MEDI1TV Afrique : Couturiers en Afrique : entre passions et défis comment structurer une industrie durable ? - 09/03/2025
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00:00Welcome to Mediantv, welcome to Africa Chic.
00:18The fashion industry in Africa is full of creativity,
00:22carried by passionate seamstresses who celebrate local craftsmanship
00:26and reinvent textile traditions.
00:29However, between limited access to funding, informal structuring
00:32and challenges related to large-scale production,
00:35building a sustainable industry remains a challenge.
00:39So, how to professionalize the sector,
00:42guarantee and create a competitive African fashion
00:46on the international market?
00:48This is the question at the heart of our discussion
00:51and I am pleased to welcome Ysouf Taal,
00:54who is no longer here.
00:56Ysouf, thank you for being on Africa Chic.
01:00Thank you, Sandrine.
01:02Today we are talking about your job as a seamstress in Africa.
01:07How do you describe the role of the seamstress in our Africa?
01:15First of all, I really salute this initiative
01:19and the theme you are proposing today
01:22that really highlights the role of seamstresses in this profession.
01:28For me, seamstresses play an important role
01:33in the promotion of our clothing cultures.
01:36So, for me, starting from this principle,
01:39seamstresses have a place of choice,
01:43a competent place,
01:46so it is up to them to really highlight this knowledge
01:51and continue in the direction of the promotion of our clothing culture.
01:55Can we talk today about a real fashion industry
01:59or is it something that is still under construction?
02:03I would say yes, we can talk about a fashion industry.
02:07It is true that it still has its imperfections
02:10because until today it is taxed from a craft body.
02:14But we have to say that in view of what is visible,
02:18in view of this will to go ahead of the actors,
02:21yes, it is visible.
02:23When you say it is taxed from a craft body,
02:26what should we understand by that?
02:28We must understand that, yes, industrialization,
02:31to compare the industry,
02:33we really have to get out of this craft understanding,
02:38this understanding where we think that doing one, two, three
02:42we see things on a large scale.
02:44So to speak on a large scale today,
02:46personally I had this chance to do a training in Morocco
02:52which was focused on industrial production
02:56and so for that I can say that yes,
02:59it has started its train of industrialization
03:03but it still has, because you take Africa as my category,
03:09for this training we are only 18 in West Africa
03:13and so for that, the number is so low
03:18that we can say that until today,
03:21the Africans little by little begin to understand
03:24because there are 18 people who went to the industrial training.
03:28Do you think it is a job that lacks recognition?
03:32Yes, it is a job that lacks a lot of recognition,
03:38it is due to the fact that the environment,
03:41our leaders, we will say,
03:45the last time on your set I took a comparative example
03:51with Mexico,
03:53so you see how these jobs are structured
03:57and organized in our nations
03:59and you see a little how this one is structured,
04:03so it takes time for the political will to change
04:07so that we can see, let's say,
04:10this effort that this body of work is doing,
04:14so the seamstress, let's say, of our nation
04:17and especially of our Africa.
04:18Of our corporation, very good.
04:20So what are today the biggest challenges
04:23that seamstresses face on a daily basis?
04:27But already one of the biggest challenges
04:30is the lack of quality local material,
04:38because it is true that North Africa is a cotton grower,
04:44but we must highlight the fact that there is a lack of points
04:50in relation to the popularization,
04:52so to the production of quality fabrics,
04:56so of quality material
04:58and so that's why one of the biggest challenges has arisen
05:01because until today most seamstresses
05:04are forced to import the raw material,
05:08whereas if there were factories here
05:11that normally produced and made available,
05:14it would really raise, let's say,
05:16this nth effort they make
05:20as far as ordering from abroad
05:22and ordering from abroad while there is a cost
05:26that is not necessarily what we would have wanted,
05:29because if we had it locally,
05:31of course the price would be affordable,
05:34but when you have to export…
05:35Of course, we will talk about raw material,
05:38but for you, the challenge is rather financial or organizational?
05:45Well, I would say both,
05:47because financially we have been able to say
05:50on one of your platforms here
05:52that according to me there is no investment bank
05:56and the access to financing is very complex,
06:00but also there is the structuring,
06:03there is the legal framework of operation,
06:07there is the protection, let's say,
06:09of the work of intelligence
06:13and all that comes from a well-structured framework
06:18and this framework also depends,
06:21not on the actor himself,
06:24but it depends on the policy
06:26around the functioning of our different nations
06:30and so for this, indeed,
06:32there are these two elements that do not necessarily depend on the actor,
06:35but the actor could contribute to changing this
06:39because if the actor starts to participate
06:43in organizations,
06:46so at international festivals
06:48and starts, for example,
06:50to be seen more,
06:52to use social networks,
06:55e-commerce and all that
06:57to really be seen,
06:59well, his voice will carry
07:01and at that moment,
07:03I tell myself that it will be necessary
07:05to note by the political man
07:07that the management of this body of work
07:09must change and will really bring the elements
07:12that will allow the change.
07:14Okay, earlier you mentioned the question of raw material,
07:20so how do the couturiers manage
07:24the high cost of these raw materials
07:27and the importation of fabrics?
07:30Well, this question is a question
07:34that hits a little
07:37because it will highlight
07:40and what I like
07:42is that it will allow the different clients
07:45and clients of these actors
07:47to have this understanding
07:50around the fact that you do not necessarily depend on the actor
07:54because to live well and maintain yourself
07:56in a productive framework,
07:58the cost of the raw material
08:01has a strong impact
08:03on the price of the finished product
08:05and therefore the difficulty
08:08and the high cost
08:10of the importation of the material
08:12because whether we want it or not,
08:14a material that you have at home,
08:17you have it on average,
08:20but when you have to export this same material,
08:24you find yourself in a gangrene
08:26that puts a lot of points
08:29in terms of management
08:32and that is very complicated.
08:33There are customs fees that are charged
08:35and all that, so yes,
08:37the cost is, I will not say it,
08:40but good.
08:41Very excessive.
08:43Because you agree with me
08:45that to wear a very nice shirt,
08:47today at least you have to pay 25,000.
08:50So that's the minimum.
08:52And yet we have local material.
08:54We have material that could allow us
08:56to have it slightly less than that,
08:59but hey,
09:00it also involves industrialization.
09:03It's another reality.
09:05Very good.
09:06We also talked about the recognition
09:08of your corporation,
09:10of your profession.
09:11Is this recognition
09:14hindering the development
09:17of a real fashion industry
09:20on the continent?
09:22Yes, I would also point to Pavi,
09:24because you see,
09:26recognition gives a certain confidence
09:30in what we do
09:33and also creates new talents
09:38because it brings the youth
09:40to take an interest.
09:41But when there is no recognition,
09:44it does not create that enthusiasm
09:48around it.
09:49And so, indeed,
09:51our profession
09:53truly lacks recognition.
09:55While it is also a guarantee
09:58of our local clothing codes.
10:01But alas,
10:04you see,
10:06it may be true
10:08that I quote everything I quote,
10:10but there is also an effort being made.
10:12But we will ask...
10:13Of course, we have to talk.
10:15Because today,
10:17if we value, for example,
10:19the port of traditional clothing,
10:22it would be a point of valorization
10:25of a professional body.
10:26So this professional body
10:27that already values
10:29our clothing cultures.
10:31And also,
10:32it will highlight
10:34the aspect of industrialization.
10:37Because, yes,
10:38if traditional clothing
10:40must be worn by everyone,
10:43it is certain that individually,
10:45with a production,
10:47a production,
10:48it will be complicated
10:49and so it will really bring us
10:50to production,
10:51to the chain.
10:52So industrialized,
10:53truly the production
10:55in this professional body.
10:57And so, yes,
10:58some people value
11:00so we recognize the benefit.
11:02But there is also the fact
11:04that we wish
11:06that it is truly
11:08on the large political scale.
11:11It is true that our governors,
11:13yes, according to certain texts,
11:15have asked at times
11:17the administrators
11:18to be in traditional clothes
11:19to value what they do.
11:20There are countries where it is done,
11:22maybe not in Côte d'Ivoire.
11:24In our country it is done,
11:25in our country it is said.
11:26There are texts,
11:27it is true that today
11:28I could not quote them,
11:29but there are texts
11:30that ask the administrators
11:31to dress in traditional clothes.
11:33But well,
11:34as you agree with me
11:35that communication
11:37is also an element
11:38that allows us to know
11:40and therefore to highlight
11:41what we can call
11:42this valorization.
11:43And when it is not done,
11:44indeed,
11:45we can deduce that,
11:47yes,
11:48it is not valued.
11:50And since it is you
11:51who live the situation,
11:52so here it is,
11:53we give it to you.
11:55Very well.
11:56So from your point of view,
11:57does the clientele
11:58favor local creations
11:59or prefer those
12:00that come from elsewhere,
12:01that is to say
12:02imported clothes?
12:03Well,
12:04I would say
12:05on both sides.
12:06It is true that
12:07after what I said
12:08before this,
12:09there are some clients
12:10who are really interested
12:11in local production,
12:12but there is also
12:13this competition
12:14that is to be put forward
12:15because there is what
12:16we can call
12:17the ready-to-wear
12:18and there is also
12:19this competition
12:20that is to be put forward
12:21because there is what
12:22we can call
12:23the ready-to-wear
12:24and there is also
12:25this competition
12:26that is to be put forward
12:27because there is what
12:28we can call
12:29the ready-to-wear
12:30and there is also
12:31the production,
12:32otherwise the imported clothes
12:33which also play
12:34a rather,
12:35otherwise a rather
12:36unloyal competition
12:37to the actors,
12:38to the local
12:39couturiers.
12:40But all this
12:41is also the result
12:42of a weak
12:43structuring
12:44around the operation.
12:45But well,
12:46we can go
12:47deeper
12:48into this
12:49in the next
12:50episode.
12:55I think it would
12:56be good to go
12:57deeper into this.
12:58Depending on you,
12:59how to fight
13:00against this
13:01unloyal competition
13:02as you have
13:03indicated,
13:04which is to bring
13:05on imported
13:06and ready-to-wear
13:07clothes.
13:08This this
13:09is a very good
13:11question
13:12because I am
13:13in this one
13:14which is on
13:15the big shows
13:16and I found
13:17that it brings
13:18us right back
13:19to the estructural
13:20and sectoral
13:21structure
13:22of our business
13:23within our own
13:24I think that in order to fight better, we need to organize ourselves as an association and as a cooperative,
13:29and to really give ourselves the capacity to be seen, so that we can fight.
13:39For example, I could cite the union of artisans in Côte d'Ivoire under Traoré Tigane,
13:49who, for example, allowed the embroidery to remain in Abidjan at the time.
13:56When it comes to Abidjan, it is for the city of the interior, otherwise it would not have happened.
14:00For example, he had kept his cap there, it was really not to be discussed, and he had succeeded.
14:07And it allowed a little time to the different couturiers to make a place.
14:15But today, look at the market.
14:18I take the opportunity to call Ms. Kwadjo, who is the current president of the union,
14:23to have a look at this point, because her husband, who was also Traoré Tigane,
14:28had also worked on this point.
14:31And I admit that this is another debate, another debate,
14:35because fighting against free trade today will be another battle.
14:41In a way, is the world of training and support for young couturiers not also a major problem?
14:49Yes, it is really a rather crucial problem.
14:53But you agree with me that I don't want to go so much into national politics.
15:00Because to go into industrialization, you really need training.
15:05It is true that you need passion, but you have to go beyond passion.
15:10And this training, at first, is basic.
15:14But then, when you think about industrialization, it is high-level training.
15:21And for that, I think that national politics must also accompany.
15:26We must have flexibility in this accompaniment,
15:30which will allow us to always have new talents who are interested in this body of work,
15:37who can also...
15:39Because when you have the certainty that you can benefit from support
15:43in relation to the industrialization of something that you are learning today,
15:47but you see, you give your all.
15:49But unfortunately, at the moment, it is something to shout about at home.
15:54Because, yes, it leaves you a little bit...
15:59But also, there is the fact that we all participate in parades throughout Africa.
16:05And there is this openness of mind.
16:07I think that most African countries today are hot
16:13in relation to the presentation of clothing cultures.
16:16And I think that this spirit takes time.
16:22But today, fashion is something that is visible to everyone.
16:26And that is already important.
16:28Very good.
16:29Let's talk about parades.
16:31We are now going to see this parade.
16:34A young talent, Thikura Sangare.
16:38Well, I don't know him very well, but I know that he does very beautiful things.
16:42He participated in the 17th edition of Africa Fashion Week.
16:45We watch his parade and we come back.
16:48It is a mixture of straw and imported fabric.
17:01Straw
17:06Imported fabric
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