Couture, made one client at a time
La Olga Couture is a bespoke fashion house in Kigali, Rwanda. Every piece begins with a conversation and ends with a garment made for you alone.
It began with umushanana, and a girl everyone could count on
It started when she was fourteen, in Ordinary Level at school in Rwanda. Olga liked helping the women of her neighbourhood tighten and set their umushanana before a wedding, and she had a way with the drape that people noticed. Before long, everyone where she grew up knew that when it came to umushanana, they could count on her.
When she reached Advanced Level she chose TVET courses in tailoring, deliberately, so she could master the craft properly rather than rely on instinct. She later added specialised classes on top of that training, and has now spent more than four years designing and making garments, from pieces rooted in Rwandan tradition to contemporary African design.
Olga
Founder and Creative Director
A hundred women, and a country’s wealth
The ambition reaches past the atelier. Olga is working towards a factory of her own, one that could employ more than a hundred women and girls, so that they can be a source of their country's wealth rather than waiting at home for a man to provide. Every commission is a step towards that.
How the work is done
Nothing here is mass produced. Fabric is sourced for each commission, patterns are cut by hand, and every garment passes a final inspection before it is released. Most pieces are finished within two weeks, and involve two or three fittings in Kigali.
How a La Olga piece is made
Four commitments that apply to every commission, from a graduation suit to a cathedral-train gown.
- 01
Measured, never guessed
Every garment is cut to one person's measurements. Nothing is graded from a size chart.
- 02
Cut by hand
Patterns are drafted and cut in the atelier, one commission at a time.
- 03
Finished properly
Hand-rolled hems, bound seams and linings that last as long as the outside.
- 04
Checked before release
No piece leaves without a final inspection and a fitting you are happy with.
Every commission begins with a conversation
Book a consultation at the atelier in Kigali, or online if you are away.