Kampala set for first Bold Fashion Week as designers take African creativity to the runway

Johnnie Walker has partnered with Bold in Africa and Malembe Lifestyle to launch the first-ever Bold Fashion Week, a two-day event celebrating African fashion, creativity and the designers shaping the continent’s style industry.

The event will take place on August 21 and 22, 2026, at Motiv in Bugolobi, Kampala, marking 14 years of Bold in Africa’s efforts to promote African creative talent.

Bold Fashion Week will bring together designers, creatives, industry leaders, fashion enthusiasts and consumers for a showcase of contemporary African fashion.

The partnership builds on Johnnie Walker’s Afro Exchange platform, which focuses on creating connections across Africa’s creative sectors, including music, fashion and art.

“Afro Exchange is about creating spaces where African creativity can meet, move and inspire one another, and fashion is such an important part of that conversation,” said Christine Kyokunda, Brand Manager of Johnnie Walker Uganda.

Kyokunda said the partnership would help highlight Ugandan talent while creating opportunities for designers to connect with the wider African creative community.

The inaugural event will feature 10 designers on a professionally produced runway. The line-up includes Ugandan brands Axarya, Discreet Street x Local, Good Fibre, Joan Jade, Kifahari, Kwesh, Lamara, Ofumbi and Shurea Yasmin, alongside Nigeria’s Yemi Shoyemi.

Beyond the runway, the event will include a retail marketplace in partnership with the Kampala Artisan Market on August 22, allowing audiences to discover and buy collections directly from designers.

The programme will also feature mentorship sessions and panel discussions focusing on design, business development, branding and access to new markets.

Johnnie Walker said the partnership reflects its commitment to supporting Africa’s creative economy by creating platforms that help local talent reach wider audiences.

For Bold in Africa, the event represents the next stage of its 14-year journey of supporting designers and building opportunities for African creatives to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.

Bold Fashion Week will run from August 21 to August 22, 2026, at Motiv, Bugolobi, Kampala, with the retail marketplace taking place on August 22.