These "dome" (child in wolof) are inspired by Senegalese tradition, where the making of dolls plays a crucial role in shaping feminine identity. In Abdoulaye Sadji's novel Maïmouna (1958), the protagonist and her doll Nabou are inseparable, symbolizing the transition from childhood to adulthood. The Saint-Louis fashion historian, Fatou Niang Siga (1932-2022), had already explored the role of dolls as a key element in reconstructing the history of Senegalese fashion. These three dolls, handcrafted by the artist and dressed in textiles that have been hand-dyed and/or made by artisans from Saint-Louis, represent a collective practice to reimagine and fabulate the fashion traditions of women from Senegal and the diaspora.
This work fits in a larger research called Black Yarns: A Decolonial Research into the History of Senegalese’s Fashion & Jewellery Design Practices on the absence of black women designers in contemporary fashion history in France and Europe coming from my French/Ivorian designer-researcher background. I restore missing narratives by re-editing archival garments and jewellery, potentially reattributing designs to their owners by a practice-led research where I produce objects of memory. Creating archives, crafting garments issued from collective fashion memory will help fill the blanks using speculation and fictions based on Senegalese women who played a role in fashion between France and Senegal.
Images : Amadeo Benestante