By Alex Roberts
There’s been a lot of attempts to really infuse the bold styles of Uganda with a variety of fashion items, with mixed success. When a fashion line hits the balance on point however, it can really hit, and such is the case with Niche Rafiki’s line of custom bags.
A newer brand on the market, the bags are quickly becoming a staple of the Kampala creative pop-up circuit and are growing in popularity online rapidly, amassing a loyal following on Instagram. Sometimes an infusion of style can go too far, relying too much on the pop and splash of color, the uniqueness of a first look and leaning far into the realm of fashion over function.
This isn’t the case with Niche Rafiki, whose founder Winnie Abiko has been careful to ensure the line walks the high-wire of minimalism and ‘being extra’; muted background colors often highlighted by splashes and accents of kitenge trim.
“I try to bring ‘Africanicity’ to all my works,” says Abiko, “I was trying to get involved in fashion, I was thinking of how I could keep blending while trying to learn from other figures in the fashion industry. One thing I didn’t see enough of was custom bags that had a fusion of Ugandan patterns, so I tried to bring that to Niche Rafiki.”
Despite the brand name, these bags are far from niche, falling much more into the category of every day bags, that can go with nearly everything and for any possible occasion.
To date there’s a variety being made by Abiko through Niche Rafiki, from toiletry kits to a wide variety of purses, from festival style bum bags, to backpacks all the way up to matching sets of different sizes of bags that could serve for an entire weekend.
If you want to learn more or order a bag for yourself, you can check out Niche Rafiki on Instagram.
