Maison Ayaovi by Stéphanie Ash is inspired by West Africa. It offers simple and modern cuts with natural fiber fabrics. The pieces are made in France and Benin in workshops of independent craftsmen. For Stéphanie Ash, Maison Ayaovi is much more than a brand, it is the combination of Franco-Benino-Togolese culture and the realization of her childhood dream.
“I found my way, I feel good in what I do. This allows me to express all my skills. I don’t hesitate now to ask for help, to look deep inside me for what I have because I want to succeed. »
Stéphanie Ash, founder and artistic director of the Ayaovi House
“Ayaovi is my Togolese first name. It is a tradition inherited from the Ashanti kingdom that allows you to name your child according to the day of the week and whether you are a girl or a boy. I am a girl born on a Thursday. »
The designer, Stéphanie Ash was born and grew up in Paris alongside a Togolese dad and a Ghanaian and Beninese mom. As a child, she spent the summer holidays in Togo and Benin. Fashion has always been present, very flirtatious, she likes to dress up and wear makeup. She has also worked for more than ten years, as an independent, in the field of cosmetics.
Confronted with the illness of her father, her desires and her professional choices took another direction. Stéphanie Ash decides to launch her brand: Maison Ayaovi, in January 2019. The brand produces ethical and responsible fashion, with natural fiber fabrics (cotton, silk, linen, cashmere or wool) made in Africa, mainly in Cotonou.
The designer imagines the garment, chooses the fabric but her vision of fashion, she designs it with African fabrics such as Bogolan and Kente, and for this she calls on local and independent designers. ” I do not work with associations, but only with designers or independent artisans. I buy most of the fabrics in Benin and the brand’s objective is to highlight my roots, to offer fashion that draws its essence, its strength from mother earth Africa.
I have always bathed in both cultures. I was born in Paris but I have always kept this link with my roots. The question is – for us Africans when we live in France – that we are no longer “very African”. I want to show them that I haven’t forgotten where I come from. »
Franco-Benino-Togolese, Stéphanie Ash, aspires to authentic, responsible and ethical fashion. She materializes it by selecting fabrics according to her favorites. A decisive choice to define the style. “ The kimono, one of my key pieces, today I know how it is made; I learned by doing and I love it! For my last collection I used Bogolan, it’s a Malian fabric, which I lined with wool to adapt to the European market. I try to offer essential pieces of the male and female wardrobe, revisited with African fabrics that we can wear every day. »
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