’s cultural identity through fashion, food, art, crafts, local fabrics and other forms of creative expression.
According to Arapapa and UIFW Founder, Santa Anzo, creating these opportunities is part of the much bigger ambition of building a stronger Ugandan creative economy.
“Fashion is one of the world’s fastest-growing economic sectors. Uganda is flooded with too many talented and innovation-minded people. We aim to turn these talents into skills, jobs and bankable businesses.”
“For 25 years, Arapapa has been demonstrating that Ugandan creativity can become intellectual property, employment and international visibility through tourism, business and trade. Through this CREATE programme, we aim to nurture more than 500 skilled tailors and create impact on over 10,000 young people over the next three years, with women and girls making up the majority of beneficiaries,” Anzo said.
The Expo will also bring the global fashion industry closer to emerging Ugandan creatives. Established creative brands and industry professionals from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and India are expected in Uganda ahead of UIFW 2026, with several taking part in the Expo.
Their participation will create opportunities for one-on-one mentorship, knowledge exchange and business connections, giving young creatives a chance to learn directly from established players in international markets.
More than an exhibition of talent, the Fashion and Business Expo is intended to demonstrate what happens when Uganda’s creative talent is connected to the right skills, markets and opportunities. It is a practical expression of CREATE’s ambition to move young people from simply having creative talent to building sustainable livelihoods from it.
The three-day Expo will set the tone for the wider Uganda International Fashion Week programme, that shall culminate into a Grand Finale Gala on Saturday, September 5, at the Kampala Serena Hotel, where leading Ugandan and international designers will take to the runway.
The Expo will be open to the public from 10AM to 6PM, every day, from August 30 to September 1, with free entry.