From May 5 to 7, 2023, Geneva hosted the 6th edition of Afrodyssée, an event highlighting the new generation of African and diaspora designers working in fashion and crafts. This edition was a real success, having attracted some 1,800 enthusiastic visitors.
According to Ndaté Dieng, president of Afrodyssée, “Africa is young, dynamic and brilliant, the influence of contemporary African design will inevitably increase, and our association has the ambition to contribute
significantly by offering its talents the visibility they deserve.”
Through a designer market, fashion shows, and conferences, the public had the opportunity to meet a generation of Africans and Afro-descendants proud of their origins and generators of new aesthetics and trends. This celebration of creativity and artistic expression also highlighted talents often underrepresented in the fashion industry, giving them deserved visibility and recognition.
The event was marked by an exceptional runway show on Saturday evening, in front of a packed house. The designers, selected by Afrodysee for their commitment to the values of sustainable development, took turns presenting their unique works, rich in colors and textures, reclaiming their traditions while offering modern and innovative designs.
Notable guests present included Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General at the World Trade Organization, who has also relayed on her network the request of fashion designers from the African continent to gain greater access to global markets.
Afrodyssée also offered a platform for exchanges between the public and artists, and intellectuals with conferences, round tables, and workshops enabling visitors to learn more about themes related to music – reciprocal influences between North African music and hip-hop – and dance – issues of (re)appropriation of black bodies in contemporary African dances and their therapeutic and political scope.
This weekend highlighted the African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-American, and Afro-house musical heritage, to name but a few styles, with a selection of talented DJs, like DJ Hirma and Sebastiao Loopes, the latter of whom also produced an exclusive soundtrack for the show.
Here are some runway moments from the designers who showcased at Afrodyssée 2023 in Geneva.
