After ten years of leading the hugely successful Dakar Fashion Week, Senegalese designer Adama Ndiay, founder of the Adama Paris line, sensed an opportunity when he saw it.
“Paris is the capital of fashion. It’s very important for designers to show here,” she said.
But recognizing that it was rare for African designers to appear at mainstream Paris fashion week, Ndiaye took matters into his own hands. For the first time ever, Paris welcomed Black Fashion Week.
“It’s a combination of everything. We have over 15 designers from Egypt, Martinique, Senegal and the United States. That’s what I love about fashion,” Ndiay said.
Five years ago, an event nicknamed “Black” would have been ignored in Paris if it had taken place in advance. But now, with the success of Miss Black France, the introduction of a new “urban” television network, and the emergence of dozens of new blogs, black people have become the new superlatives.
“For me, this is normal.”
Afadi, a haute couture designer from Mali, agrees.
“It’s time for black people to come here. Everyone is interested in Africa now. Gasoline, precious minerals and fashion. Africa is coming into its own,” he said.
Hundreds of fashion enthusiasts, supporters and buyers flocked to the sold-out event to see Africa’s reaction to this season’s highlights. Senegal’s Minister of Culture and renowned musician Youssou N’Dour was among the VIPs in attendance.
Many of the collections highlighted the continuing “princess” trend. The corset is made from Dutch wax fabric. Intricate piping and bold print intersect. However, it was clear that most of the designers agreed that metallics will be prevalent this season.
This fashion event focused on more traditional and cherished African assets. Martinique designer Olivier Couturier photoshopped an image of a lightning bolt to print his fabric directly on top of a heart-shaped sheer nylon that delicately exposed the derriere.
Jamaica meets a space in the heart of New York designer Laquan Smith. Smith, 24, marched models down the runway wearing her latest Resort line, which features bold colors and sheer plastic skirts layered with netted tops. The sheer bodysuit, fit for a rudo gal, was nicely fused with neon synthetic fabrics.
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Ndiaye’s latest collection featured almost exclusively carefully constructed black dresses with dramatic gold and burnt orange braided hoops under hair turbans.
“This is an African cloth called bazin. It’s made from cotton. I work with the women in the village to make it shiny and almost leather-like. I’m using earrings. [Fulani] Ndiaye says, “It’s something we usually use for weddings. We wanted to show something that the dress was minimalist and European, but mixed in with African earrings and a turban.” he said.
“I respect Adama. She’s very ambitious,” said Sherif, a model who previously worked at Dakar Fashion Week.
“This is very different from European events. There’s a real warmth and audience participation. I love it.”
