“If memory serves, the picture was taken in Bamako in 1973, so I’m 11 years old. I appear in the center, surrounded by my six brothers and my mother. On the left, I recognize his cousin who had come to lend him a hand. We went to have our portrait taken at the photographer Abdourahmane Sakaly, who had a very well-known studio, just like those of Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé.
We wanted to send this photo to our father, doctor and writer, imprisoned since 1968, following the military coup against the government of President Modibo Keita of which he was a part. Detained in deplorable conditions, he could not see us grow up. This photo is also that of his absence.
Influenced by the beatniks
For the occasion, we are all dressed, we put on our festive clothes, made by a tailor in the neighborhood. I am wearing a short-sleeved Saharan, probably inspired by Yves Saint Laurent, and trousers with tassels. At the time, I was starting to pay attention to my look, following the example of my older brothers.
That day, they had opted for very seventies shirts with pop patterns cut from imported fabric and bought at the market. We were influenced by the beatniks, the hippie movement, Harlem’s African-American culture… Our fashion and our hairstyles followed current trends.
“I grew up with the idea that you could create value with little. My mother always said that nothing should be wasted. “
My mother is dressed in a large dress with a loincloth that can be seen slightly. Her cousin, for her part, chose a tie and dye boubou and a typically Malian head scarf. My mother, of Senegalese origin, was flirtatious and modern. A gynecologist, very involved in improving the condition of women, she has notably fought a lot against genital mutilation. In the family, feminine solidarity prevailed, her sisters and cousins took turns to support her. With seven boys, she had plenty to do, although between brothers we always got along very well.
My African childhood necessarily played a role in my relationship with fashion, especially in my work around recycling and recovery. I grew up with the idea that you could create value with little. My mother always said that nothing should be wasted. It is also a universal philosophy, common in Africa. We find it in animist culture, which considers humans as a simple link in the universe, just like an ant or a tree.
In 1975, we found our father after his seven years of detention. A year later, we left Mali to join Argenteuil as political refugees, then, in 1978, we settled in Senegal. The name of my brand, Xuly.Bët, is also a Wolof expression which means “open your eyes wide” to ward off bad luck, but also to observe the world. “