Kampala born Kirabo has a knack for fashion and in another life, she was born in New York City. She dreams of going there but is too broke to even live alone. She lives with her elder sister Mutesi, who treats her like a child because she spends and acts like one. The weekly struggles are all (unintentionally) fashion related. She narrates her story of trying to realize her dreams while sliding in tips of how she gets by looking like a million bucks on a very slim wallet. She interns at a law firm in Kampala.
See part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here , part 4 here, part 5, and part 6 here.
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I had a long chat with Namara over the phone. She’s an old buddy with whom I don’t share much, except our love for fashion. And of course going out. Whenever she needs a plus one to any social event, I am always ready to tag along. She usually has access to highly coveted event passes. Also, whenever I need a partner in style, she is always there to slay with me.
She was telling me she had an extra ticket to this big festival and wanted me to put it to use. It’s a music festival of sorts, to take place in a secluded location away from Kampala. It was set to have a lineup of up to 200 musicians and 100 DJs, and that, people from far and wide travel to Uganda just to attend.
I couldn’t turn this down for the life of me! Apparently, it’s a 3-day festival and so I need to pack enough things (read outfits) to use during my stay there. Haaaa… Oba where will I find clothes? It’s a music festival so I have to look festive. I’m thinking I should mix Coachella vibe with some UG funk and I’ll be good to go.
I took to Pinterest for some internet ideas. Using the search term Coachella outfit I got lots of ideas; little short shorts, leather everything, feathers and round sunglasses reigning supreme. But wait, there’s no way I’m squeezing this bottom of mine into tiny shorts without causing a riot. Also, round sunnies do not work for my face shape, I was going to have to compromise on a lot.
Secondly, I wanted every outfit to be interchangeable, so that I don’t get stuck no matter what, and also not pack a whole trunk of clothing. After a futile search, I gave up seeking inspiration from Coachella thanks partly to failure to see any black or thick girls at the festival featured on the app.
I settled for Afro Punk outfit inspo (Afro Punk is also a festival for dope black people. The closest it’s been to Africa is Johannesburg). I chanced upon an outfit of this fabulous girl sporting a bright purple wig, a Kitenge bra top and a flowy black skirt accessorized with lots of jewelry. I decided to use it as an anchor outfit, all my other outfits would have the same vibe.
Of course by default my Dashiki was going to be packed, so outfit one was out of the way. I had some few Kitenge pieces in my room, I just had to come up with 2 alternate looks to match them with. My hair was staying out, and I was going to put it into big Bantu knots so that it gives me funk and mo trouble. I need a jacket for reasons we all know, so I went with my classic black leather number. It has all these numerous zippers that make it super cool. I haven’t worn it in a while and so it’s a natural choice to pack it.
I decided I would get an off-the-shoulder bodysuit to go with the black skirt, then a pair of fringe shorts to go with the top. For accessories, I was going to go with a silver and black palate, lots of rings and big hoop earrings, plus a body chain for extra sass.
Everything seemed fine then and I was set, until the part where I have to source funds to buy these clothes popped in. I couldn’t even approach Mutesi with the idea, because she would undoubtedly be opposed even to me going. I needed a different plan. I went to the sitting room to watch some Spice TV as I patched up a plan. Shortly after, Kato walked in. He started explaining to me how important a certain football game was to him that he had to change the channel and ultimately kick me off the couch. This gave me an idea.
“Give me some money to buy clothes and I will change the channel. You know how important fashion is to me as well,” I suggested as I kept the remote away for leverage.
“Come on Kirabo, you can’t be serious. I’m not giving you any money. This game is really important I can’t miss it,” he cried. I could hear the desperation in his tone.
“I have an important event coming up, and I won’t be in your hair for a while. Just a tiny 50k and I will leave you with the TV and my horrid sister for close to a week. How does that sound?”
He pondered for a bit and then glanced at the tiny clock on the wall.
“Leave, you say?”
His hand slipped into the back of his pants with the energy of a defeated bull.
“Lemme see what I have” he said grudgingly before pulling out two yellow gorilla filled notes and dropping them on the table. I couldn’t believe my luck!
“Wherever it is you’re disappearing to, be safe. Now, remote?” he yelled. I bet the game had started already.
Now, that’s the power of football!
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Look out for part 8
Cover photo by William Stitt on Unsplash
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