story
Cedric Mizero was born and raised in a small village called Gishoma in the Western Province of Rwanda. Since he was a teenager he enjoyed experimenting with his clothes and try styles that would catch the eye of the community around him. In 2012 he moved to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where he started to interact with fashion designers and artists that supported him in his initial experimentation with conceptual art and fashion creation. A self-taught artist, Cedric enjoys observing and exchanging with other artists and artisans to learn from their techniques and hard work to stay inspired and motivated with his own development. He chooses to mix disciplines in his work, experimenting with paint, textures, fabrics and still objects, allowing himself to navigate freely through feelings and emotions to bring to his art a voice for love.
Cedric feels a very deep connection with nature, culture and people, and his inspiration emerge from the emotional and sensory experiences with his surroundings and the beauty around the small instants of the day-to-day. His Fashion for All long-term project is part of an artistic commitment to draw people’s attention to the often-invisible humans of the rural and poor areas of Rwanda. Fashion for All puts at the center of Cedric’s fashion collections the women and men of the village, inviting people to reflect about the value of each individual and their right to access and enjoy fashion regardless of their age, size, social or economic status. Under the Fashion for All umbrella project, fashion collections presented in art installation settings include Strong Women (2017) and Beauty in the Heart (2018).
In 2018 Cedric Mizero was selected to participate in the International Fashion Showcase 2019 as one of the 16 finalists out of 200+ applications from young fashion designers around the world. The prestigious International Fashion Showcase is a partnership between the British Council, The British Fashion Council, London College of Fashion and Somerset House and it showcases every year the work of the most exciting emerging fashion designers from around the world. Bringing cutting edge fashion design to London, IFS invites us to explore different cultures and consider current world issues through fashion. At the end of the exhibition, Cedric was awarded with the Special Mention to Curation for his Dreaming My Memory.
EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWS
December 2019 FAVT: Future Africa Visions in Time, Collective exhibition (Kigali, Rwanda)
November 2019 A New Life in the Village, Solo exhibition, 180 Strand (London, UK)
September 2019 Nurturing our Land, Kwita Izina Fashion Show (Kigali, Rwanda)
March 2019 Mumasangano, Collective exhibition (Kigali, Rwanda)
February 2019 Dreaming My Memory, International Fashion Showcase (London, UK)
July 2018 Beauty in the Heart, Collective Fashion Week (Kigali, Rwanda)
December 2017 Strong Women, Solo exhibition (Kigali, Rwanda)
June 2017 Falling Skies, Collective Fashion Week (Kigali, Rwanda)
December 2016 False Bird of Paradise, Collective Fashion Week (Kigali, Rwanda)
June 2016 Transformation, Kigali Fashion Week (Kigali, Rwanda)
June 2015 Love, Kigali Fashion Week (Kigali, Rwanda)
Experiences & AWARDS
February 2019 Special Mention to Curation Award, International Fashion Showcase
June 2018-February 2019 Participant in the International Fashion Showcase program (British Council, British Fashion Council, London College of Fashion and Somerset House)
September 2018 Mentorship Program, New York Fashion Week
October 2017 Nomination for East African Designer of the Year 2017, Kenya Fashion Awards
September 2017 Mentorship Program, New York Fashion Week
movies & costume design
November 2019 Collaborating costume designer for short film Never Look at the Sun by Baloji
Dec 2018 - Jan 2019 Costume designer for film Petit Pays (release end 2019)
Nov-Dec 2018 Costume designer for film Notre Dame du Nil (release end 2019)
February 2017 Costume designer for trailer of the upcoming movie Neptune Frost