Within Kampala, there is a fashion and design house everybody is talking about. That fashion and design house is called Shoooh.
When we toured where they are located we found very impressive work going on. The neighbors of the design house spoke highly about their work and said that they also get many customers on a daily basis.
Shoooh is a fashion design house that offers fashion products to female clientele in Uganda and beyond. The owner told us that the business deals with anyone although it depends on the fashion one requires, so the prices rotate around that.
Services offered
They do not only design but they also offer tailoring courses, and courses in fashion and design.
It is owned by Ms Ali Sham Kibirige who established it in early 2015
Sham Kibirige
According to Sham Kibirige, “fashion fades, only style remains the same. Fashion designing is all about making the best use of one’s creativity and skills. It is something people of all ages and generations enjoy. So, if you love being creative and you are passionate about fashion then, a career in fashion design will suit you best,” she adds.
They so far have one outlet but they are looking at expanding very soon.
They deal in only women fashion because Kibirige says, in life, you must specialize in order to do something very well.
As she was starting out she was inspired by very many people. Her biggest inspiration however comes from Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl who married soccer star David Beckham.
Sham Kibirige is very particular with the quality of material she uses to create fashion products. She gets her materials from Mombasa, Kiyembe and sometimes in Dubai
Her potential clients are everyone. This is because they have all kinds of wear including casual and others. They tend to look at a person and decide what suits them.
The prices are cost friendly and they are negotiable. In spite of this, sometimes they have high prices because of the high taxes and the high rates of rent.
Challenges
Like any business, Ms Ali Sham Kibirige’s business faces challenges.
She has some challenges. In her kind of work, the Islamic wear was not given much attention. But she has made it and has many customers. She is challenged by those who duplicate her designs. She has to work really hard to be creative, so as to bring out something new.
Of late there are limited clients because of lack of money and the state of the economy.
Materials are also very expensive to buy especially if you are looking for very good quality.
There is lack of business skills in Uganda. There is tremendous amount of design talent in Uganda, the problem isn’t finding the talent. The problem is often lack of business skills required to take a small business to a profitable one that is sustainable in the long term. Finance knowledge, marketing, management skills, pricing models, all these are critical to take a good designer and turn them into the owner of a successful business,” she concludes.
There are also distribution challenges. Distribution is usually a challenge for designers. Designing and producing your clothes is totally up to you but you cannot fully control the distribution of your clothes. You have to work hard to get your brands into clothing stores and that might cost you more than a little effort and time,” Kibirige counsels.
Kibirige has three employees who she described as being sent by Allah. “They are wonderful people. I am truly blessed to be working with them,” Kibirge said.
She is grateful for the support of her employees who include:
Rukia Kibirige
Rukia Kibirige
Sumayah Kaggwa
Sumayah Kaggwa
In her final words, she told us that “people should be very creative and innovative. They have to be ready for competition because almost everyone is getting into it now.But if you have passion for what you do, you can do well.”
Their Address
Shoooh is located on Namaganda Plaza, Level 3 Shop No.T6
Phone Contacts 0781817837/0757732693
Shoooh in Pictures
