Meet Grace Kabuya

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Grace Kabuya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Grace below.

Grace, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

As I age, I’m starting to believe more and more in past lives. I read this concept in Buddhist teachings that explains our births as a single link in a chain of suffering, and that we experience and endure numerous births that reach so far back in time to a near-unreachable place. I believe this especially in terms of my creativity, it’s always been a part of me. Although fashion is my main passion now, my childhood interests and hobbies have alluded to my current passion, in a way that shows me this path was unavoidable; just meant to be. I loved Rainbow Loom as a kid, this jewelry loom using rubber bands was THE trend when I was in elementary school. I asked my mom to take me to Michael’s every week to pick up new bands, and would show off my creations amongst my friends on the school bus. I think back on these times fondly, and feel that what I’m doing now is just an extension of that crafty instinct I’ve always had. 10 years later, my creativity still speaks through me just as it did.

I like to think of my mind as a ravine that’s constantly replenishing itself. I pull from so many references in life that all influence me in terms of fashion design. But engaging in other creative avenues like sketching, poetry, or DJing, I can truly feel connected to my mind’s artistic ravine, and they all come together to create a singular vision. I aim to create everyday, in whatever ways I can. There have been times where, I’ve felt like being an artist/creative is all I have, that nothing can give me the same drive and lust for life, so I put pressure on myself to always be working towards something. I don’t fear creative blocks anymore. I know that as long as I’m alive I will be creative.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I fell in love with the world of fashion back in 2022, my junior year of high school. How I remember it is, I watched Alexander McQueen’s 1992 “Highland Rape” runway and then the documentary “McQueen” and decided I wanted to do THAT. In the years following, I would completely absorb myself in fashion history, in an attempt to try to learn everything there was to know. I decided before going to fashion school, I would learn everything on my own (sewing, patternmaking, tailoring) and that I would learn it in sort of a “mock fashion course” way. Now I’m 2 years out of high school, and have spent the time since continuing to cultivate a vision for my brand, Tout Est Grace, and following whatever creative avenues I’ve felt compelled towards.

I’ve designed garments for photoshoots that I, myself, modeled in, and collaborated with photographers to create stunning fashion photography. Tout Est Grace (“All is Grace” in French) is the name I’ve assigned my brand, it encapsulates all of my creative endeavors outside of fashion as well. It came from a gospel Congolese song by the duo Athoms et Nadege, which I used to hear my parents play often as a kid. I felt is was fitting for my work because I’m the center of everything I create. In the words of Doechii, I’m everything!

I’m an Earth sign, Capricorn, so I’m deeply inspired by nature. When I spend time outdoors, I try to put myself in a state of mind that allows nature to speak through me and inspire. With that, I’m also heavily invested in upcycling and creating garments from aged items, or aging them myself, like when I buried muslin fabric for my photoshoot look inspired by PJ Harvey’s song “Plants and Rags.” I’m always itching to explore new processes to affect garments, and these ideas come to me very instinctually. Currently, I’m experimenting with natural dyes to make a tote bag with tree bark sewn into it. My work is special because it excites me, first. Also because I’m not trying to replicate what I’ve seen, in high fashion or otherwise, my vision is laser-sharp and I aim to continue to refine my skill more and more, so that my vision grows to be even more lively; a beast, if you will!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

It’s very obvious, but a quality of mine that’s been most impactful for me, is my ungodly belief in myself and vision. I always remember having this feeling and belief that I was “different” and that I could truly do anything. In my life, I’ve wanted to be a gymnast, movie director, writer, doctor, and musician, and at those times, I genuinely believed I could do all those things. Not only that, I believed I could do it in a way that no one ever had before. My advice to people in the nascent stages of their creative endeavors, is to believe in your vision and have so much belief in it, that you feel you could truly revolutionize the art form. That’s the passion you need to have for it. Trust yourself, follow the first idea you have, be intuitive. Also, have respect for your craft! Understand and be a student of the art form you have the honor of participating in. Because it is an honor. Artists throughout history have been crucified, criticized, exiled, and killed for expressing what they felt. Have respect for what they did, and how that’s led to what you’re doing.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’m definitely in search of different artists to collaborate with a very pointed source of references. So, in a very ‘how Courtney Love started Hole’-way (a flyer stapled to a post with a list of her musical inspirations) here is my elevator pitch to find creatives to join me in developing the world of Tout Est Grace, so I can find my Eric Erlandson:

I’m deeply inspired by nature, femininity, and unconventional beauty. 17th century baroque art and architecture from the Romanticism period heavily inspires my work. My style icons are Kelis, Courtney Love, and Pete Burns. I form ideas by dissecting things to a micro level to pull, what I call “nuggets” from, which I use to develop fully formed concepts. I like to create mind-maps when first starting a project. I love tactility in fashion, and using different methods to create a piece that acts as a memento to a person, place or nature. I believe I will revolutionize Gen-Z fashion, and I’d love a team of people to do it with me.

Reach out on my Instagram @tout3stgrace!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://depop.com/toutestgracee
• Instagram: @tout3stgrace

Image Credits

1. Leigh Bowery-inspired photoshoot (Photographer: Aila Ruth)
2. Nature shoot (Photographer: Eric Kamusau)
3. Heist/abandoned bank shoot (Photographer Aiyen Altan)