Rachel Bashabe

It more than a week since Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and as a person who went to the festival self funded. I can truly say CANNES WAS A MOVIE!!!! As a first timer the experiences was not only overwhelming but also amazing as I got to mingle with CSuite leaders and get not only praise but also feedback on my ventures like Veryldesigns and CREATORSCONNECT I will say the experience is what one makes it. You can decide to make it great by being open to changes in your schedule as you honestly are bumping into and meeting creators and top management that you look up to. For me it showed me how much the countries who are considered stable are curating programmes and experiences that they have failed to distribute to the African continent. Even if they manage to connect their endeavours to Africa they are still far removed from what the average African on the continent feels. Also it was a clear eye opener to the fact that a lot of these initiatives need a connector the missing gap. And I think more and more such companies or creators should look at partnering with establish brands on the continent and be connecting bridge. Finally for me the biggest take aways were 1. Have an organised plan for who you want to meet and how to attend the sessions you love 2. Be a-bit flexible in your plans as there are serendipitous monuments that often happen and this might change your said schedule above 3. Carry light weight cloths and very comfortable shoes. It is very hot in Cannes and a lot of walking 4. Be open to meeting and approaching new people as honestly you don’t know who you bump into. 5. Take breaks from the activities and enjoy the scenic views and history of the town Overall my Cannes experience showed me that now is the time. Get creative, be audacious, and be about your brand. Truly gratefully for the connections I made from meeting Mel Tsiaprazis Rodrigo Abdalla at the zero day where we attend the ADWEEK opening soireee. The invaluable advice she gave Bonding with Rebecca Auguste @andreacasanova lovely and always meaning to help. COMEEE TO CANNES LIONS 26!

Another year and we are back as head stylist again for the just concluded@bbec_uk and this time around we collaborated to bring some of the CDNA @the.boldwomanfund @eastafricaarts Ugandan cohort to the conference. This is what #accesstomarket looks like for creatives. What a wonderful day

For the momentous first blue carpet for the #ukgalascreening over the weekend we no doubt had to dress @hamidibrahimportfolio in a bespoke custom cultural significant number. We had fun cooking up this ensemble for @hamidibrahimportfolio @liv.adom which is not only elevated but also a representation of our Ugandan traditional attire the #kikoy Super honoured to have @hamidibrahimportfolio let me curate his wardrobe for the momentous occasion to celebrate the world releases of the first of its kind collaboration of @kugalimedia and @disneyanimation Can’t wait for the world to tune into the series on its release tomorrow 28/02/24 at 8am gmt on @disneyplus WE DEVOURED THAT RED CARPET

Truly enjoyed curating the flash mobs and exhibition for @uniwestminster Africa Day at their regent street campus. It was a day of fun and also enjoyed sharing the stage with Dame Mary Martin. This was an exploration into the legacy of veryldesigns over the days. From some of our first pieces in 2020 until our most recent bridal collection for @liv.adom what an amazing day it was.

Creating Impact is about case studies and we have shining examples like Rachel and Genevieve Leveille providing excellent case studies on how we can be creative to spread the message rather than lecture. We look forward to our next gathering in Parliament and are ready to showcase excellence as we get more leaders to show the way! Looking forward to the launch of @the_mint_magazine_ and #Collaboration Great chat with Niyi and Yu-Fai about creating more awareness using verticals and we look forward to educating investors on creatives on using this route. Join us April 13th for more dynamic networking with Balbir Victoria Zoe Dasha Debbie Paulto to create more impact and financing opportunities! https://lnkd.in/euYcJv4K Climate Opera Haus is a climate-first production initiative producing a living opera of experience that confronts ecological crisis through music, myth, and live experience. We develop sustained artistic structures designed for long-term adoption by audiences, festivals, and cultural ecosystems. https://lnkd.in/ezW47SUV About @veryldesigns The vision of veryldesigns is to showcase made in Uganda and ready for the international market as it not only employs a team of Ugandan based fashion designers but also works with various SMEs to train them for access and readiness for scale to the international markets. We do this through showcase and sales of products at various pop up shops, fashion show runways and also participation in PR opportunities at conferences like The UK Black Business Entrepreneurs Conference under the stewardship of Dr Carlton Brown #ImpactInvesting #Impact #Educate

@rachelbashabe relaunched Veryldesigns by taking over Dean street for the just concluded London fashion week in a celebration of their new upcoming collections. It was a day of experiences. From sip & shop, karaoke sessions, saxophone serenade and overall networking evening that ended with turning the @30_dean_street Basement area into a club scene with @djshady_london Special thanks to @higa_k for capturing these moments Thanks to all our partners.

What an absolute whirlwind of emotions at our successful relaunch pop up experience a week ago when we took over Dean street during the highly busy and anticipated London fashion week programmes. It was a day of experiential marketing and indulging our community both old and new in various curated spaces. We had the top floor of 30 Dean street showcasing samples of our upcoming new Veryldesigns collection. Here people could give us opinions on what they felt about the upcoming pieces but also we could take pre orders using the bespoke customisation process we have as a business. 2nd/Ground floor saw us utilise it as a networking space but also the most important visual merchandising and enticing spectacle. We had our main team of staff welcome guests and intice them to go upstairs to a drinks reception. It was lovely as anyone could walk in and still participate in karaoke whilst getting curious about “what’s this brand with a stunning colourful pull up banner and having the soho streets busy” as heard from a Soho house member. Finally the basement/3rd floor was where we transitioned from day activities of the pop up experience into a comedy club 2 hour experience that later turned into a night club for the reminder of the night with an amazing DJ. Taking people through Ugandan, East African and afrohouse music experiences. To say it was a success is an understatement. We exceeded estimated sales in excess of 5 figures. We brought life, culture and soul to Dean street. And most importantly we proved that you don’t need to have it all aligned. I had 1.5 weeks to plan and execute having a pop up on the prestigious Dean street in central London What a night!!!!!! Special thanks to everyone who came through to support. Biggest thank you to Stanley Marchon 🦁 who passed by to represent the Davos collective group and Mayfair business groups. We rise as we build and collaborate together. Photos credit @kalmar_creative_

@rachelbashabe , the celebrated Ugandan-born fashion powerhouse and founder of the London-based label @veryldesigns , has been named the first-ever African Fashion Entrepreneur in Residence for a prestigious UK-Rwanda creative exchange programme. The initiative, a brainchild of the University of Westminster in collaboration with the UK-funded SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, aims to bridge the gap between East African craftsmanship and the global fashion market. Bashabe’s appointment marks a significant milestone for African fashion, positioning her as a central figure in a project designed to elevate eight emerging Rwandan designers to the international stage

Swipe for a surprise!!! We are delighted to have @flingfire1 as one of the partners to our upcoming pop up this weekend 21.02.26. We can’t wait for you to see the line up. Can you guess in the comments what our next reveal is.

Last quarter of 2025. A time of silence and resilience!!! The moments of light in a very harsh time. Cherished memories for the season as I am still amazed my mind and body were able to give me these pockets of joy and experience even during my worst health moments since 2017 1. Me trying out monochrome for a big event at the guildhall. 2. Moments of showcase at black history month with HSBC headquarters. Loved meeting @african_chica @harm_kay 3. At my sister’s baby shower. What a timeeeeee. 4. We showcase veryldesigns at the guildhall with my love @_.hill.ary_ 5. The amazing displays at guildhall 6. The production interview we did in Kigali went live on Rwanda Broadcasting Network thanks to @linkwith_christian for the interview 7. Spoke at the socially conscious entrepreneur conference and styled and dressed the team 8. UKBBEC gala opening night was lovely. Courtesy of @hamidibrahimportfolio invite 9. Designed and styled the lovely @sharniyassingsta for her award nominee ceremony. 10. The amazing people who spoke more life into me during a heavy time at the socially conscious entrepreneurs conference 11. Designed and styled @davidkapsule for his nomination at the Gilead awards All this happened as I was in one of the worst head spaces of my life. To think that I had multiple chances of cancelling and saying no but had people around me who held me up and supported me to fulfil these moments. Truly thankful to God and everyone in that season 12 Dressed @hamidibrahimportfolio AGAINNNN for his speaker session at UKBBEC 13 Was a speaker for the HSBC accelerator (a recommendation from Tony of Socially conscious entrepreneur conference) 14 Permed my hair as a sign of new beginnings and was in the motherland healing from a cancelled surgery and multiple new treatments. (I could genuinely start breathing and seeing the joy come back in my life) 15 ENDED THE YEAR WITH MY NEAREST AND DEAREST AND REDISCOVERING THE RACHEL WHO LOVES JOY, PARTY & BUBBLINESS

“ @veryldesigns was birthed out of pain” - @rachelbashabe Tap link in bio to watch the full interview on YouTube @ SatisfashionUGTV 2 #satisfashionug

Business with purpose. 🔥 On our Business Panel at the 3rd Socially Conscious Entrepreneurs Conference 2025: 👤 Sharold Palmer 👤 Rachel Bashabe Two leaders sharing strategies on building businesses that scale with creativity + impact. 🗓️ Oct 6 | London 🎟️ Tickets → #SCE2025 #TonyDada