3/54: How One Designer Plans To Bring Systemic Change to Senegal’s Fashion Industry
Senegalese designer Sophie Nzinga Sy is spearheading a new government-led initiative that aims to supercharge Senegal's fashion ecosystem.
Welcome back to Africa Reimagined! This week, we’re continuing our 54/54 journey. So far, we’ve examined the fashion scene in East Africa’s Kenya and Ethiopia, and it’s been interesting to see how the local fashion scene differs within the subregion. We’ve heard from a couple of brands, but I’m excited to switch things up this week and highlight the work of other key industry leaders shaping the region’s fashion industry.
We’re travelling some 7,000 miles to Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa. The local fashion scene is burgeoning, and for decades, several designers have attempted to put Senegalese fashion on the global stage, such as Adama Paris and Sarah Diouf of Tongoro. Luxury fashion houses have also chosen to showcase their collections in the city. Some of you may recall when Chanel staged its annual Metiers d’Art show in Dakar a couple of years ago, a move that received mixed responses from local fashion critics. I’m not going to reignite the discussion, but I will say that there is so much talent and textile innovation in Senegal that goes unnoticed.
Sophie Nzinga Sy, the talented Senegalese designer, is looking to strengthen the country’s fashion industry and boost the ‘Made in Africa’ movement. Her career in fashion spans over 13 years — from running her eponymous fashion brand, Sophie Zinga, to founding the Dakar Design Hub and her most recent role as Senegal’s director general of the Agency for the Promotion and Development of Artisanal Crafts (APDA). She has big ambitions to enhance the domestic and regional fashion sector and is using her experience as a designer to guide her on this journey.
This week, we discuss:
Transitioning from creative director to spearheading the Senegalese public body APDA.
Unpacking how she plans to strengthen the ‘Made in Africa’ and ‘Made in Senegal’ movement on a systemic level.
The new wave of Senegalese luxury consumers.
Let’s dive in.