Today's Moguls of Inspiration took me to Europe!
Adama Amanda Ndiaye is nicknamed, Adama Paris after her fashion label, Adama Paris. With much acclaim internationally, her fashion label, Adama Paris carries pieces she designs and manufactures in Morocco. Today, her designs can be found in New York City, Tokyo, London, and of course, Paris.
Now 44 years old, this Senegalese Fashion Designer was born to Diplomat parents in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), and was raised in Europe.
She realized her love for fashion at the age of nine, when she attended a fashion show with her mother but she finally took the leap at the age of 17.
After pursuing a career in banking, she left to follow a dream of fashion design in her native country of Senegal, where she discovered the plight of many other African designers on the continent of Africa. Initially, she noticed a long history of design among her fellow designers, a difficulty in raising funds for her business as well as a struggle for mainstream acceptance.
To help in promoting the visibility of her brand, Adama Paris, she started the Dakar Fashion Week Exhibition.
According to a Wikipedia article on her, she said
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). She has also organized Black Fashion Week events in Prague, Czech Republic, and Bahia, Brazil.
The article also mentioned that,
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."
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. 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.
What inspires me personally are people that are passionate and dedicated to their work. Also meeting phenomenal women and extraordinary people, who do whatever they want and make it happen. This is how I try to live my life, as well. Those people inspire my personal life. My travels, women and Africa inspire my designs.Adama believes that the African fashion industry needs more structure and investors. She believes that Africa, in turn, can teach Europe a thing or two about having more passion for fashion.
In her words,
Africa is still about this passion for being vibrant and expressing yourself.
Photography Courtesies:
Portions of this article were originally published HERE.
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