Even though we have talented tailors and fashion designers, would be customers still prefer buying readymade cloths which at times are sub-standard.Yet the local tailors with potentials would perform better if nurtured with professional guidance.
After acquiring the head-on practical skills, they will also need sophisticated equipment that can strengthen the clientele beyond the Rwandan borders.
However, according to Antoine Manzi, the Director of Employment at the Private Sector Federation, it’s now time for local tailors to perform to their best since a good number of them have the skills while amateurs will be trained in order to perfect their work.
But offering training would be difficult if the tailors are themselves not working in unison. “Normally it’s quite tough to train individuals since equipping them with skills is not only the problem but rather acquiring equipments and sharing of resources is also a key to perfect production,” Manzi stressed.
He argued the local tailors and designers to form tangible associations through which they can easily get funding from the private sector federation and any other external grants.
Addressing city tailors in a one day meeting held at Alpha Palace hotel in Remera, Manzi urged them to start mobilizing their colleagues on the need of team work. The meeting is expected to be followed by similar ones aimed at forming the association’s management team.
Jean-Paul Binama a tailor in the city was quick to agree on the advantages of the association. “we all have seen how successful other associations are doing that’s why we need ours.
“We will not only benefit from accessing markets but also share resources, get credit from financial institutions when we need to uplift our production capacity by buying professional machines,” he stressed.
However, he challenged government to instill tailoring courses in both secondary and higher learning institutions in order to encourage those who have talent.
“I remember before the 1994 war there were tailoring courses in Eto-Muhima vocational school but now it’s been 17 years and we don’t have a comparable institution,” he lamented.
He said those willing to practice tailoring learn from their friends of whom the majority lack expertise and this perhaps might be among the reasons many dislike their designs Despite the challenges, there’s still hope.
According Pathé Ouédraogo a renowned designer from Burkina Faso who has so far made cloths to high ranking officials in the world including Former UN Secretary General Koffi Anan, former South African president Nelson Mandela and Rwandan president Paul Kagame.
Ouédraogo revealed that he started from a humble beginning and it does through joint effort in his country that he managed bring his talent to the limelight.
“I remember we used to work in a disorganized manner in some of the designated rooms in markets but slowly our association grew and we now have one of the outstanding fashion designers and tailors in theAfrican continent,” he stressed.
The PSF says skills in various sectors have improved and it’s only those who have grouped themselves from other sectors are progressing.
“Just imagine the carpentry sector is doing well in cooperatives and so far we have assisted them through training which involves study tours, recently we took 15 of them to German,” he remarked.
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