This is Part 2 of Rebecca’s journey. If you missed the beginning of her story, you can read Part 1 here.

The Bible says in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and those who are called according to His purpose.

In surrendering what she thought was her way, Rebecca found her strength and comfort in the Campus Remnants Community. She committed her heart to serving as a campus usher, choosing to find purpose in the house of God even when her own dreams felt completely quiet. It was a season of waiting, but it was a peaceful kind of waiting.

Then came a day in her second year that changed everything. Out of nowhere, a message dropped on her phone.

Rebecca had been invited to showcase a collection at the Fashion Revolution Expo.

On the one hand, this was deeply exciting; the passion she had tried so hard to bury had somehow found its way back to her. But on the other hand, it brought a wave of anxiety. She had long given up on the dream. Believing she was done with fashion for good, she had literally given away every single piece of clothing she had ever designed. She was facing this new beginning with zero fashion inventory to her name.

Moving past the anxiety, she brought her sister Tendo Maria on board, rolled up her sleeves, and started creating from scratch.

This would mark the second fashion show of Rebecca’s life.

Held at the Ntinda Complex, a nineteen-year-old Rebecca stepped out alongside twelve models wearing designs that were simple, sharp, and deeply creative. The feedback she got was amazing. A prominent media personality in attendance stepped up to her, noting that her designs possessed a unique, fresh identity.

She was the youngest designer in the room. Standing among seasoned professionals who had been in the industry for years, Rebecca’s doubts that she had carried about her age and experience began to quiet down.

The fashion light had been turned back on, and ironically, it had found her right inside the university environment. At times, God’s plans escape our understanding. Rebecca thought she had to keep away from the university to pursue fashion, and yet it was while at university that she got connected to a fashion platform so massive—an opportunity she likely could never have accessed on her own at that time—and was propelled straight onto a big stage.

In 2020, the global pandemic hit, and university classes transitioned online.

With the abundance of time during the lockdown, Rebecca focused entirely on her designs. The hope that had been revived at Ntinda Complex was now a steady focus.

The moment the lockdown restrictions were eased, she reconnected with Peter. Older and more experienced at their craft, they came together to organize what would be their first collaborative fashion show—and the third fashion show of Rebecca’s life—set in a beautiful garden location.

Unfortunately, the turnout was a heavy blow. In the end, it was essentially just the models walking the runway and a handful of family members watching from the grass. It hurt, but Rebecca took the hit and kept moving.

Soon after, her time at university came to an end. The heavy lectures and campus schedules were finally behind her, and she could now turn her full attention to the dream she had always held close: fashion.

In 2022, a question kept wandering through her mind: How do ordinary people become Queens of the runway?

From her childhood days, she had always been quietly captivated by the grace, the walk, and the mere presence of pageantry. Now that she was free to choose her own path, that old curiosity resurfaced.

She decided to find the answer firsthand by auditioning for Miss Tourism Buddu 2022. She gave it her all and by the time the pageant concluded, the girl who had come from almost nothing walked away with the title. She had won her very first crown.

Rebecca, crowned as Miss Tourism Buddu 2022.

Fueled by this victory, she entered the Miss Tourism Buganda pageant. This time, she designed and made all of her outfits. It wasn’t a simple task, but she did it. In that moment, her creativity touched the highest runway of her life.

But pageantry can be a difficult world. When the final results were read out, she didn’t win the main crown. She walked away with the titles of Best Cultural Wear and Personality Queen—nods to her design skill and character—but the loss felt very heavy.

The old doubts rushed back. Why didn’t I win? Is it because of my height? In her disappointment, she felt deeply angry with God.

Needing to escape the weight of it all, she traveled to Kenya for three months just to breathe. Away from the familiar pressure and the noise of her own expectations, she allowed herself to simply exist in a new space.

Slowly, day by day, the fog cleared. She found her footing again, packed her bags, and traveled back home to Uganda.

It was now 2023. Rebecca took a corporate job at Car Plus Uganda, aiming for a stable, quiet life. She found a small apartment to rent and decided to put the fashion dream on pause. But purpose is a stubborn thing—you can try to bury it under daily routines and a monthly paycheck, but it always finds a way to breathe.

During a fellowship service earlier that year, Prophet Elvis Mbonye had stepped forward and delivered a specific prophetic word to her:

“There are people who had moved out of your life that are coming back, and they are going to give you big business. You are going to be a person of influence and great visibility.”

Exactly one month after starting her corporate job, her phone rang.

The phone rang, and looking down, she saw a familiar name. It was Senga—the warm caretaker who had guided and looked after the girls during the Miss Tourism Buganda pageant. In Luganda culture, a Senga is an auntie and a counselor, and that is exactly who she had been to Rebecca during those intense pageant days. More than anyone else, Senga had stood close enough to see the creativity behind Rebecca’s self-made designs, and she had never forgotten what the young designer was capable of.

A contestant needed creative wear made for a pageant, and Senga told her that Rebecca was the only one who could pull it off. It was a moment of divine destiny. It proved that you can never be forgotten by the people placed in your path who are meant to connect you to your destiny.

But the real marvel to behold was this: the very pageant platform that had ultimately broken her heart and sent her fleeing to Kenya was the exact avenue God used to introduce her to her first major fashion client. Indeed: all things indeed work together for the good of those who love the Lord.

In May 2023, Rebecca took on the client. The brief called for high-concept creative wear to show environmental conservation, and Rebecca went to work using raw elements of nature—leaves and fresh flowers—to construct the piece. The fulfillment she felt while stitching it together was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She was home.

In faith, she left her corporate job after only a few months and decided to focus entirely on fashion. This was both beautiful and frightening. Beautiful because her soul knew this was her destiny; frightening because, since that first client, no one else had knocked on her door. There was no financial safety net. But she believed that it was the right path for her.

It would be three months of silence before the next client came through. But when the breakthrough arrived, it arrived FULLY. A contestant from Miss Tourism Teso commissioned her for creative wear. That client went on to win the National Best Creative Wear title.

It was a great moment of validation for Rebecca.

One of Rebecca’s masterpieces in Cultural Wear.

From that point on, the momentum didn’t stop. The clients arrived steadily, with contestants from Miss Tourism Kigezi, Miss Tourism Eastern, and the main Miss Tourism Uganda pageant all seeking her designs.

Yet, the crowning glory of this entire season happened at home. Her mother, who had once stood as the biggest wall against her fashion dreams, was now her biggest cheerleader, beaming with pride at her daughter’s persistence.

“Rebecca, famire yaffe ogiyimusiza! Webaale mwana wange!” (Rebecca, you have lifted up our family name, thank you my daughter!)

2024 would see her biggest career move yet in the fashion industry. She traveled with a client to Malaysia for the Little Miss Global pageant, taking her designs far beyond Uganda’s borders. For this competition, the dress she designed won a title of ‘Best National Costume.’ It marked her very first international award—a moment that seemed like a dream.

At this moment, Rebecca Hill-One Fashion was officially born.

To date, Rebecca has dressed dozens upon dozens of beauty queens, anchoring her name as a cornerstone of the pageant world. Her relationship with the stage has also come full circle; she was crowned Miss Gorgeous International Uganda 2024—a triumphant moment captured in the featured image of this post.

Her designs have won awards both nationally and internationally, taking her to nations like Vietnam, Dubai, Kenya, and Egypt. The little girl who used to watch models from a TV has sat on panels alongside industry experts who have been in the field for decades to talk about the future of fashion.

And she isn’t keeping the craft to herself. She has launched the Kids Sewing Club, an initiative dedicated to training the next generation of Ugandan children in the art and business of fashion design. Located in Kisugu along Namuwongo Road, the club operates under a profound vision: to inspire a generation of children to discover their God-given potential through the art of sewing, growing them into resilient, creative, and principled leaders.

When Rebecca looks ahead fifty years into the future, she doesn’t just see a workshop; she sees a massive garment factory shipping proudly labeled Ugandan designs to every corner of the globe. She envisions the Rebecca Hill-One Fashion Museum, where the rich history of her creative evolution will be preserved, and she pictures branches of the Kids Sewing Club spanning across nations.

To think that all of this started in a small salon—with a little girl, a pencil, and a sketchbook in an upbringing that was far from easy—leaves only one way to close her story.

This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

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A Note for the Reader: Rebecca Mirembe Kisakye has been nominated for the title of Business Mogul Queen—an honor celebrating former beauty queens who have successfully transitioned into the world of business. The grand finale takes place soon, and voting closes on the 25th of July. We kindly invite you to be a part of her story and cast your vote today!

[👉 CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR REBECCA MIREMBE KISAKYE]