On an autumn night in Paris, a number of expatriates take off their shoes at the entrance to the Lawrence Airline African fashion store, then put on a piece of clothing and choose a musical instrument to attend a private concert given by Nigerian singer and guitarist Keziah Jones.
French-Cameroonian designer Laurence Chauvin-Boutou, who manufactures her designs in Ivory Coast, does not participate in Paris Fashion Week, but she opened her store in the center of the French capital last June, seeking to highlight Africa in a different way.
Lawrence says that “showing fashion in Paris will not be the ultimate goal,” adding: “It makes more sense to offer experiences in which we discover a new way of dealing with clothes, being present, and wearing fashion.”
To learn about her new collection, the designer invited about 15 people to her store to attend an interactive concert by Kezia Jones, who was known thanks to his performance in the “Paris Metro”, and became famous in 1992 with a single called “Rhythm is Love”, in which he mixes the style of “ Blues” and “Funk”.
The invitees enjoy music after each of them chooses a piece of clothing, then talks with the Nigerian singer, whose clothes have been designed by Chauvin-Botto for more than 10 years.
A few weeks ago, the American music star, Jon Batiste, wearing a kimono designed by Lawrence, performed the song La Boheme, accompanied by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, during a special dinner that included an elite group of international fashion designers.
The designer says: “I felt proud when I learned that Batiste wore a piece of clothing designed in Africa.”
Lawrence points out that this kimono made of “Faso dan Fani” fabric, which is brought from Burkina Faso, dates back to Japanese culture, and was manufactured in one of my workshops in Ivory Coast, adding: “It was a way to highlight the beauty of Africa.” Among the designer’s clients is the Belgian singer Stromaier, who is known for his love of the colors and designs that characterize the brand.
Lawrence learned the art of fashion at the “Berso” studio in Paris, then worked for “Louis Vuitton” and in various fashion houses, and designed her first collections in Ivory Coast, before opening her store in London in the first decade of the 21st century. It uses plastic materials and wax cloth, which the Dutch brought from Indonesia to Africa, and then local designers began to attribute it to them.
The use of wax fabric, some of whose patterns represent details of women’s lives, was one of the basics of African fashion.
Chauvin-Buteau sought to reuse this fabric in a new context, and to show another side of innovation, far from clichés.
To this day, it still uses “wax” fabric, but it seeks to highlight West African cotton, which is mainly exported for use in manufacturing single-use clothing items.
“In Ivory Coast, we are lucky to have cotton that is woven in Gonverville,” she says, adding: “It is important to highlight all the materials that can be found in West Africa, and reintroduce them into contemporary wardrobes.”
The “Lawrence Airline” brand was initially launched as a women’s brand and then turned into men’s fashion after it became clear that there was a large number of international male customers who showed great interest in its designs.
“I specialized in T-shirts that served as a canvas for me,” Lawrence says.
The fashion designer provides simple clothes, and at the same time, she has a strong choice of materials, colors, and graphics.
Last summer, she relaunched women’s fashions that she wears herself.
She concludes her speech by saying: “From the beginning, I was an artist who did her work in a small place and experimented,” but the time had come to “establish my presence” and “share authentic clothes and moments.”
