Jose Hendo (2nd right) with her designs

Designer Josephine Kyomuhendo launched her label Jose Original in February 2011. She has already showcased at the London Fashion Week and won the Radical Designer Award at this year's Young Designers Awards in London. She was head judge at Miss Uganda 2011 and dresses the winner for all her official appearances. She has now got her eyes on the Seattle Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week as she campaigns for eco-friendliness in fashion.

ECO Media News: Many congratulations on your winning at the Young Designers Awards. What exactly did you present?
Jose Hendo: I presented my nature-inspired ‘RESONANCE’ Collection and concept based on my ethos of Sustainable fashion implemented through the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I also talked about my other collections ‘Memories’ that is all about Up-Cycling, ‘Eco-Bride’ Collection that is all about Barkcloth , Up-Cycling and End of Roll and finally the ‘Contact’ Collection that is all about organic cotton and hemp. I also talked about the timeless aspect in all my garments, the battle against the throwaway culture.

ECO Media News: What is it that you won?
Jose Hendo: Sponsorship to showcase my work on an international stage, especially in America and Europe and also support in developing my label.
ECO Media News: You are presenting recycling and eco-friendliness in fashion, what exactly is your message and how are you delivering it?
Jose Hendo: The clothes we wear are a direct expression of our personalities, beliefs and lifestyles. Eco-fashion has moved from the fringe into mainstream fashion, as a result it’s important for eco-clothing companies to produce fashionable garments. I am trying to create awareness about how the choices we make have a knock on effect. How the fashion industry has had an impact on the environment and people especially in developing countries. I try to spread the message in the designs I create and adding a short message on the swing tags of the garments, on my website, in workshops that I run, in schools etc.
ECO Media News: How is the reception of your message? What kind of change would you like to see as a result?
Jose Hendo: I am amazed at how well the message has been received. Most people are ready to embrace the ideas and quickly realise that it’s not such an alien lifestyle. I would like to see a change in attitudes and behaviour towards fashion resulting in fewer and fewer garments ending up in landfills, conventional cotton farming changing to organic farming resulting in better earnings and health for farmers and a reduced impact on the environment in general.
ECO Media News: What is Jose Hendo really about?
Jose Hendo: José Hendo takes a fresh approach to contemporary fashion design, challenging the obsolescence nature of fashion, and the throw-away culture. The label is passionately conscious of the times and is inspired by the world around us. It uses eco-friendly fabrics as much as possible, creating unique garments and one-off pieces, from organic barkcloth, organic cotton, hemp, used garments such as suits, denim, wedding dresses etc. From materials to clever cutting and simplified production processes, we pride ourselves in quality, while aiming to stay relevant. This results in beautifully sculptured gowns that echo Japanese cutting and tailoring. José Hendo promotes the use of organic, untreated raw and recycled materials to support ethical trading, fair working conditions and raising awareness about the environmental issues affected by the fashion industry.
ECO Media News: Who is the person behind it?
Jose Hendo: Josephine Kyomuhendo
ECO Media News:How long has it been around?
Jose Hendo: The label “José Hendo” was launched in February 2011 London Fashion Week.
ECO Media News: How long have you been in fashion?
Jose Hendo: I have been in the fashion industry for several years.
ECO Media News: What services do you provide?
Jose Hendo: We provide the following services; bespoke tailored designs for individuals - pattern to sample and production services for new and established designers, small production runs for designers and boutiques and workshops in pattern cutting and sewing techniques
ECO Media News: Many designers create designs that are practically not wearable on the high street. What are yours like?
Jose Hendo: The designs that are not wearable on high street are perfect for stage especially music shows. Some of my designs are Avante Garde made for the catwalk, but I still have diffusion lines within each collection that are wearable on high-end high street. The catwalk spectacular designs are necessary to showcase the artist’s vision and self-expression and it’s also necessary in order to grab attention to promote the label.
ECO Media News:You have made London Fashion Week already, what’s your next target? Jose Hendo: More LFW for the next few years so as to get better established. Following my award, I am looking forward to showing during Seattle Fashion Week and also New York Fashion Week. ECO Media News: You helped decide Miss Uganda 2011 and also offered to dress her for formal appearances. What is your advice to aspiring and up-coming models and designers who seem to be on the increase in our community?
Jose Hendo: My advice is that they should not sell themselves short, keep pursuing their dreams, network, support and respect one another, work hard and not give up most importantly remember we are nothing without God.