Normally expert Sabine Janssens would travel to Rwanda in April of this year to give a training in the basics of lingerie to Joselyne and her team of Rwanda Clothing. But unfortunately her trip to Rwanda, like so many other expert trips, had to be cancelled due to the COVID19 crisis.

But it did not withhold Exchange to look for alternatives together with Sabine and Joselyne. During a zoom-session with Sabine and the Exchange programma manager, Joselyne explained that exactly now was the right timing to start with a lingerie line, for two reasons. Because of the COVID19 lockdown in Rwanda Joselyne was forced to close her shop and only 50% of her employees were allowed to work in the atelier so Joselyne had more time to spend on designing new products. Next to that she noticed middle class Rwandese women were spending more and more on lingerie items in stead of cloths during the lockdown.

But how can you give a technical training from a distance? First of all Sabine shared a list of online tutorials and a booklist that would help Joselyne with the first steps in lingerie making. Sabine was available whenever Joselyne needed some feedback or advice. Secondly both ladies worked on a list of materials needed by Joselyne to be able to produce some first samples. Sabine carefully compiled the materials here in Belgium and then sent it to Joselyne in Rwanda. Many materials are not available in Rwanda, so it enabled Joselyne to get to know the materials before ordering big quantities from abroad.

After several months of designing, trying, producing, correcting with the online support from Sabine, Joselyne proudly presented her first designs to us. Those designs will be finetuned before producing them in bigger amounts to sell. Joselyne hopes to sell her new designs locally in a couple of months. This lingerie line, locally produced and designed by Joselyne, will be the first Rwandan lingerie line. Until know all the lingerie in Rwanda is imported, so it would be great achievement for Rwanda to have a first locally produced lingerie brand. We are so looking forward to Joselynes lingerie line! Congratulations ladies!