Senegal marked the 20th anniversary of Dakar Fashion Week on Saturday with a spectacular exhibition on the historically significant island of Gorée, which was once associated with slavery.
Adama N’Diaye, a French designer of Senegalese origin and owner of the French label Adama Paris, organized the event.
“I’m completely happy, my baby [Dakar Fashion Week] has grown up and today is a very nice party with 20 exceptional designers. So I can only be happy that this baby has grown and that my dream has become ours”, said Adama Ndiaye.
She continued that “African fashion is inspiring a lot. You have seen Chanel in Dakar and this is not insignificant, and other brands have gone elsewhere in Africa. African fashion is creative, it is diversified, it is beautiful and it is daring.“
Twenty designers from countries including Angola, Ghana, Morocco, Mali, Mozambique, and South Africa, to name a few, showed off their works at the exhibition.
Dakar Fashion Week promotes the local fashion sector while inspiring more young people to enter this field of work.
Dakar Fashion Week 2022 comes ahead of the arrival of the French fashion house Chanel in Senegal. The Chanel Métiers d’Art 2023 fashion show will happen on December 6 in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
Photos: John Wessels & Lionel Mandeix
