During Burkina Faso’s fashion week, the catwalk was filled with both traditional and modern African clothes that were bright and colorful.
Designers say they are trying to make the West African country known as an up-and-coming fashion hub to make up for the fact that it just had a coup and is still fighting Islamic extremists. Some of the shows took place on a main street in the capital, Ouagadougou, where people lined up to see models show off clothes for men and women.
The small country in West Africa held its third Ouaga Fashion Week. This was the first one since the pandemic made it have to be put off. The colorful four-day show ended on Sunday, in the middle of a rise in jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that has killed thousands.
When there were frequent power outages in the capital, models and designers would use the light from their cell phones to put on makeup and fix their hair.
About 35 designers from West Africa and Europe were chosen out of about 200 applicants to show their clothes in the capital, Ouagadougou. Alex Zabsonre, who was in charge of the event, said that for the first time, about 75% of the designers were from Burkina Faso.
“Burkina is one of the African countries with a lot of potential when it comes to fashion… “That’s why I started this project: to bring Burkinabe designers to the world’s attention and help them get known,” he said.