Dakar Fashion Week
Dakar Fashion Week, also known as Black Fashion Week, was started by Senegalese fashion designer and business woman Adama Paris in 2002 (2). Every year Paris invites luxury fashion designers- mostly women- from all over the continent to showcase contemporary African fashion designs. Paris’ aims are to put African fashion, particularly “Franco-African” fashion, on the map and develop the Senegalese fashion market (5). Nigeria and South Africa currently lead the continent in innovative fashion design; however, Nigerian and South African designs tend to be more westernized than Senegalese designs (4)(5). Paris hopes that in showcasing her work and the work of other designers on the continent, people will begin to see African designs (both traditional and contemporary) as luxury.
History of Fashion in Dakar
The Dakar region has always been a hub for trade between westerners and Africans. Before the French colonization of Senegal in 1659, Senegalese men and women traded their goods for cloth from all over the world. Senegalese women often persuaded Portuguese traders to find cloth and bring them back in exchange for spices, and other resources from Senegal (4). After the French colonization, trading between the Senegalese natives and western traders was inhibited, and the Senegalese were forced to work with the scores of cloth they already collected as well as cloth made in Senegal. Overtime, this Senegalese cloth would become central to Senegalese fashion.
Since the Senegalese were cut off from their supply of cloth, tailors began to put more emphasis on the silhouettes of the designs. Fashion in Dakar would take on French influences at this time, because of the 4 communes system. Under this system, natives from the Goree, Dakar, Rufisque, and Saint-Louis provinces were granted the same rights as French citizens (3). Many natives from these regions traveled to Paris, a major hub of fashion, and implemented French techniques and silhouettes in their clothing designs (4). After French colonization, the Senegalese developed a fashion scene that would grow stronger as the nascent country’s economy strengthened. Now, many called Dakar the “Paris of West Africa,” (2).
While the western fashion world revolves around silhouette trends, Paris and other African designers focus less on silhouette (which maintains a fairly traditional structure), opting to change the colors and embroidery themes with each new season (1). Paris’ 2015 DFW show (above), showcases colorful prints and florals whilst maintaining traditional A-line, bell shape and flare designs. Paris’ designs (below) take influence from traditional Ankara and Boubou designs. Paris’ pink A-line dress (1) mimics the A-line of many Ankara designs whilst using contemporary fabrics. The body suit (2) and bubble dress (3) use traditional boubou print whilst using contemporary silhouettes. The balance Paris finds in her designs reflect the best of African design practices.
This style ankara/boubou dress acts as muse to many of Paris’ pieces
1
2
3
The Future of DFW and Senegalese Fashion
Though DFW 2020 was held in December, it had to be scaled back tremendously because of COVID restrictions (1). The future of Dakar Fashion Week is, at present, up in the air but Paris hopes to hold the event next year as well. As for the future of Senegalese fashion, Paris hopes to more designers will begin using “slow-fashion” practices (2). Instead of mass producing her pieces, Paris’ designs are all produced in Senegal and with limited stock. To learn more about Paris’ designs go to her website: https://adamaparis.com/index.php/fr/
Citations
"ADAMA PARIS SHOW AT BLACK FASHION WEEK 2015." Youtube, uploaded by
AdamaParis, 5 Jan. 2016, youtu.be/AFrc8rQHfkk.
(1) BBC. "Senegal's Dakar Fashion Week: The catwalk in a baobab forest." BBC News,
BBC, 15 Dec. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55300261.
(2) Courreges, Emmanuelle. "Dakar Fashion Week." Vogue Italia, www.vogue.it/en/
vogue-talents/news/2018/07/18/african-fashion-dakar-fashion-week/?refresh_ce=.
Dakar Fashion Week. Boubou Bubble Dress. Facebook, www.facebook.com/
Dakar-Fashion-Week-206761756046680/.
(3) Diouf, Mamadou. "The French Colonial Policy of Assimilation and the Civility of
the Originaires of the Four Communes (Senegal): A Nineteenth Century
Globalization Project." Development and Change, vol. 29, no. 4, 16 Dec.
2002, pp. 671-96, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-7660.00095.
Dörrbecker, Maximilian. Map of the departments of the Dakar region of Senegal.
Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakar_Region#/media/
File:Map_of_the_departments_of_the_Dakar_region_of_Senegal.png.
Hammershlag, Annika. DFW Models Backstage. Dec. 2020. BBC, www.bbc.com/news/
world-africa-55300261.
Ibiene. "Boubou: The Traditional Clothing Of Senegalese Women." Ibiene, 8 Oct.
2018, ibiene.com/fashion/
(4) Kirby, Kelly. Telephone interview. 9 Feb. 2020. Dr. Kirby works at the Moore
College of Art and Design, and has worked closely with Adama Paris for a
few years now. Dr. Kirby provided me with historical context for the
fashion scene in Dakar as well as insights into Paris' muses and art
direction.
(5) McKenzie, Sheena. "Dakar: 'Capital of Franco-African fashion.'" CNN, 22 June
2012, www.cnn.com/2012/06/21/world/africa/dakar-fashion-week/index.html.
Pink Two-piece. 7 Nov. 2019. Onobella, onobello.com/tag/adama-paris/.
SDR Photo for African Fashion International. Bodysuit Piece. LadyBrille
Magazine, ladybrille.com/africa-fashion-week-2011-adama-paris-collection-
pictures/.
Women's Skirt and Blouse. Konga, www.konga.com/product/
womens-skirt-and-blouse-multicolour-3661108.