For Claudia Gisèle Ntsama, 29, born in Cameroon, becoming a stylist was a childhood dream. Did she know that it would happen one day and in one of the most famous countries in the field? Nothing was planned, but it was counting without the determination of this go-getter, because “who says fashion, says Italy”, she says. Very determined, she learned Italian for eight years before arriving in her adopted country in 2012. She went on to work as a cleaner or controller at the entrance to football stadiums, then obtained a design diploma. in Bologna (north), before “falling in love” with hemp, “one of the most ecological fibers” and founding his own brand.
Fashion – Milan Fashion Week: Africa comes out of the woods
Five stylists to follow urgently
Like her, four other stylists born in Africa but living in Italy opened Milan Women’s Fashion Week on Wednesday. A consecration for these creators who are members of the Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion collective, fighting against racism in Italian fashion. All claim the “made in Italy” label. Take, Fabiola Manirakiza, 50, she was born in Burundi, but it was in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) that she learned to sew, in a school run by Italian sisters. Trained as a doctor, she was able to draw on this experience when she founded her brand Frida Kiza in Italy in 2016, a tribute to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. She describes her art as “a mix between Africa and Italy”, like her silk scarves with Maasai motif prints which are inspired by painting. Spring, by Botticelli. “In general, we are ignored, we are invisible. But this is a renaissance, ”exclaims this stylist with a sparkling gaze, whose parents were killed in 1972 in interethnic massacres in Burundi.
Also present on the podium, Mokodu Fall, 45, from Senegal, caricaturist, actor then artist-painter. He came to Italy at the age of 22 “to experience the art of culture”. “My collection reflects above all my African origins”, says this son of a diplomat who divides his life between Rome and Dunkirk in the north of France. “These are works of art that I transpose onto clothes. ”
A philosophy shared by Joy Meribe, 43, born in Nigeria. She left her country because “fashion designers are not considered prestigious”. “I’m not an ethnic designer, I live in Italy, I studied in Italy and I produce in Italy,” says Joy, who obtained a master’s degree in international business before entering fashion. His inspiration? “Strong and intelligent African women, like my grandmothers. ”
Obstacles, Karim Daoudi, born in Morocco 27 years ago, also encountered some on his way. He arrived at the age of 13 with his family in San Mauro Pascoli in northern Italy, “in search of a better future”. “When I was 17, I started working in a shoe-making workshop for big brands,” before winning a shoe design competition in Rome. His collection, called “Voyage dans la forêt”, brings together shoes in bright colors that remind him of Morocco. To finance his passion, he earns a living as a postman.
Fashion: Africa in tune with the world
An Afro-militant collective at the forefront
A victory for Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion? “I would rather say that it is a first step”, tempers Michelle Ngonmo, co-founder of the association alongside designers Stella Jean and Edward Buchanan. Next step, “we will have to make the society in which we live understand that the Made in Italy label is not a question of skin color but of know-how”. Founded in 2020, the anti-racist collective was able to attend Milan Fashion Week for the first time in September, with a video featuring the same five designers. But “it was just a presentation, now we’re on the official calendar, I’ve been dreaming about it since I started in fashion,” says Mokodu Fall. Previously, the presentation of black designer brands was confined to Afro Fashion Week, the first edition of which was organized in Milan by Michelle Ngonmo in 2016.
Imane Ayissi, an afro-activist in fashion
“Wall of silence”
“For years, we have come up against a wall of silence knocking on the door of the Italian Fashion Chamber,” says this activist of Cameroonian origin. 450 black stylists live in Italy, but Stella Jean was the only one to become in 2016 a member of the Fashion Chamber, which has more than a hundred. Then, the sudden death of African-American George Floyd in May 2020, suffocated by a white policeman in Minneapolis, sparked a planetary shock wave, shaking mentalities. “It is certain that the death of George Floyd was an important moment of awareness for the whole world,” Carlo Capasa, president of the Italian Fashion Chamber, told AFP. Thanks to discussions with Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion, “we have become more aware of this theme” of racism. “In fact, we could have done more,” he admitted. The organization now supports the collective through tutoring as well as by funding the parade of five black designers and the collections of three of them. Coronavirus pandemic requires, the filming of the parade which AFP attended was done behind closed doors, in the sumptuous premises of the Philological Circle in Milan, a stone’s throw from La Scala. The fashion show was broadcast Wednesday morning in streaming.
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