For years, Uganda’s creative scene has been driven by individual brilliance. Designers, musicians, photographers and filmmakers have often built remarkable careers on their own.
But for David Mulolo, better known as Speedball, and artist Joshua Waiswa, popularly known as Josh SB, the future belongs to collaboration.
The two creatives are joining forces for this year’s Speedball Summer, an event that will pair high-fashion streetwear with a live orchestral performance, creating an experience they believe reflects the evolution of Uganda’s creative economy.
Rather than another conventional runway show, audiences will witness garments presented against the backdrop of a live orchestra, an idea both men describe as natural rather than experimental.
“We were tired of the same old fashion runways,” says Mulolo. “We wanted something new, so we decided to spice it up with live orchestra music. It’s all art, so why limit it to only one discipline?”
For Josh SB, whose Bar Symphony concerts have become known for blending classical music with contemporary culture, the collaboration came together almost effortlessly.
“After creating a successful Bar Symphony experience, partnering with Speedball just felt right,” he says. “Their creative energy is as unique and edgy as mine. When we discussed the fashion show, the orchestra idea landed perfectly because it felt unique and disruptive.”
Beyond the spectacle, the partnership represents something much larger: a statement about what young Ugandans can accomplish together.
Mulolo says Speedball was founded to fill a gap in Uganda’s creative ecosystem by proving that ambitious young people can collectively raise industry standards through fashion campaigns, events and original content.
“The gap we’ve been trying to fill is showing what young people can achieve together,” he says. “We’re raising the standard through the projects we create.”
That ambition, however, comes with challenges. Mulolo believes the biggest obstacle isn’t necessarily funding but mindset.
“There aren’t enough hungry people who see what’s at stake,” he says. “What keeps me going is the fear of being average. I know too much not to be doing what I’m doing.”
“The biggest hurdle building creative brands is structure and order,” Josh explains. “Like any other business, you need systems. The magic lies in my team because they’re committed and operate within a clear structure.”
Josh argues that experiences are becoming global travel magnets.
“People now travel across continents for festivals, concerts and creative experiences much more often than they do to see wildlife,” he says. “That’s why more economic focus needs to be placed on the events industry and its infrastructure.”
“Collaboration is the only way to scale,” Josh says. “You tap into everyone’s strengths instead of trying to do everything yourself. Rather than giving 20 percent across everything, you leverage 100 percent of different people’s expertise.”
The show has also attracted support from Guinness Smooth under its “Make It Your Own” campaign, a partnership both artists say aligns naturally with their creative philosophy.
For Mulolo, the campaign encourages people to own their ideas and surroundings. Josh believes it creates room for young creatives to express themselves authentically while giving ambitious ideas the support needed to become reality.
At the centre of this year’s collection is a simple but powerful message: Made in Uganda. Ordinarily, the phrase appears quietly on clothing labels as a manufacturing detail.
Speedball wants audiences to see it differently. “This year, ‘Made in Uganda’ is our statement,” Mulolo says.