The Unique Baobab Forest Fashion Week in Senegal

If you want to feel the essence of truly sustainable fashion you need to get into the soul of the fabric and understand the fashion trends and be in sync with the environment. Fashion seems at its best it's simple yet classic. Sustainable fashion is trending in this era. Following this trend, this year, Organizers of Dakar Fashion Week have a message for the whole fashion world that “sustainability is in style”. And it's true in all contexts. Style isn't about rich lifestyle and costly clothes. Style is something that defines one’s personality and character. 

2020 has been a crucial year and all of us have been forced by corona virus restrictions to stay at home and be safe but life goes on. Nothing can stop the revolution. Though the corona virus restriction has held the show outside, so, this time, models emerged beside the trunk of an ancient baobab tree to stride down the catwalk in Dakar Fashion Week.

The event, held at the weekend in Senegal's capital. The theme of the show was based on environmental responsibility. This show featured 20 designers whose collections which include both the collection that are used on the runway as well as the collections which are sold in boutiques have long been handmade on the continent rather than mass produced in factories. Sustainable luxury fashion is no longer a fad but a necessity as we move into a future that needs everyone to be sensitive towards the environment.

Adama Ndiaye who is the founder of Dakar Fashion Week and the fashion designer behind Adama Paris opines that many fashion designers have been dabbling in something known as ‘slow fashion’ without being aware of the same.

The fact is that many of the slow fashion stuff have been manufactured in Senegal in a very limited manner. It is truly luxury fashion in the real sense. In the initial days it was looked down upon but now is a reason to be proud of for many luxury fashion designers in Senegal. Their team understands the needs and requirements of the fashion industry needs and all the trending designs and fashion elements. Most of the collections are inspirational, appreciated by the clients and users.

Adama has given the concept of "fast fashion" to the fashion industry. It is observed that, the consumers, most notably in the West, are buying and then discarding clothes at an alarming rate, which is majorly causing the industry-related pollution to soar. 

But, according to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s report in the year 2017, the average number of times a garment is worn before it is discarded has decreased by 36% over the last 15 years. Every year, the production and dying of materials consumes about 100 million tonnes of non-renewable resources and is responsible to emit vast amounts of greenhouse gases, the report states.

In only one year, 2015 alone, carbon emissions from textile production were more than that of all of the international flights as well as maritime shipping combined. Not only is this, but also, 20% of global industrial water pollution caused by the toxic chemicals released from the dyeing and treatment of textiles. 

Keeping this in mind, organizer of Dakar fashion week organizes the fashion show based on the environmental theme. The majority of the fabric used at this year's Dakar Fashion Week, though assembled in Africa, was imported basically from abroad. Even wax fabrics are typically manufactured in China and Europe.

Coming back to Dakar fashion week, the Saturday's show, based on environmental themes took place in a field of baobabs. But the ambiance was undercut by stacks of plastic water bottles as well as it includes umbrellas, mats and the posters emblazoned with the logo of Kirene bottled water, which sponsored the event.

Ndiaye said she needed the financial backing and the company has pledged to create a recycling programme in order to prevent the environment. She also said that "For me to even be able to talk about sustainability I have to have support, because all of this costs money,”

Bel Jacobs who is co-founder of Fashion Act Now, a campaign group born out of Extinction Rebellion, has stated that the Dakar Fashion Week should be recognized and appreciated for engaging in a conversation around sustainability and overconsumption. Jacobs cited Copenhagen Fashion Week. This is the place where designers are required to meet a set of 17 sustainability requirements by the year 2023 in order to be eligible to show, this will make the required changes in packaging and manufacturing. These include using 50% recycled or organic materials, pledging not to destroy unsold clothes and employing ecological packaging that will result into sustainable fashion outfits and prevent the environment as well.