Right next door to us in beautiful Rwanda is the House of Tayo, a meanswear brand that seeks to showcase Africa in its best form one bow tie at a time. Founded in 2011, the brand showcases African sophistication, style and flavour through contemporary locally made clothing and accessories. House of Tayo seeks to embrace and combine elegance and class with strong ties to the continent.
“The House of Tayo are innovators propelled by tradition, historians that publish on cloth and designers who combine African heritage with more contemporary designs and concepts.”
The name “Tayo” stems from the Swahili and Kinyarawanda version of Matthew, which is Matayo. The Founder, Matthew Rugamba was given the nickname “Tayo” being the 3rd Matthew in the Rugamba family. The nickname was given to him to help him stand out and that is exactly the essence of what the House of Tayo seeks to ultimately do.
The designer’s favorite quote:
Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” – Cecil Beaton
House of Tayo is authentically and distinctively Rwandan-born brand. They describe the brand as “innovators propelled by tradition, historians that publish on cloth and designers who combine African heritage with more contemporary designs and concepts.” Utilizing African textiles and fabrics, House of Tayo produces everything in Rwanda working with local artisans and tailors thereby supporting the local community and creating employment.
Here are the reasons we love House of Tayo and why you should too.
Photos subject to copyright ©HouseofTayo
House of Tayo Founder Matthew Tayo Rugamba.
