About
Mukasa Najib — The Fabric Murderer
The Story
Mukasa Najib
The Fabric Murderer
"Fashion is not decoration. It is memory, critique, and community stitched into every thread."
Mukasa Najib — born in Uganda in 1991, known to the fashion world as Bobbin Case and The Fabric Murderer — is a Ugandan fashion designer and visual artist. Having shaped his practice across Kampala, Nairobi, and international stages, he is now based in Uganda, where his work continues to grow in ambition and reach.
Founded in 2013, Bobbin Case began as a radical experiment: could fashion made entirely from discarded sisal sacks and recycled materials compete on the world's most prestigious runways? The answer came swiftly — and decisively.
From his debut at Swahili Fashion Week in 2015, through a standing ovation at Accra Fashion Week 2016, to a celebrated collaboration with Dutch photographer Jan Hoek exhibited across Paris, Amsterdam, New York, and Spain, Bobbin Case has consistently proven that Africa's most compelling fashion voice requires not luxury fabrics — only extraordinary vision.
In 2022, Najib extended his creative reach further through Clothed with Protection, a collaboration with British artist Luke Jerram, exhibited at the National Theatre in Uganda and at venues across the United Kingdom. His work continues to evolve — engaging with mental health, community, and the politics of the body — without ever losing its roots in the sisal sacks of Uganda's markets.
Brand Identity
Gunia — The Sack Reimagined
Gunia — derived from the Swahili word for sack — is the heart of Bobbin Case's identity. The gunia sack has long been woven into the fabric of African marketplaces, used for generations to carry foodstuffs, grains, and vegetables. Bobbin Case reclaims it: not as a symbol of utility, but as a symbol of pride, craftsmanship, and creative sovereignty.
African Culture & Memory
Each Gunia fabric carries the story of African marketplaces — the traders, farmers, and communities whose hands shaped the continent's rhythms of exchange. Bobbin Case honours this history not through preservation, but through transformation.
Futurism & Innovation
Gunia does not look backward. Traditional African aesthetics are fused with contemporary silhouettes, experimental construction, and a forward-thinking design sensibility that positions African fashion as a conversation with the future — not a relic of the past.
Sustainable Ethics
Every Gunia piece is built on a commitment to responsible practice — organic, upcycled, and recycled materials, fair trade principles, and the empowerment of local Ugandan artisans whose craftsmanship is the foundation of every collection.
The Philosophy
Sustainability
as artistic identity
Kuua Kitambaa.
Kill the Fabric. Save the Earth.
Sustainability is not a trend for Bobbin Case — it is the foundation of everything. Long before it became fashionable to speak about sustainable fashion, Najib was working with what Uganda's markets discarded.
The sisal sack — ubiquitous in East African markets, used to carry beans, grains, and coffee — is the signature material of Bobbin Case. Raw, textured, and deeply familiar to every Ugandan, it carries within its fibres the stories of farmers, traders, and communities. In Najib's hands, it becomes couture.
Each collection asks the viewer a question: what do we discard, and what do we value? Bobbin Case answers not with words, but with extraordinary garments that demand to be seen.
Materials
- Gunia sisal sacks sourced from Ugandan markets and agricultural suppliers
- Recycled rope and natural fibre cord
- Reclaimed and upcycled fabric scraps
- Salvaged metal hardware — grommets, studs, eyelets
- Hand-applied paint for social commentary artwork on garments
- Repurposed grain and coffee sacks with original print markings
The Work in Detail
Craft & vision
