Dakar Fashion Week

My first attachment to Senegal was in 2002 during the FIFA World Cup. Being the first African team to reach the quarter-finals, it was dear to me so I fell in love with the country the same way I fell in love with the players like El Hadji Diouf and Aliou Cisse. A 9-year-old sees things in a very minuscule paradigm so with time, Senegal and the Lions of Teranga withered in my tiny memories just like the Saharan harmattan.

After years, the harmattan migrated to the south and then again to the north. After years, when the likes of the pandemics I studied in history books engulfed the world into a static landmass, I met a Senegalese who became a dear friend. God’s truth this friend of mine gifted me a book titled ‘Masalik al Jinan’ (The Pathways to Paradise) authored by Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba also known as Serigne Touba. The litanies of the shaykh elevate the spirituality of whoever reads his work with sincerity. His words made me fall in love with Senegal for the second time.

Him being not only a spiritual leader but also a Pan-Africanist who fought French colonists, I yearned for this sister nation which birthed spiritual pacifists, footballers, musicians and many more talents.

When I think about Senegal, it feels like a distant home. Like a place I have lived in the past, a place I learned to play Kora. A place my body danced sabre, a place my soul once identified as Fula, Serer, Wolof, Bambara, Soninke or Touba. A golden couplet of poetry in the desert.

I become aware of the stories I read about this beautiful country. Just like the God’s Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembene, I blossom into the tales of Houdia M'baye’s household. Maybe amongst her nine children or her husband. Killed in the strike-related fighting. Or a profound biography of Nafissatou Diallo ‘A Dakar Childhood’.

Senegal is a sacred tale. Bountiful of beautiful places and people praised for their hospitality. A home of numerous religions and beliefs. A place of many saints and Sufi mystics. The place is just full of poetry. A muse.

Amongst the Muse of this magnificent creation of God, is the Dakar fashion week which is happening this week from 7-10 December 2023.

A brief history of the sea capital.

The city’s name comes from Dakhar, a Wolof name for the tamarind tree, and the name of a coastal Lebu village that was located south of what is now the first pier.

Dakar’s harbor is one of the best in western Africa, protected by the limestone cliffs of the cape and by a system of breakwaters.

In 1902, Dakar replaced Saint-Louis as the capital of French West Africa. From 1959 to 1960, Dakar was the capital of the short-lived Mali Federation. In 1960, it became the capital of the independent Republic of Senegal.

This capital which harbors the Atlantic Ocean has a labyrinth of backstreet ateliers where fabric designers cut, sew, and produce garments that carry significant stories. European styles with African fabrics, Boubous, Kaftans, jellabiyas, and whatever creation you think of can be produced in these fashion districts of Dakar.

Fashion is not a mere piece of cloth in Dakar and Senegal at large but is perceived to be more than that. Fashion is identity, Africanism and maybe religion. Fashion is a daily necessity of Senegalese culture and this contributed to the foundation of ‘Dakar Fashion Week’.

This can be seen in different events like Tabaski, at Layene Sufi brotherhood events (Wearing white and gold signifies equality and togetherness), other sufi sects like the sect of Baye Fall, Mouride or the Tijanis, all these sects can be identified by their outfits and accessories.

The Dakar Fashion Week.

The Dakar Fashion Week was founded by Adama Ndiaye, a Senegalese-French designer and owner of the Adama Paris brand. Born in Kinshasa, ex- Zaire. Her parents belonged to the international corps, Adama grew up in numerous international metropolises and faced many cosmopolitan fashions which enabled her to forge her urban style.

After studying economics and a brief stint in banking, Adama devoted herself entirely to her passion and took fashion lessons in Paris.

She launched the Adama Paris brand, and immediately went on to create a fashion platform to promote her brand and that of other designers.

The Dakar fashion week has been in motion for over two decades, there are many other events initiated by ‘Adama like the Afrika Fashion Awards’ also known as (African Fashion Trophies), Black Fashion Week, Prague, Bahia, Paris and also Montreal. These African Fashion showcases in the diaspora have been very instrumental in exporting African talents outside the continent.

The Dakar Fashion Week represents more than just a way of dressing; it also reflects the moods of contemporary young Africans. Openness to other cultures and places, women refuse to submit to a reductive image, often defined by a single brand or single culture.

Dakar Fashion Week has showcased over the years with different themes and numerous designers. For example, last year’s event was conducted in the baobab forest, and the baobab trees were just majestic. Celebrated designers like Sophie Nzinga Sy, the creative director of BAAX studio, were present and her whole collection was inspired by Cuba. She linked Afro-Cuban music with Senegalese music which she beliefs to be inspired by her creation. The color vibrates ‘lots of pinks and very saturated colors with organza and florals.’ Most of her pieces were re-zhuzhed from second-hand clothes and maintained the discipline of eco-sustainability.

Other designers and models who appeared in the fashion week are Oumou Sy (who wore a calabash dress and more calabashes were decorated on her bantu notes hairstyle) the scene was breath-taking, Amy Faye (who wore Al Gueye), Najeebah Samuel (the 22-year-old born with cerebral palsy strode down the catwalk) ‘I want to prove to other disabled kids that you’re not your disability’ - said Najeebah; and Gloria Wavamunno (founder of Kampala fashion week) among others.

The 2023 Dakar fashion week will feature four young designers from Sub-Saharan countries and among them is Uganda’s Godfrey Katende also known as “Blak”, co-founder of IGC Fashion. Blak’s work has been showcased in London Fashion week, Paris, Cairo, and other cities.