"Veryl Designs is not just me, it's the people I work with. It's the models, and it's the creatives we shoot with. It's a whole ecosystem. It's my culture. It's Africa."
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00:00 I love to sew, I like to create things that are out of the funk.
00:04 I like to stand out.
00:06 I didn't go to fashion school, but growing up I used to like to express myself.
00:12 Sometimes business is hard.
00:14 Really I've been making it up as I go.
00:16 I'm authentically myself.
00:18 I create for me and somehow the world loves it.
00:22 My main goal was I want to manufacture in Uganda.
00:25 I've always been proud to be Ugandan.
00:27 I want to show our culture.
00:30 My name is Rachel Boshave.
00:31 I am the founder and creative director of Virool Designs.
00:36 Virool Designs is an African fashion print line.
00:50 When I started Virool Designs, the goal I had in mind is I'm going to showcase my culture.
00:56 I'm going to showcase modernized prints because I always hated generic fashion.
01:00 We are a slow fashion luxury brand.
01:07 We don't mass produce.
01:08 Our main aim is to always think of the environment.
01:13 We never throw away cutouts.
01:16 Nothing is wasted in our production line
01:19 because whatever we're using comes from the environment.
01:22 I used to be an accountant.
01:24 I was working and all of a sudden I felt sick.
01:28 My doctor told me, "You will never be able to do a normal job."
01:32 Endometriosis and fibromyalgia, what I suffer from is called invisible disabilities.
01:37 I'm constantly in pain.
01:38 Sadly, there is no cure.
01:40 I went through a period of depression as well.
01:43 What I channeled that into was let me create.
01:48 I started to sew.
01:49 I was just sewing for myself.
01:51 Friends are like, "You sew really good pieces."
01:54 My friends start wearing my stuff.
01:56 People are asking, "Please produce more."
01:58 My sister's like, "Set up a website."
02:00 Day one of launching, we got 20 orders.
02:03 In the first month, 10,000 people went onto my website.
02:10 At one point, we had 5,000 orders.
02:13 That was the turning point.
02:15 That's when we expanded.
02:22 People always ask me, "What is bespoke?
02:25 What is ready-to-wear?"
02:26 For new, upcoming designers, what you start with is a ready-to-wear collection.
02:31 That's available to immediately purchase.
02:34 It's standardised sizing.
02:36 Bespoke range is what you say made to measure.
02:43 When it comes to bespoke, I make sure I choose a very obscure print that you won't find.
02:48 I always say, "I want quality."
02:51 I want you to wear it and know that you are going to look beautiful.
02:55 You're going to stand out.
02:57 I can't count the number of comments I see.
03:00 "That's made in Uganda?"
03:02 Yes, it is made in Uganda.
03:04 And it is quality.
03:05 Some of the things that I've been able to achieve have been because
03:13 the relationships I've had with all designers is not just me.
03:16 It's the people I work with.
03:18 It's the models.
03:19 It's the creatives that we shoot with.
03:21 It's a whole ecosystem.
03:22 It's my culture.
03:24 It's Africa.
03:25 It's very important to build trust with your team.
03:31 My tailors know what I like.
03:33 They know the quality.
03:35 They know how fast we need to do it.
03:36 I'm her seamstress.
03:42 I make her dresses.
03:43 She selects the fabric herself.
03:46 She comes up with the design and I make the outfit.
03:49 Being part of Veryl Design gives me exposure
03:52 and I get to do what I love most.
03:54 And the designs have turned out beautifully.
03:58 As a model, I have to wear a lot of clothes.
04:00 When I first saw Veryl Designs,
04:02 I realised I particularly liked it because it was playful.
04:05 It was done in an interesting way
04:08 that's different to what you currently see out there.
04:11 And that really spoke to me.
04:14 The fact that the items are customised to your body
04:17 just made all the more difference.
04:19 It's something that fitted perfectly
04:21 because it was made for me.
04:22 You need to keep getting better
04:31 and that only works when you have a solid team.
04:34 When you're open to criticism,
04:37 there's beauty in knowing that you don't know it all.
04:39 My social media is my life.
04:41 I know it all.
04:43 My social media is where you have the behind the scenes.
04:46 It's very important to me to also show people the journey.
04:50 And I think that's what's improved or grown our brand.
04:54 There's so much that goes into creating a brand.
04:57 If you're going to start a business, do it properly.
05:00 You need to be passionate about building a business.
05:06 Otherwise, you can't handle the long nights.
05:11 Be open-minded.
05:12 Build that team.
05:13 Pride yourself in your work
05:15 and be willing to take criticism.
05:18 Find out what you're good at and create.
05:21 Now that I've made it, I need to bring my people.
05:28 I'm not the only fashion designer.
05:30 There's so many good designers in Uganda.
05:33 The goal is one day to have my own production line
05:36 where we do our own prints.
05:38 I want to employ Ugandans.
05:40 I want to work with Ugandan creators.
05:42 I want to show that you can create quality
05:45 from Africa, from Uganda.
05:47 I know it's a big dream, but we're going to get there.
05:51 [Music]
05:54 [Music]
05:57 [Music]
05:59 (gentle music)
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