House of Tayo

Telling African Stories Through Fashion

On a Monday morning as I enjoyed my café-latte in one of the beautiful coffee houses in Nairobi at their West-minister branch along Kenyatta avenue, my attention was caught by a travel magazine titled “Nomad Africa”. The collection of stories and photographs are breath-taking and my words can’t do them justice. As I flipped the pages I landed on the ‘HOUSE OF TAYO’, an encompassing tale from Rwanda.

The story features an elegantly dressed man posed for a portrait. Dressed in a seaweed green almost pickle with Kitengi designs of porches. Below the portrait of this beautiful- melanin man, these words appear;

“This distinctly Rwandan brand has garnered a dedicated following, owing to its effortless combination of sophistication and unconventionality. For the person who is not afraid to be bold, a  custom House of Tayo design is the perfect addition to your clothing and accessories.”

Later at work, I recall the photo of ‘House of Tayo’ and the phrase ‘not afraid to be bold’ chime in my head, a sweet memory I wouldn’t wish to forget. A scribble on my notepad ‘House of Tayo’, dated the page and included ‘Tonight’. I always scribble like that since I don’t trust my memory. The words will serve their purpose at night when the riverside of my apartment is silent from the lullabies of the frogs.

“Rwandan brand, House of Tayo draws from innate African sophistication and local craftsmanship to create a line of clothing and accessories with contemporary appeal. Here, the brand’s founder and creative director Matthew 'Tayo' Rugamba discusses how telling African stories through his designs helps him create collections with cultural significance.”

Matthew ‘Tayo’ Rugamba started his collection with eclectic bow-ties; colourful and stylish not the usual colonial boring threads on the neck. Then the collections expanded to scarves, ties, shirts and signature suits. His collections are fabricated with African materials.

Rugamba doesn’t shy away from letting the world know ‘House of Tayo’ identifies as a distinctly African brand and by that he means his designs are “made for people who live on the continent.” He highlights the fact that his clothing is constructed to suit African climates and body types.

This confidence, constitutes greatly on his success. The brand is authentic and greatly agreeable. A look at his designs and you will fall in love with his storytelling through fashion.

As the Summer of 2011 was winding down, I ventured into the bustling marketplaces of Kigali, Rwanda with no clear description of what I wanted, but a very clear vision. I had recently completed my second year of college in the United States—yet another year of questions about the food, music, style, culture and the history of my home continent of Africa. Dispelling myths and sharing anecdotes of life growing up in various parts of Africa has been an equally enlightening experience for me and for those I share my stories with. I have learned many things about myself that had never really been apparent to me before.

My appreciation for my culture and history became something that I became particularly keen on sharing through pictures, dance, cuisine and anecdotes, the only area I had not touched on was the clothes. And my world has such a distinct flair and flavour for fashion! Bright colours and rich fabric with poise and elegance to match—definitely something that you do not see every day elsewhere.  One only needs to attend Sunday Mass to get a dose of brilliantly crafted headpieces balanced gracefully atop a woman’s head, or to witness a gentleman waltz through a gravel road as if to test whether a speck of dust has the audacity to rest upon his shoe.

"House Of Tayo aims to showcase this African Sophistication, Style and Flavor through contemporary, locally made clothing and accessories. With style influences ranging from the Motown era to traditional British tailoring we seek to combine elegance and class with a strong sense of African Heritage and iconography.”- Says Rugamba.

At the premiere of Wakanda II on 10.28.2022, Junior Nyong’o the brother to Lupita Nyong’o “Nakia” was dressed by House of Tayo. This was a big stage for the Rwandan fashion house. It is reported that the mailbox of the Fashion house was crowded after the Wakanda premiere. The world fall in love with Junior Nyong’o’s stupendous outfit.

Another one of the  good successful stories of the Rwandan mega house is the “Ijezi” phenomenon. The jersey was designed by Tayo. The Boston Celtic shooting guard ‘Jaylen Brown’ got himself an Ijezi jersey with his name embroidered. Gianni Infantino too couldn’t miss the opportunity of owning one when the fabric was showcased at the 73rd FIFA congress in Kigali which happened to be the first elective FIFA congress to be held in the continent. The “Ijezi” has become a national pride with a ‘Visit Rwanda’ written on it.

The House of Tayo’s classical achievement is attributed to the people, both young and any other generation. The story behind the brand resonates with each one of us. Our cultures, identities, resilience and struggles. These stories are history of the past and the future we’re sculpturing delicately.