Santa Anzo’s Arapapa to headline Pearl of Africa Night at UNAA 2025

When Uganda’s biggest fashion export meets the nation’s most famous crop, the result is more than just style.  It is cultural diplomacy on a global stage. 

This year, ARAPAPA by Santa Anzo, Uganda’s pioneering fashion house, will headline the Pearl of Africa Night at the 37th Annual UNAA Convention and Trade Expo, taking place at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans.

The showcase staged in partnership with Inspire Africa Group (IAG) will run under the theme “Brewed in Uganda, styled for the World,” a bold declaration that positions both coffee and couture as ambassadors of Uganda’s identity. 

The collaboration, sealed through a formal Memorandum of Understanding, underscores a shared mission: scaling Uganda’s coffee revenues through value addition, exports, and coffee tourism, while placing Ugandan fashion on the international map.

At the heart of this partnership will be a limited-edition ARAPAPA capsule collection titled “Coffee as Couture, Where Taste Meets Texture.” The line draws inspiration from Uganda’s coffee culture, bringing to life warm earthy tones, textured fabrics, and layered silhouettes that echo both the richness of coffee beans and the resilience of the communities that grow them. This innovative collection will step onto an international runway watched closely by diaspora leaders, creatives, and investors alike.

Traditionally, Pearl of Africa Night has been celebrated for its music and cultural showcases, but this year, fashion takes the spotlight. The shift reflects a new wave of fashion diplomacy where style becomes a tool of storytelling, soft power, and global connection.

The 2025 showcase coincides with 25 years of ARAPAPA and marks 30 years of Santa Anzo’s influence in the African fashion industry. From humble beginnings to becoming a continental voice for fashion, Santa’s journey has redefined Uganda’s place in global style.

“Headlining Pearl of Africa Night is both an honour and a responsibility,” said Santa Anzo, ARAPAPA’s Founder and Creative Director. “For me, it is the culmination of three decades of resilience, creativity, and belief in the power of African fashion. Fashion is more than clothes. It is a language of identity and diplomacy. When we take the runway in New Orleans, we are telling the world: Uganda is ready, powerful, and beautiful.”

With thousands of Ugandans in the diaspora expected to attend the convention from across the United States, Canada, and beyond, the showcase is more than a fashion show. It’s a cultural statement, an invitation to see Uganda’s talent, enterprise, and creativity through a new lens.

Looking beyond the runway, ARAPAPA and IAG will roll out a broader campaign linking coffee, fashion, and tourism from diaspora showcases to curated travel and trade experiences that channel visitor traffic back to Uganda. 

Fashion as an economic engine and a cultural bridge. For Uganda, it’s a chance to tell its story in bold, stylish strokes, one cup of coffee and one couture dress at a time,” said Santa Anzo