Adama Amanda Ndiaye is a Senegalese fashion designer. She also goes by the name Adama Paris, which is also the name of the label she owns and operates. Her pieces, which are manufactured in Morocco, can be found internationally, including in New York City, Tokyo, London and Paris. [1] She is credited with starting Black Fashion Week.
Ndiaye was born in Kinshasa, Zaire, [2] then raised in Europe, where her parents were diplomats. [3] She left a banking career in Europe to pursue fashion design in her native country. Africa had a long history of design but struggled for mainstream acceptance, and raising capital for her business was difficult. In order to expand the visibility of African design, Ndiaye created the Dakar Fashion Week exhibition. [4] By 2012, the tenth year of the show, it attracted thirty designers from nine countries in Africa and Asia, with audience members coming from around the world, and had an operating budget of more than CFA 80 million (about US$150,000). [1] [5] She has also organized Black Fashion Week events in Prague, Czech Republic, and Bahia, Brazil. [6] [7]
Her designs are inspired by cities and globalism. In an interview with Vogue Italia, she stated, "Much of my inspiration come from the big cities... My aim was and still is sharing with all modern women one fashion without borders." [4]
Ndaiye has noted that among many African nations, religious objections have made designers unable to practice their profession. She credits the generally tolerant culture of Senegal for providing a supportive environment. [7] She has also spoken out, with other African designers, for increased funding and access to credit from governments in order to foster innovation and job creation in the fashion industry. [8]
The Lebu are an ethnic group of Senegal, West Africa, living on the peninsula of Cap-Vert. The Lebu are primarily a fishing community, but they have a substantial business in construction supplies and real estate. They speak Lebu Wolof, which is closely related to Wolof proper but is not intelligible with it. Their political and spiritual capital is at Layene, situated in the Yoff neighborhood of northern Dakar. They have a religious sect and theocracy, the Layene, headquartered there.
Sonia Rykiel was a French fashion designer and writer. She created the Poor Boy Sweater, which was featured on the cover of French Elle magazine. Her knitwear designs and new fashion techniques led her to be dubbed the "Queen of Knits". The Sonia Rykiel label was founded in 1968, upon the opening of her first store, making clothing, accessories, and fragrances. Rykiel was also a writer, and her first book was published in 1979. In 2012, Rykiel revealed that she was suffering from Parkinson's disease. She died from complications of the disease on 25 August 2016.
Iba Der Thiam, also known as I. D. Thiam, was a Senegalese writer, historian, and politician. He served in the government of Senegal as Minister of Education from 1983 to 1988; later, he was First Vice-President of the National Assembly of Senegal from 2001 to 2012.
Mdvanii was originally conceived as a conceptual art and fashion doll for adults by artist BillyBoy*. Since 1990 it has been a collaboration with his life partner, artist Jean Pierre Lestrade. The 25 cm (9.8 in) tall doll was originally made in a matte Caron make-up toned hard resin. Mdvanii debuted on February 14, 1989 in London, England.
Diane Pernet is a Paris-based American-born international fashion blogger and critic and founder of the international ASVOFF festival.
ASVOFF, or A Shaded View on Fashion Film, is a fashion film festival founded by journalist Diane Pernet. Since its 2008 debut at the Jeu de Paume National Gallery, it is a three-day festival event showcasing feature films, documentaries, conferences, performances and installations. Participants thus far have included the likes of Mike Figgis, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Erwin Olaf, Nobuyoshi Araki, Wing Shya, Steven Klein, Chris Cunningham, Chloë Sevigny, Ruth Hogben, Georgie Greville, Elisha Smith-Leverock, Waris Ahluwalla, Maison Yves Saint Laurent, Nick Knight, Johan Renck, Jerry Schatzberg, William Klein, Tim Yip, Larry Clark, Ellen Von Unwerth, Bruce Weber, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Indrani, Rossy de Palma and Michael Nyman.
Women in Senegal have a traditional social status as shaped by local custom and religion. According to 2005 survey, the female genital mutilation prevalence rate stands at 28% of all women in Senegal aged between 15 and 49.
Roog or Rog is the Supreme God and creator of the Serer religion of the Senegambia region.
Lingeer Fatim Beye Joos Fadiou was a 14th-century Serer princess and queen (Lingeer) from the Kingdom of Sine. She is the matriarch and early ancestor of the Joos Maternal Dynasty of Waalo. She is usually regarded by some sources as the founder of the Joos Maternal Dynasty. The pre-colonial Kingdoms of Sine and Waalo now lies within present-day Senegal. Her surname is Beye (English-Gambia) or Bèye (French-Senegal). Joos Fadiou is her maternal clan. In Serer, "Fa-tim" means "the maternal clan of..."
Xiao Wen Ju is a Chinese model. She was the first model of Chinese descent to be the face of Marc Jacobs.
Angèle Diabang Brener is a screenwriter, director and film producer from Senegal.
Patricia Cleveland is an American fashion model who initially attained success in the 1960s and 1970s and was one of the first African-American models within the fashion industry to achieve prominence as a runway model and print model.
Marpessa Hennink is a Dutch fashion model. She is best known for her work as a runway model, which earned her the moniker “The Catwalk Contessa”.
Lady Dior is a commercial name given to a handbag by the Christian Dior company in honor of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Stella Novarino, known professionally as Stella Jean, is an Italian fashion designer of partial Haitian origin. She is a member of the Italian Chamber of Fashion and the only member of Afro-European background. Living and working in Rome, Jean is considered to be Giorgio Armani's protégé.
Maria Grazia Chiuri is an Italian fashion designer. After Fendi, she spent seventeen years at Valentino before being named creative director at Dior.
Danièle Diwouta-Kotto, is a Cameroonian designer and architect, member of the Cameroon architects association (ONAC) and founder of the V.A.A. Villes et Architectures d'Afrique organization.
Simon Porte Jacquemus is a French fashion designer and the founder of the Jacquemus fashion label.
Fatoumata Diabaté, is a Malian photographer from Bamako.
Lucie de la Falaise is a Welsh-born French fashion stylist, former model, and socialite.