We acknowledge the reasons why we must fight to maintain our heritage and traditions. Throughout Africa, we can find incredible works of art in painting, sculpture, furniture, and textile design. “Ethical” fashion exists today, but is very hard to obtain. Environmental concerns lead us to look for more natural products, whether food, cosmetics or handmade items. Ethics and its future impact on the fashion world cannot be ignored. Where are all the individual workshops, where is the tradition of workmanship, and are there any more solid products produced to last?
United Fashion for Peace seems to have found the answer. Bring artists together from around the world; open the doors to create handcrafted, natural and original products. Burkina Faso was the first participation for the UFFP team—an experience not to be forgotten!
Clara Lawson
The show was opened by Clara Lawson, who is originally from Togo, but has adopted Burkina Faso as her country. Her talent and use of the material ‘COTON FASO DAN FANI’ made by the local weavers can be seen in her "Siren of Sahel brand collection." The traditional Burkinese material is absolutely compatible with elegant style; we see an array of originality teamed with the colors and inspiration of Africa in her work.
Katherine Pradeau
French designer Katherine Pradeau presented a unique collection, “Tuareg meets Parisian” an amazing collection of one-of-a-kind pieces, completely different from the traditional market, which was greeted with overwhelming success. Katherine is no stranger to Niger, having worked for years with her association "Gazelle d'Or." We enjoyed the Tuareg colors—vivid and alive with incredible detail to the handcrafted leatherwork.
Thulare Monareng
South African fashion designer Thulare Monareng created the trendy Johannesburg concept store "Fashion Deli café." Thulare is a young designer who is destined to become a name of the future. Her clothes and accessories are fun, feminine and free-spirited. Her cosmopolitan, trendy fashion theme focuses on the 60's and 70's, creatively revamped and reworked.
We love the fresh color, the reflection of Africa; bold and colorful whimsical prints with a hint of nostalgia! .... Elements such as circles, lines and geometric patterns are repeated throughout the collection.
Cameroon fashion designer based in ESMOD PARIS, Anna Ngann Yonn has been dressing celebrities for the last ten years; her style is pure with a timeless elegance. Her signature label "KREYANN” favors a feminine, understated style combined with modern reality. The materials are essentially natural such as silk, cotton, linen, hemp, and bamboo. The color palette is a mix of earthy hues and gentle creams with some stronger tones for contrast.
Salima Abdel-Wahab
Salima Abdel-Wahab is from Tangier in Morocco. She is a designer who is completely involved in transformation as a means of expression and recognizes that the most effective sustainable design comes from nature. We see in her work a patchwork of diverse materials; tasteful colors and timeless dresses created with exciting innovative fabrics, which are constructed using various textures, tones and technologies.
