Dakar Fashion Week began on Friday in the Senegalese capital and ends this Sunday evening. This 19th edition brought back eighteen designers from all over the continent, organized by its initiator, the Senegalese designer Adama Ndiaye better known under the name of Adama Paris. An edition that was easier to organize than last year, thanks to the easing of health restrictions linked to Covid-19.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Thea Ollivier
It is the excitement in the lobby of a large hotel in downtown Dakar where the parade of young fashion designers will be held today. Before the show begins, the models quietly paraded around a corner to test outfits and make final adjustments.
Georges Malelu, designer from South Africa, is invited to Dakar Fashion Week for the second time. ” Before, I mostly did haute couture, but I had to adapt because the world has taken a turn with the Covid-19. So, here is my first collection which consists of ready-to-wear. And what better way to do it at Dakar Fashion Week which is an amazing platform. “
Like last year, the idea is to highlight “slow fashion”, that is to say sustainable fashion that has a reduced environmental impact, explains Adama Paris, event organizer and Senegalese stylist: ” For example, I tried to make the collection with all the scraps that we had, we are very proud to finally be tailors, we are not factories that put 20 million in stock. We sell to people who wear it and there is less waste. “
For the designer, it is also important to highlight the young Pan-African designers, who bring a refreshing fashion that does not follow the trend books.