Okori lives and breathes fashion

UPCLOSE. Juliana Okori runs Kori House of Couture and Design (KHCD). Okori is tall, strong, confident and hardworking. Her world revolves around fashion and design. EDGAR R. BATTE talks to her about her childhood.

My earliest childhood memory…
Should be nursery school at Mbuya Nursery. We used to play around and share my break snack with other children. The fun part was we used to sit on coloured bricks that were for the different streams at break.

My first best friend was…
Tracy, a neighbour. We both lived on the same flat but in different sections. She and I shared toys and played together all day.

My first kiss…
Mmhhh, do I have to answer this. Hahaha. I was in O-Level with my first boyfriend. We were in different schools so, I went to visit him during the holiday and he escorted me home.

My childhood hero…
Definitely my mother. Seeing her rise up to the task when my father was briefly out of work changed my view of a woman’s role in a home. Our mother has played a great role in who I am today.

The first book I read…
I don’t remember. This is because I have always been a creative, reading books was never my thing.

My first job…
Right from university, I was self-employed - trying to build KHCD. I loved looking at the finished product and seeing people wearing clothes I had made. So, every morning I woke up with the spirit of you have to get a dress or two done.

My first salary…
I would say Shs150, 000.
One thing you need to understand is that at the beginning, one’s business might not make sense financially because it takes years to break even.

My current job…
I run a fashion house and I am a lecturer of fashion and design at YMCA Comprehensive Institute Kampala for the degree, diploma and certificate students. I also co-own Kwoch Mentorship Initiative (KMl), a non-government organisation (NGO). I founded KMI to provide mentorship and economic empowerment to marginalised young women from urban centres using tailoring and fashion development skills.

What I like about my job…
The ability to create unique well-done clothing. I always say, when the client is happy, we are happy. However, I also love imparting knowledge. Seeing them grow to become present in economic work spaces.

I dislike…
The fact that fashion in Uganda is still looked at as a poor choice career; so automatically some people assume they can belittle you. It is something that re-occurs; client’s feeling that they can walk in and order for an outfit in one day. I wish clients could learn that more time equals perfection.

Most memorable experience…
Having attended the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) in Nairobi, Kenya in 2017. This changed my mind-set. I was under the entrepreneurship section and the programme not only taught me how to run a business but also how to be better.

Biggest regret in life…
Giving my time to people who never deserved it. There are always people around you who root for you to fail but disguise as friends. Be cautious of the people you call friends. When people are not happy to see you succeed or grow. When people constantly try to bring you down, those are not good people.

My first boyfriend...
I am tall, so he was tall and two years older than me. I liked him because he was kind and humble. His name is Tony.

Quotes on design
“I think there is beauty in everything. What ‘normal’ people perceive as ugly, I can usually see something of beauty in it.”—Alexander McQueen

“What’s my style is not your style, and I don’t see how you can define it. It’s something that expresses who you are in your own way.” —Iris Apfel