Taïma N'diaye

This collection is a tribute to my country Guiana.
Constantly being subjected to negative stereotypes with harmful consequences to the land and its people. I choose to reveal to the world Guiana’s beauty through the use of the emerald tree boa (local species) as a symbolic representation along with the inclusion cultural heritages from its three main ethnic groups.
Much like the snake perceived in a negative light Guiana will go through evolution stages creating a parallel between the ontogenetic, shedding phases of the boa, and the introduction of each cultural element.

The silhouettes in this project were developed from the boa's body shapes and movements, whilst details and embellishments originate from the Native Americans’, Maroons’ and Creoles’ traditional practices.
Indeed, the Native Americans’ basketweaving prowess and accessories making is an area of focus in the project. The patterns embedded in their crafts such as ‘Okoyu’ ‘(Kali’na tribe) and ‘Datka gama’ (Palikur tribe) respectively representing a snake and the skin of a boa, are a constant in this collection as embellishment/texture components.
The lost practice of scarification by the Maroons named 'Kokoti' meaning 'beauty' is also analysed and developed into a form of embellishment.
Lastly, the delicate handcrafted gold jewelry and their significance in Creoles’ traditions is implemented through styling choice.

This S/S collection took inspiration from traditional practices of Maroon tribes of Guiana. Their communicative art known as Tembé is intricately infused with various moiré patterns to be included as a print element in the project.Guiana is the home of a vast amount of people from different ethnicities and/or nationalities. Recently, due to socio-political reasons, tensions between groups have been slowly emerging. In an attempt at reconciliation, this collection named DAЇ ATI revolves around the following three words : Solidarity, Discussion, Friendship and their Tembé symbolics.