Pathe Ouedraogo the Ivorian Fashion Icon and native of Burkina Faso recently celebrated 50 successful years in the industry.
Pathe’O as he’s referred to said he left his home in Burkina Faso to neighbouring Ivory Coast in 1969, in search of greener pastures. At the time, “The most accessible job at the time was to be an apprentice tailor.”
He caught his big break in 1994 when former South African president Nelson Mandela wore one of the four shirts gifted to him by singer Miriam Makeba. Mandela mentioned Pathe’O’s name during a trip to Paris, publicity that sparked a rush of orders and propelled him to the forefront of the fashion scene.
He marked his five decades with a glitzy show and the launch of a new boutique in an upmarket Abidjan neighbourhood, whose walls are adorned with pictures of him with famous people including Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
Ouedraogo says he now sees his mission as doing more to promote African fashion. “Africans themselves are still adverse to wearing what is made in Africa. That’s the real problem … This is the real fight today”.
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