Expectedly, the gomesi, Kushona’s selling point, opened, dominated and closed the show with the changing dresses and Arabic wear for the men cleverly slotted in.
The beautiful models and their expertly designed gomesis with sequins, stones, feathers and peaches created an optic marvel that perhaps could only be matched when the gomesi transitioned from just being a school uniform for Gayaza High School to Uganda’s unofficial traditional wear when the Queen (Nnaabagereka) Irene Druscilla Namaganda (a Gayaza old girl) wore it for her husband Daudi Chwa II’s coronation in 1914.
From peached blue gomesi with the stoned sash drape to the silky green and veiled gomesi, and the caramelised puffy gomesi complemented with jeweled tiaras, who knew that a gomesi could offer several designs and patterns? What a transformation Ugandan tailors have made to it!
The seven female models were always complemented by seven male models (three of them were Nabukenya’s own sons). The male models switched from the kanzus matched with the slim V-necked tuxedos, double-breasted suits, modern-day blazers, to the long-armed traditional Arabic tunics matched with craft shoes.
KUSHONA GRADUAL CAREER SWITCH
Nabukenya claims to have started the gomesi-hiring business in Uganda, a move she accidentally went into. With a paltry Shs 150,000-per-month teacher salary but also with a lot of free time since she only taught two days a week, Nabukenya ventured into the tailoring business to enhance her income.
She enrolled at Jewels Fashion School, before she quit and joined Evelyn College of Design. Being one of the best student tailors in the school, many Kenyan students always talked about her “as that girl who can kushona (sew)”.
Nabukenya ventured into kitenge tailoring and started dressing herself for her teaching days. With family members and teachers impressed, business started slowly trickling in but with very low-profit margins.
Then in 2012 without money to offer to her cousin who was set to have a kwanjula (traditional wedding) of her own, Nabukenya offered for-hire changing dresses for her maids but the cousin also demanded she hires gomesis for the bride and her matron. That was the masterstroke that opened the clientele eyes and Nabukenya’s own eyes that she could perhaps move away from the slow kitenge business to gomesis.
With the kwanjula gomesi quite expensive to tailor, heavy to wear and sometimes uncomfortable and hardly befitting for any other event other than its original purpose, Nabukenya developed the idea of hiring out gomesis. Instead of spending Shs 3m for a new gomesi, brides can now hire them at ‘just’ Shs 800,000. Picky wearers even have the more expensive first-wearer options.
Now with two shops at Zai Plaza and Namirembe road, Nabukenya imports her own fabric from Turkey, China, India and Dubai.
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