From the 8th to the 10th of November, the King Fahd Palace Hotel hosted the second edition of Dakar’s Bridal Week.
I was invited by boutique NOVIA ( https://www.facebook.com/noviadakarrobemariee?ref=profile ), a shop in 44 Rue Carnot x Wagane Diouf, Dakar; which sells bridal dresses, cocktail and elegant clothing for kids.
Diana, in charge of the shop, is the only person in Senegal who sells european brands, such as Pronovias or Rosa Clara. She started the business when she got married and suddenly realized she had to travel to Europe to find her perfect dress. So after that, she decided to open the shop and bring to Senegal what’s best worn in Europe.
So, as I was saying, I attended the Bridal Salon and there were many different stands; from brides clothing to lingerie covering also other types of businesses such as hotels, travel agencies and caterings. Here, Novia’s Stand:
The show was expected to start on Saturday 9th November at 20:00h but it actually started 4 hours late…
Here are pictures of the backstage:
Spectators & catwalk:
Before and during the show, famous senegalese singers and dancers performed:
Aaaand… the show finally started!!! Novia was the first to walk through the catwalk. First, the kids who were dressed up with their suits and ties, danced to Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean and managed it to cheer up the bored audience who had been waiting for almost 4 hours.
Eventually, the cocktail clothes came out. Beautiful Pronovias’ vaporous and colorful long and short dresses moved through the catwalk, leaving everybody astonished.
Finally, the brides dresses came out. Shining dresses for delicate, refined and sophisticated brides:
After Novia’s show, other brands did their passage. On the picture, menswear:
Lingerie:
… and finally, typical senegalese clothing:
After the show, I went to sleep! (it was almost 2am…).
The thing that shocked me more (comparing to Europe’s shows) was the informality of starting 4 hours late. People there had payed to watch the show… I can’t stand lack of punctuality!
Secondly, the backstage and the catwalk were a caos. Nobody knew when they had to come out, the dj didn’t know the songs that were ment for each show… everyone was walking around going nowhere.
Finally, the irresponsibility of models and other guests who were lent dresses and gave them back absolutely destroyed. I think that generally, people here don’t value things, if something breaks or gets dirty, nothing happens. I personally care about my things, and if I wear something they have lended me, I care even more.
Anyway, it’s just their second edition bridal salon so I’m sure they’ll manage to do it better in the meanwhile. The catwalk was modest but nice and the atmosphere was familiar and friendly. I think senegalese people are hungry of fashion and initiatives like this one are great to create jobs and to strengthen its economy.
Hope you found it interesting.
xxx
Claudia.
it's about Senegal 