Haute Baso

Based in Kigali, Rwanda, and founded in 2014 by designer Linda Mukangoga, Haute Baso is a fashion brand on an ethical mission. Founded by a team of only two Rwandan designers and four female artisans, the brand today has grown immensely, and can count 275 collaborations with local artisans, over fifty percent of them women. In addition to preserving traditional Rwandan craftsmanship, providing job opportunities for local women remains an ongoing pursuit of the brand, and in 2015 they collaborated with Girl Hub Rwanda to construct a professional training program to empower young women (many of whom are the sole breadwinners of their households), enabling them to feed and care for their loved ones and reduce the long-term cycle and effects of poverty. The brand believes in offering fair-wages and providing a safe environment; ultimately turning young inexperienced individuals into highly skilled artisans.

Haute Baso’s design offering includes innovative pieces from jewelry to bags and clothing—all merging an easy minimalism with an artisanal Rwanda-centric sensibility. With its goal of translating a passion for art into a vehicle for positive change, their slow fashion approach and thoughtful design has proven a winning combination, one that exemplifies the brand’s ethos of creative sustainability.