José Hendo
An ancient craft performed by the Baganda people of the Buganda Kingdom in South Uganda Bark cloth is a unique material, made from beaten tree bark in a centuries old technique, and is considered to be the oldest manmade fabric resulting in it being declared a World Heritage Material in 2005. Bark cloth is the fabric of choice for Ugandan fashion designer José Hendo whose award-winning collection entitled Resonance was made entirely of the material. In a deep hued colour palette, the Resonance collection is quite futuristic, and features strong sculpted forms rather like Japanese origami, apt given the material used, and Jose has drawn inspiration from Japanese cutting and tailoring techniques.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is José's mantra, inspired by a return to University which saw her learn about about the life-cycle of a garment, from growing the crop to landfill and recycling. Designing with an increased awareness of the impact the fashion industry has on the environment, José aims to challenge fashion's throwaway culture, through her choice of materials, clever cutting and simplified production processes utilised within her London-based studio. Combining design with sustainability, José's collections are based on the use of eco-fabrics like organic bark cloth, cotton, raw and untreated and recycled fabrics and used garments reworked into unique one-off pieces. Customers can also bring their own garments to José to be reworked.

An active member of her community Jose runs free workshops educating attendees on the need for sustainability in fashion; and also hires apprentices and offers work experience within her studio. Each José Hendo sale sees a percentage given back to charity.