All White Fashion Show

- June 29, 2019

Recently, my friend and favorite local designer Anita of Zadada invited me to attend a fashion show . It was for the label SoFatoo wedding collection in collaboration with other African designers. The event was held at the Pullman hotel in the city. The dress code was All White.

So'Fatoo is a local brand created by a young entrepreneur, Fatima Zahra Ba. Her clothes are traditional with a modern twist. For her previous collections, she used weaved fabrics as accent. I really like her designs but I have to admit that I have not yet purchased from her. For this show, she collaborated with other local and African designers.

The show started late as usual, after all we are in Senegal. It started with a collection named after a friend of the designer who recently passed away. It was a mix of silk outfits in either deep blue or blush or both, with a touch of golden weaved fabric as an accent. The clothes were fluid and had lots of movement. But I found the designs to be really simple. I could not find the wow factor that I was really anticipating.

The second label to be featured was Sisters of Afrika, which I follow on Instagram. I really like their aesthetic. And they did not disappoint me. In collaboration with So'Fatoo, they put out an entire collection in blue and white tie dye. It felt really resort wear with maxi dresses and jumpsuits. I actually found three pieces that I would totally wear.

Other collections came down the runway featuring weddings outfits for men and women. I did not like most of what the men were wearing, maybe because I could not see men I knew wear it. And truth be told, I am not really into men's fashion. But the models were handsome. As for the women, I was kind of impressed with some of the designs and the simplicity of it all. You know I like to keep it simple.

The fashion show has two highlights that literally made me jump up from my seat. First, the group Daara Ji Family performed. It was so fun that my friends and I were about to get up and dance. And then for the final show, So'Fatoo brought out Bongo men. in Senegal, Bongo men are men who play at weddings. They have their little music instrument called Bongo, a small drum, with them to entertain the crowd. They are the hype men for the bride and the groom. For the last show, the bongo men were hyping the models on the runway who were showcasing a new kind of fabric. All the models wore this supposedly high quality Bazin fabric that were made by Senegalese. I have to admit the fabric looked nice from where I sat. But I am afraid that all the quality of the fabric or clothes got lost in the hype and fun because the models wearing the clothes were all famous actors in popular TV shows here in Senegal. The crowd was so excited to see them that we all started to cheer them along with the Bongo men. It felt like when Kanye or Justin Timberlake was singing while the models walked the runway at a Victoria's Secret show. It is the only possible comparison I can do to make you understand how crazy fun it was. And for that I have to give props to So'Fatoo for using our culture in her show.

After the show ended, we proceeded to eat and drink, take selfies with famous actors, chitchat and of course pose. I really had lots of fun for this event. And I think I will make an effort to go to more fashion shows in the future.

Dress and matching scarf - Tailored made

Clutch - bought in Japan

Shoes - thrift, Saturday market

Earrings and necklace - Gift

For this All White event, I wore my eyelet dress that I had made for my niece's baptism three months ago. Yes, I have a niece and she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen but I digress. I really wanted to wear white pants and a tunic but since it was Friday and the theme was also Wedding, I had to go for a "traditional' dress. It is a pity, I did not take proper blogger pictures but you can still admire the dress in my endless selfies.