The runaway to hope: Bienvenu’s journey to building a fashion brand

In a corner of the newly constructed market at Nyabiheke refugee camp in the east part of Rwanda, Bienvenu Nsengimana, a Congolese refugee, runs a store he opened six months ago. The store is filled with all kinds of sneakers and shoes, neatly displayed on shelves.

As the 30-year-old refugee waits for customers, he reads his favorite books using an app installed on his mobile phone. He’s currently reading "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

“I love reading books to gain entrepreneurial inspiration and learn how to grow my business and achieve financial success,” he says, adding that his favorite book of all time is “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki.

Growing up in Nyabiheke camp, where his family found refuge in 2007 after fleeing insecurity in DRC, Bienvenu was attracted to fashion design and developed a passion for entrepreneurship. With the hurdles that come with being a refugee, however, it wasn’t easy for Bienvenu to raise enough capital to pursue his passion.

After suspending his university studies in 2019 due to a lack of financial means to continue, Bienvenu opted to search for work and found a job working for traders selling shoes in Rubavu town and Kigali city. This employment did not only provide an avenue for making savings but also was an opportunity to get familiar with the industry.

Following the completion of the market in Nyabiheke refugee camp, Bienvenu, together with his friend who was later resettled to the USA, decided to start a sneaker store named ‘Stone Shop’ in the camp. He used his savings and a loan from Inkomoko to buy a few pairs of sneakers and started selling them to other refugees. To his surprise, the demand for his sneakers was high, and his store quickly became popular.

In partnership with UNHCR, Inkomoko, a social enterprise, provides business consulting, mentorship, technical assistance and access to capital so that refugee and Rwandan entrepreneurs can launch and grow their businesses.

Using the profit from his sales, Bienvenu started stocking more and more sneakers, including Nike’s Jordan model, which are particularly popular with his customers. He goes to Kigali twice a month to buy sneakers which he sells in his store in the camp. Through the loan, he was able to start the business and get a decent income and profit.

With his profits, he is able to support his family and even start saving for the future.

“I am happy with my progress so far because I can cover all my basic needs and support my family, but there is still a long way to go to make my dreams come true,” he says.

Bienvenu has always dreamed of creating his own brand, and he is determined to make it happen. As he spends his free time reading books on entrepreneurship, he also learns as much as he can about the fashion industry, brand creation and management.

“I used to wear Jordan brands when I was young. As I grew up, I realized how this brand is very lucrative and thought I could emulate him,” he says, adding that he is developing a prototype of his own brand dubbed “RN.”

He hopes to start sketching designs and working on prototypes, using the skills he has learned to create unique and stylish sneakers as well as clothing in the future.

Bienvenu says he is also working with software engineers to develop an application he can use to market his products.

“The world is going digital. I have to think beyond this camp-based store and move to an online-based store to reach my customers wherever they are,” he says.

This dream of building a global business is already starting to happen. Bienvenu explains that he is selling products to former refugee customers who were resettled to the USA and Europe and who still place orders from his store. For instance, one of his customers, now resettled to the USA, ordered six pairs of sneakers, three pairs of pants, two T-shirts, and one cap from Bienvenu, which he happily shipped abroad. And he thinks he could potentially reach many more customers beyond the camp if he had an app-based store.

“My wish is to build a business model not for my own survival, but which will last for years and serve generations in the future” he reveals.