José Hendo is a London-based eco-sustainable designer of Ugandan heritage. She creates unique, often avant-garde, garments and accessories for both women and men. She takes a fresh approach to fashion design, challenging the modern, fast fashion throw-away culture. Known for her material choices and clever pattern cutting techniques, her collections are inspired by a mixture of her Ugandan heritage and British influences. She made a conscious decision to work extensively with the centuries-old material barkcloth, it features in all her collections, used innovatively alongside fabrics like organic silk, other eco-textiles and recycled materials. She has won multiple awards for her work.
José’s collections have been showcased at the Kunstgewerbemuseum – Berlin’s Museum of Decorative Arts as part of Connecting Afro Futures. Fashion x Hair x Design. The exhibition was held in 2019 and was curated by Fashion Africa Now’s Beatrace Angut Oola, Cornelia Lund from fluctuating images and Claudia Banz of the Kunstgewerbmuseum.
Jose Hendo sat down for an interview with Fashion now Africa to talk all about her brand and what motivates her
Scroll down to read the excerpt from her interview:
You are based in the UK and work with suppliers in Uganda. How does the discourse around sustainable fashion differ in the two countries and where is there overlap?
The barkcloth I use is from Uganda but I make sure each and every single piece is used to the maximum. Zero-waste. This creates employment for both men and women in Uganda. Uganda like most African countries has become a dumping ground for second-hand clothing destroying the local clothing industry. The majority of Ugandans live a sustainable lifestyle out of necessity, but they do not have this name for it. Things are starting to change though. I address this in my installation – with the inclusion of two upcycled pieces – one with denim jeans and another that transforms a menswear blazer and coat. This shows how the second-hand clothing could be turned into an income-generating business model on a large scale for export.
You mentioned that it’s been a long journey to where you are now, exhibiting your barkcloth creations in Berlin’s Museum of Decorative Arts. How did the industry respond when you started to work with barkcloth? What have been some of the highlights along the way?
Yes, the journey has taken 19 years so far – my brand was launched 2010/2011. The industry did not know what it was! Some thought it was leather, suede or some type of velvet. This is a difficult question, but the responces I heard were positive about the idea of a renewable source of raw material that does not cost the earth. I choose to use barkcloth as it is, for me, the best ambassador for sustainability – when the bark is removed, the tree regenerates another layer of bark and it can be harvested every year for up to 60 years. As an artist, it has allowed to express myself and convey my sustainable message through many various forms and shapes.
One of the highlights of my career, not long after launching the label, was to be invited to exhibit my work abroad for the first time at the Africa Fashion Day Berlin (Fashion Africa Now’s predecessor). It was a huge success, very well received, and brought good attention to my barkcloth work. In factone of the highlights of the evening was the famous German diva, Onita, wearing one of my barkcloth designs to open the evening singing “I’m every woman”.
Going to the place in Masaka, Uganda where barkcloth is made for the first time was a truly great moment for me. Having my work in barkcloth acquired by museums is so humbling, I am grateful for the opportunity to share my work with the world. Receiving awards (5 to date including the Radical Designer Award at the FDC Young Designer Awards) has been another high point along the journey!
Source: FashionAfricaNow
