When I caught up with Adama Amanda Ndiaye, the designer was prepping for the latest installment of Dakar Fashion Week. To be exact, she was getting her makeup done for the opening dinner that would kick off the festivities. There was a hint of excitement in her voice, too. She was also wearing one of her designs as we chatted over a video call.
For the fashion designer, it feels like a long-awaited dream come true. Back in 2002, she returned back to Senegal immediately after launching her eponymous fashion brand Adama Paris. She had aspirations of showcasing her designs in the country but was stunned by the absence of how to make that happen. Separately, she felt this urge to reinvent the growing creative community. She decided to launch Dakar Fashion Week to promote her brand and bring visibility to rising young designers in Senegal and beyond. Now the eventhas become one of the notable celebrations in the continent and the oldest; showcasing designers across Africa, Europe, Asia and bringing together thousands of fashion enthusiasts every year.
What Dakar Fashion Week has done is revitalize Senegal. It’s also made the city attractive to those who are visiting the country for the Dakar Biennale. Its success serves and growth serves as example of how fashion and art can bolster organic interest in a nation alongside boosting creative talents that keep the industry moving forward. The latest installment of Dakar Fashion Week recently concluded, featuring 11 designers. Romzy hit the runway in a traditional Senegalese raffia dress and a divination mask. Jeunes Createurs made a royalty-inspired collection and Maison Kantys presented an all-white collection. This year’s show was themed “fashion is art” to acknowledge the Dakar Biennale.
Born to diplomat parents, Ndiaye’s early days were filled with traveling and exposure to different cultures in Paris, London, and New York. Her fashion origin story began at age 9 at a Saint Laurent show where the designer’s talent moved her and she recalls telling her mother she wanted to be a designer.
Her creative path took a halt due to her father’s persistence for her to take a traditional path, she instead studied economics at the University of Nantes, she finished at age 22 and became a banker. While at the bank, it didn’t feel aligned with what she wanted to dedicate her life to; she recalls throwing fashion shows and selling clothes.
In less than a year upon graduating, she found herself having a conversation with her manager who decided to lay her off. This swiftly shifted her trajectory. It pushed her to pursue her passion which became the brand Adama Paris which launched in 2002. Her earliest days were a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The designer says she was excited that she was finally getting to do what she loved. But she also was nervous that she was trying this out for the first time while having to hone her craft and learn from each mistake, but she’s appreciative to have had all the help she needed.
Over the years since its inception, Adama Paris has built its credibility and grown into a thoughtful womenswear label. The line offers women a taste of feminine modesty and sensuality. Usually employing West African print, Adama Paris is regularly redefining classic Senegalese wares into a contemporary form; think overflowing bubu dresses, maxi skirts, mini jumpsuits, with bold embroideries in colorful prints.
While Ndiaye mentions that she might not be lauded globally for her fashion label, she’s constantly finding new ways to keep her creative juices flowing. In the two decades since its debut Adama Paris has produced over 20 collections including resort wear and swimwear. “It’s about the consistency because I know that I’ve been seeing people coming and going and not being able to achieve what they dream of or what they’re capable of,” Ndiaye shared.
Due to her diligence and dogged sense of grit Adama has become a go-to face and voice in the Senegalese creative industry, she also founded Black Fashion Week in 2010 which hosts fashion events across Europe and Asia. Another venture that is integral to Adama includes Fashion Africa TV which launched in 2014—-it’s the first television channel of its kind and Saargale, a multi-brand retailer. Both of these entities were launched in 2014. “I’m an entrepreneur, and my way of being is to create something that they’re not there for me. [There was] not a fashion show that I was able to be part of, not even as a Black person. So I decided to create something. This is my mindset. If I don’t see it, I’ll create it. Instead of going to people’s tables and trying to find a seat, I’ll create my table and offer a seat for others,” she adds.
In 2022, Chanel’s Métiers d’Art collection was showcased at the Palais de Justice in Dakar. The house made history as the first European luxury brand to host a presentation in sub-Saharan Africa. The city welcomed a list of high-profile names including Pharrell Williams, Naomi Campbell, and Princess Caroline of Monaco. Ndiaye produced the show, and for her, it was a way to make sure that all the talents were from Senegal.
This inclusion served as a pivotal moment for Ndiaye. In an interview with ELLE UK on the presentation, she shared: “We are proud of who we are as artists. It took us a long time to be this proud and to celebrate. We don’t need the validation, though of course that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the love. But, rather, we know that we are enough.”
Ndiaye commends the continent’s energetic fashion ecosystem and the effort put forth by a litany of creatives who persistently push beyond their limits to contribute to the growth of Dakar Fashion Week. She explains that African designers have triumphed beyond people’s expectations. “I think for a while, people didn’t anticipate us designers to be a big deal, to be everywhere, to not produce enough, to not be in big stores, to not be competitive enough, to not be [accessible] enough,” she adds.
