2022 Had One Winner: Joram Muzira!

He's our person of the year!

After a particularly rainy and uneventful morning, one might think the rest of the day is supposed to follow suit. Not in the world of Joram Muzira Job, the creative director of Joram Model Management, as I was soon to learn. He has had quite a year, and now that it is December, a lot of it is gearing up for a climax. Squeezing into his busy schedule was an arduous process, but finally, after multiple rescheduling bouts in between his ASFAS production preparation process, we have time to meet the man of the hour.

The air is prickling with possibility as the team assembles at the location. In a quaint little boutique in the middle of town, the makeup artist comes, then the accessories stylist. More people trickle in as we anticipate Joram’s arrival. We clear tabletops and clothing racks in preparation, and when the 3pm call time arrives, Joram arrives with it – on time almost to the dot.

As he struts in, suitcase in tow, the total atmosphere shifts with him. Heads turn, slow moving pace picks up and voices pitch up higher in frenzied greeting. He encapsulates a room and makes it his own. As he says hi to everyone, sharing light anecdotes and air kisses, it’s like an injection of energy is dissipated in the air.

Within no time clothes are flying out of the suitcase into the air and opinions fly with them; choosing what we’ll work with on this photoshoot. We are borrowing from his custom, curated fashion week closet, made in collaboration with Kaijuka Abbass of Kai’s Divo Collections. His decision to only wear Ugandan designers on the streets of Paris and New York was intentional, “Everyone knows I’m always behind the scenes,” Joram explained, “but this time around, Abbass was like, ‘ Joram, we are going to take a dare. We must sell Ugandan fashion as a very competitive emblem on an international scale.’ So he came up with all this amazing collection – and to be honest, I was shining because of him.”

When we are done sorting out his wardrobe, he sits in a chair and has a light facebeat done, courtesy of Fezabu Beauty Palour. With his trusty hand held fan, he was a vision of serenity as chaos surrounded him. Phones are ringing, behind the scenes videos are being shot, someone in the back is steaming the long flowy clothes – anyone who walks into the space is immediately caught in the whirlwind of activity. It seems like every ten minutes someone is calling Joram, trying to get his attention. I wondered about the number of people who see his models strutting on international runways and want to be part of the ‘chosen ones’. It’s a wonder how he deals with so many people trying to shoot their shot. “Every time I see the girls and boys that show up for castings and even the ones who just constantly text or send DM’s, I put myself in their shoes. I remember that one day I was that person,” he tells me. His ten year journey to the top of the fashion industry is one paved with rejection and redirection. He started out wanting to be a model, but at the time, the look most agencies were going for was a far cry from his own. He tried to pivot and audition for Big Brother Africa, but even that was met with resistance. This didn’t stop him from trying to make a difference anyway he knew how, and along the way he found his niche nurturing and managing models. This doesn’t stop him from having to reject others though. “I’m always quick to say no, because to be realistic, I hate to lie, or give them false hope. If you don’t have it, I’m very quick to tell you that ‘sorry you’re not exactly what we’re looking for.’ But alongside that, I always tell them not to give up. I tell them my story so that they understand that dreams are valid but you also have to put in the work.”

When he mentions it, my ears perk up. After all this time, it must be a fine tuned instinct to know which models can make a bang, and which ones will be passed on. So Joram gives some insight on how he decides who is joining his team. “It’s like the saying that goes, ‘it was love at first sight.’ You know how you see someone and even start to get certain emotions? That’s what it feels like. When you see the right girl or the right boy there’s just something about them that you cannot explain. There’s that X Factor they have where they just walk into the room and you know that they are the person. Others may come in, and they look good but they don’t have that thing. There could be 1,000 girls in a room and I’ll find that one, easily.” His track record boasts of discoveries like Akello Patricia, Angair and Achan Biong, Lamich Kirabo, Akello Joy Winnie, Adit Priscilla and so many more recognizable faces.

“This has been my year, I have to admit,” Joram comments, and indeed it has. From taking multiple models into the international modelling circuit, attending fashion week – no, fashion month, as well as producing what is arguably Africa’s biggest fashion award show, it’s a wonder how he gets a moment to breathe. Not to mention the number of modelling masterclasses he hosted, scouting exercises as well as hosting his Star Maker show. “I strongly believe that dreams are valid now. Before, it was more or less like, ’Oh my God, I pray this happens for me; I pray one day fashion changes for the better,’ but I feel like this particular year has been a big manifestation of those dreams. When you put in the work, the consistency, and passion, it pays off. I imagine 10 years ago, I was a little boy dreaming that one day fashion is going to change in this country. I’m super happy that 10 years later, people respect the industry.”

The photographer arrives and we set up the first shots. This is the first time we are outside the shop, in the courtyard of Jumbo Plaza, and business halts. The lights, cameras and our endless entourage of supporting team signal to them that there’s a big deal present, and everyone stops to watch. Joram however, seems completely unfazed by the attention, carrying on without missing a beat. Where some might be shy at the call for flamboyance, he grabs the flowy ensemble and flings the extra fabric around, determined to get the best shot. Within twenty minutes we have exhausted the first look, and are ready for the rest. I’m stuck on fashion week, as this shoot’s theme was around paparazzi, the sought-after celebrity energy. So we dive into those moments from across the globe. “I remember the first season when I went to Paris, I was very overwhelmed being at Miu Miu, Balmain, meeting all these people that you only see on Instagram and magazines, people you adore. But then, going back during the September season, it was different,” he explains. “My highlight was being at the Balmain show again. It was like a concert, but inside the studio. Everything was crazy, so professional. Being backstage, and bumping into Anna Wintour – that was a highlight for me. And then being at Off-White, and meeting Naomi Campbell, getting to meet all these amazing editors, that was so big for me.”

Naomi Campbell? I immediately take a detour and ask about the absolute queen of modelling, especially since she is one of the few influential voices that doesn’t discount what Africa has to offer on the fashion stage, actively calling for more opportunities to work within the continent. “I remember when we were backstage at Off-White,” Joram recalls, “she comes in and there are very many dancers, and she was greeting everybody, she was hugging everyone. Too bad for me the person who was recording my content was all over the place and missed to capture that moment when we met. But at the end of the day, it was me meeting someone that I adore so much. She’s very warm and kind. She’s not what we think she would be, the diva that she has been drawn out to be in the media.”

Joram’s fashion week trip wasn’t just about being in those spaces and meeting people, he had his eye out to learn as well. “It was about getting to see and learning from the best. Seeing that I can be in the same spaces with these huge creatives and be on the same table with them and learn something that I can bring back here in Africa to change as many lives as possible. We don’t just go there to slay and have fun. The things we see, we bring back to implement in the industry here. My highlight has been learning as much as possible, that’s why I’m more confident, bolder and more learnt to take up space. To be “the table” myself, to walk into a room and know that I deserve to be there.” Seeing as he is the go – to for producing organized shows, then that explains a lot about his work ethic and no-nonsense insistence on quality. “I’ve learned that you have to be great, and you cannot be apologetic about it. Have your standards, and even when people think that you’re impossible to work with, provided you know exactly what you want, and where you are going, stick to it and the right people will come along for you.”

As we go on to shoot more looks from the parking lot, he reminisces on some of the bigger lessons he has taken from the year. “I would say the biggest lesson that I’ve learned over these 10 years is that you are as great as your last job. Businesses do come and last but close at the end of the day, simply because they start with a bang and then they believe that they have arrived. But then they forget that every now and then there’s always new kids that are coming on with amazing and different ideas,” he states. “I’ve also learned to be consistent; to be great at everything I do. That’s why if I’m to produce this fashion show, I have to make sure that the next one is better than the last. You have to put your best self forward, no one is going to be there to push you.” It’s no wonder JMM has lasted this long, since every year there’s something to look forward to. If he got comfortable in the space of success he is in, eventually there would be nothing new to look out for. It seems from this side of the fence that he has achieved everything.

From having models on Vogue covers, watching his girls walk down runways of designers like Valentino and Miu Miu or even big campaigns with brands like Gucci. I wonder if there is anything that fuels him to keep aiming higher. “When I started, I used to tell myself, if I get 10 International models I’m done. I would have changed enough lives. But after 10, I was like we need to change more lives. 10 became 20 and we still wanted to change more lives. We do this to cause an impact in the lives of these kids. At the end of the day when their lives change, the lives of their families and generations change as well. It’s a cycle where you find this girl is paying tuition for this other person in their family and their family has changed because of that one person, so it is us giving our hearts out to the world to change as many lives as possible. So irrespective of all the Vogue covers, the big shows and campaigns, it comes back to – what is the Legacy that you’re leaving behind? To be honest, with everything that happens I simply thank God.”

Joram set up a meeting at a cafe nearby and as the phone continues to ring unrelenting, one more major learning moment comes up: people. He emphasizes how you cannot walk this journey alone, “At the end of the day, I’ve also mastered the art of collaboration. This is one thing that has pushed me and my brand to the fullest. For us to understand that you cannot do this alone, you have to work with different people all together. It’s very important to have friends, but it’s also important to have friends that are your social capital. Not everybody has to be in the circle. That’s why I’m grateful to the Game Changers, who want to change the narrative.” The Game Changers is the name of a group of fashion industry leaders, who seem to meet up regularly for mastermind sessions of sorts, or just dinner, who knows really. But the group consists of Satisfashion Ug’s Hassan Sentongo, Gloria Haguma from Plugged in Communications and Daily Monitor, designer Kaijuka Abbass, hair guru Sina from Natna Hair, Susan Geurts from A Woman’ Worth, Carol Flower of Fezabu Beauty Palour as well as Miss Grand International Oliver Nakakande. With such a group we cannot be shocked at the waves that the industry is making of late.

When the photoshoot is all done and the sun disappears behind the tall structures in the Centre Business District of Kampala, Joram prepares to leave. He speaks with Robert from Green Amba, the designer of the neck pieces, picking out what he wants to wear for the upcoming concert he was planning to attend. He also buys a couple of the rings we used on set; solidifying for me that his consumption of Ugandan fashion is organic, and his support is palpable. With the kind of influence he has, I’m sure sooner than later fast fashion will be abandoned for our own authentic look.