Part of this course’s purpose is to unpack processes like globalization that benefit us because of our geographical location but are harmful to others. I didn’t think that going to Paris would effectively address this and it wasn’t until I got there that it became clearer. I’m thankful that I was able to go to such a beautiful and extremely Western city because it adds another layer of perspective to the conversation when you see the effects of processes play out on the beneficiary’s side.

It was saddening for me to hear about the marginalization and perception of Africans (and other immigrants) in France because I felt much less restricted in France than the US as a black person. I didn’t feel like I was being judged based on my race, which is sort of a privilege when comparing myself to those who are African immigrants or whose parents are African immigrants, because they don’t get to step outside of that discrimination. I can’t express just how much this trip meant to me, for as long as I can remember I’ve dreamt of going to Paris and I admittedly romanticized the city and the experiences I would have in it. I didn’t expect to see the poverty or remnants of the colonial world I witnessed but I’m glad that I did.

Paris is not only the capital of the fashion world but is also one of the most diverse cities in the world, yet it’s still clinging onto a very Eurocentric way of operating. It speaks volumes when designers who appropriate cultures are given more visibility than talented designers of the cultures being appropriated. I know that I personally don’t have the power to increase the representation but I can help bring attention to their efforts and support them by buying their creations, as the more support behind them makes it that much more difficult to ignore and exclude.

Exclusion is the main takeaway I got from constructing this blog, taking this course, and going on the trip. It’s happening on all levels, factory workers who make brand’s clothes are excluded from the discussion between brands and factory owners about their wage and working conditions, asylum seekers and immigrants are excluded from opportunities to help them advance, and the residents of La Goutte d’Or are excluded from the construction of the coverage about their neighborhood. Those at the top continue to de-value the lives of those in these examples because they can, but I have hope that the efforts of people like the owners of Maison Château Rouge and Peulh Vagabond will reclaim and change the narrative concerning African spaces and people; impacting lives from those aspiring to be in the fashion industry to the street vendors at the Eiffel Tower.

One thing I couldn’t help but notice as we traveled from site to site was the number of African men selling the small, cliche souvenirs or trinkets at each one. Other people on the trip did as well, so making a mental note I promised myself that I’d look into it. Before looking it into it, my mind immediately made the connection between what I’d been told and knew about immigration and the perception of Africans in France and the colonial connection between France and North and West Africa; specifically Senegal where I suspected many of the vendors were from. What I found essentially confirmed my assumptions, many of the vendors are immigrants without proper documentation who come from Senegal, the Rep. of Congo, and Mali, all of which were colonized by France. Selling these trinkets without a license is illegal, but it’s difficult to obtain a job without documents and those with jobs are often exploited or underpaid, therefore selling has become one of the only ways that they’re able to make an income.

After the aforementioned countries were decolonized, the manufactured positive image of France remained and that along with many French business owners and wealthy people taking citizens from former colonies to France as cheap labor made many view it as the place to go in order to build a better life. This coupled with the instability of those developing countries, which many believe wouldn’t have occurred if they hadn’t been colonized, lead to an increase in economic migrants and asylum seekers coming to France.

This brought to mind an excerpt from the book, Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon that our class read, in which he expresses the idea that the wealth that characterizes the state of the imperialists is the colonized’s wealth. Even though it was the labor and resources of countries like Chad, Niger, Senegal, the Rep. of Congo, Mali, and many others that made France into the superpower that it is today, they’re the ones who are currently underdeveloped. With France making concerted efforts to reduce the number of immigrants coming from those countries and blocking the chances of making an income for the people already there, it’s like adding insult to injury. When I saw those men selling the trinkets and selfie sticks, I wasn’t bothered and I didn’t feel pressured to buy their products but I was curious — curious to know what led to them standing there in front of the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and why?

Sources:

Louarn, Anne-Diandra. “The Risks of Working Illegally in France.” InfoMigrants, 22 Jan. 2018, https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/7067/the-risks-of-working-illegally-in-france.

Morshed, Adnan. “The Ironic Life of African Migrants in Paris | Inter Press Service.” Inter Press Service News Agnecy, 6 Nov. 2018, http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/11/ironic-life-african-migrants-paris/.

Before going to Paris, a bulk of our time in class was spent learning about a few designers whose contributions have cemented them within the French fashion world and the overall industry. One of them was Yves Saint Laurent whose museum we were able to visit on our last day there. Many people know Yves for his smoking suit, his Piet Mondrian inspired dresses, or his safari jacket, but not many are aware of how much African culture influenced his pieces.

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Yves grew up in Algeria which is likely where his penchant for it stemmed. Over the course of his life, he continually sought out the comfort of Africa often retiring to his home in Morocco to design his collections. These trips inspired him to start incorporating color into his designs and introduced him to the idea of using black models for his shows. Yves became one of the first major designers to include black models in his shows and has commented on his admiration of the aesthetic and energy of black and African models several times. These trips also led to him using the shape of traditional Moroccan garments like the djellaba and the burnoose within one of his collections.

Another one of his most overt expression of this came in the form of his Spring-Summer 1967 collection and the following year’s collection as well. In the 1967 collection, Yves debuted several gowns that were extremely reminiscent of what the women in Mali’s Bambara community wear. To construct these dresses he used many natural materials such as straw, tassels, raffia, and wooden beads to really mirror the style. Accompanying them were bangles and headdresses that similarly drew inspiration from various African communities. On the runway that year he utilized white models to showcase the designs, further complicating the idea that he simply appreciated the Bambara’s clothing and wanted to pay homage to them.

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His inspiration didn’t cease after this collection as in his 1968 Spring-Summer collection he debuted one of his most iconic pieces, the safari jacket. The jacket was actually inspired by uniforms of German military forces in Africa called the Afrika Korps, and even though it’s not directly a part of African culture it still displays how elements of and events in Africa captured him. When we visited the YSL Museum, his ‘67 collection wasn’t on exhibit but the safari jacket was (I later found out many of his most African inspired pieces are housed in the YSL Museum in Marrakech). It wasn’t until after we returned to the US that I began really thinking about the manner in which these collections are talked about in the fashion world and whether or not Yves should’ve designed these pieces at all.

Our course deals with cultural identity and expression through fashion, and making those pieces as a person not even remotely associated with those communities definitely prompts the question of appropriation, and where the line between that and appreciation is drawn. We even talked about this with Jacqueline, our Barbés tour guide and I’ve resigned that it’s a complex topic with many layers. Personally, I don’t feel Yves should’ve materialized any of the designs besides the safari jacket (and even with that I’m conflicted given the context of the Afrika Korps), because I don’t enjoy the fact that he profited off commodifying someone’s culture, especially considering he never traveled to Mali. His incorporation of bright colors and use of black and African models are perfectly fine, but everything else was completely inappropriate. However, this doesn’t necessarily detract from his artistry and his impact. In fact Dyenaa, the owner of Peulh Vagabond, stated that he was one of her favorite designers and countless black and African models have credited him with jump-starting their careers. Ultimately, I think admiration and critique aren’t mutually exclusive and by acknowledging that even those we look up to make mistakes, we become more well-rounded people.

Sources:

“Discovering Morocco.” Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/decouverte-du-maroc. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“First Safari Jacket.” Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/premiere-saharienne-pe. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“The Spring-Summer African Collection.” Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/collection-africaine-pe. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“Yves Saint Laurent et Le Maroc.” Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, https://museeyslparis.com/en/international-exhibitions/yves-saint-laurent-et-le-maroc. Accessed 7 May 2019.

On our fifth day in Paris, we had the pleasure of getting to explore the Barbès neighborhood, located in the 18th arrondissement. This neighborhood is rife with diversity, mostly housing immigrants of African and Arab descent, and we ventured to the area known as “Little Africa” or “La Goutte d’Or.” Our visit was guided by Jaqueline Ngo Mpii, an author who’s extremely passionate about getting tourists and the broader Parisian public to recognize the beauty of the neighborhood and all it has to offer. Before we were led into clothing and fabric stores, we were given a somewhat brief but informative history of the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, Barbès has been the subject of much discrimination from the Parisian public, its been painted as crime ridden and run down, so many are advised to stay away. In fact, our other tour guide (who wasn’t born and raised in Paris) showcased this by advising everyone to hold on tight to their bags when we arrived in the district, allowing me to see first-hand how that deep that association runs. However, this association didn’t hold any weight as what I saw that day was nothing resembling an area worth avoiding.

After Jaqueline informed us of the neighborhood’s history, we were able to go into a variety of shops. One of the shops we visited was Maison Château Rouge which is a French clothing and lifestyle brand that uses wax fabric and African inspired prints within their designs. It was started by Youssouf and Mamadou Fofafana, two brothers of Senegalese descent who grew up in the suburbs of Paris, who wanted to showcase their heritage in a way that was accessible, socially responsible, and contemporary. They collaborate with many local merchants in the neighborhood and even though they weren’t raised there, they felt strongly about locating the shop within the African center of Paris. Although it may deter some from shopping in-store, they’ve made substantial moves within the French design world, notably partnering with one of France’s biggest chain stores, Monoprix, for a collection and it was evident upon entering the store that their commitment will only bring about more opportunities.

Another store we visited was Peulh Vagabond which is a French clothing and jewelry brand started by a Senegalese woman Dyenaa Diaw, who was born and raised in the 18th arrondissement. Unlike Maison Château Rouge, this brand incorporates fabrics that use weaving techniques which are much more traditional and unique to Africa than wax fabrics. What both brands do however is buy their fabrics directly from and employ the talents of African artisans, effectively eliminating corruption along their supply chain.

I think both of these brands are interesting because they while they seek to incorporate elements of both African and European cultures, it’s still vividly and proudly African throughout. Fashion is being used as a channel for identity exploration in such innovative ways and it’s being used as a way to bring attention to and reclaim neighborhoods that have been unfairly labelled. It’s a perfect exemplification of our topics because though they are participating in a free market/capitalist system while within an industry notable for its unethical practices, they’re doing so in a way that’s actually helping and empowering people.

Sources: (used for background info on district and owners of shops)

Balvay, Caroline. “Maison Château Rouge, the World of Youssouf Fofana.” The Socialite Family, https://www.thesocialitefamily.com/en/blog/meet-with- youssouf-fofana-monoprix-x-maison-chateau-rouge-collaboration/. Accessed 7 May 2019.

Bocoum, Fatima. “Peulh Vagabond: The Discovery of One Another. An Interview with Dyenaa Diaw.” OPENLETR, https://www.openletr.co/find-your-truth/peulh-vagabond-the-discovery-of-one-another-an-interview-with-dyenaa-diaw6232018. Accessed 7 May 2019.

Chase, Anthony. “Another Paris.” Another Paris: Imagining Barbès, http://www.shatterthelookingglass.com/another-paris-imagining-barbes/. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“La Marque et Sa Créatrice – A Propos.” Peulh Vagabond, https://www.peulhvagabond.com/index.php/a-propos/la-marque-creatrice.html. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“Peulh Vagabond.” Antou Studio, https://antoustudio.com/pages/peulh-vagabond. Accessed 7 May 2019.