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4 techlifetoday.ca
Lorna Mutegyeki
is the founder
and owner of
Msichana, a
fashion-based
social enterprise.
46 techlifetoday.ca
Fashion
Conscience
L
How Lorna Mutegyeki
tailored her business plan
to improve the lives of
women in Uganda
orna mutegyeki’s business is rooted in her childhood.
The owner of Msichana – which makes custom dresses, skirts,
jackets and jumpsuits – grew up in Uganda in a middle-class,
comfortable household. But she was well aware of violence
against women in her community and how it left them ostracized
and disadvantaged.
“Since I was little, I’ve had this dream that I wanted a way
for women to not depend on charity, to be independent,” says
Mutegyeki, who moved from the east African country to Canada
13 years ago for university.
After working as a business analyst in the energy sector, she
was struck one day by the possibility that fashion could help make
her dream a reality. She came across a statistic showing that 75 per
cent of the industry is composed of women, making it a natural fit.
What’s more, since it was always her mother’s vocation, it was a
field she knew intimately.
Mutegyeki felt she could operate differently in an industry
often known for exploitation. She envisioned Msichana, named
for the Swahili word for “young woman,” as a business in which
marginalized women could become self-sufficient.
In 2017, Mutegyeki left her job and, with help from NAIT,
began life as a social entrepreneur.
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48 techlifetoday.ca
women up and give Social enterprise isn’t the team’s primary focus but members
felt that working with Msichana would yield important insights into
them more power services industry wants and needs, helping companies to become more
innovative and productive. NAIT staff helped Mutegyeki define her
and raise their target market and value proposition and even hosted and helped stage
a fashion show on campus last December to mark the launch of the
socioeconomic business. More than 100 people attended. In March, the company moved
into an incubator space in St. Albert known as the Collective.
status – that really While some might say her business is too specialized,
NAIT acceleration services consultant Ryan Theriault disagrees.
appeals to me.” “The feeling with entrepreneurs is that if they focus too hard on a
– PENNY SALMON niche their market will be too small,” he says. In fact, it’s usually the
MSICHANA CUSTOMER
opposite. “If you focus on that niche, that’s what creates that vitality
and the uniqueness in what you are offering, and that’s what people
gravitate towards.”
Mutegyeki is finding that her concept resonates with professional,
fashion-forward women.
“Trying to lift women up and give them more power and raise their
socioeconomic status – that really appeals to me,” says repeat customer
Penny Salmon. She also appreciates the company’s fashion sense. “I like
the fact that each piece is different – nobody else is going to have a dress
just like this.”
As she settles into her new space and life as a full-time entrepreneur,
Mutegyeki hopes other women will feel the same way – for her benefit
and that of women in Uganda.
“I am trying to prove that a business can be successful and have a
good impact on people,” she says. “My goal is to have this model work,
and then no business has any excuse for doing otherwise.”
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