When Tongoro was born, it was already in an environment saturated with clothing brands and at a time when more and more daring young people wanted to monetise their talents via the Internet. Sarah Diouf is part of that generation. And like her fellow designers and entrepreneurs, she was determined to see Tongoro succeed. This was quickly achieved thanks to her talent and creativity, but also to the dynamics that she was able to instil in Tongoro. Today, the brand that conquered Beyoncé has established itself in the hearts of Africa and beyond. Of course, behind every success, there is a story that deserves to be told. Discover the story of Tongoro, the brand whose African DNA is causing a stir.
Tongoro Studio: an African brand in more than just name
"Tongoro" means "star" in Sango, the national language spoken in Central Africa. The brand was created in 2015. Since then, the designer has been motivated by a single vision: to make people wear made in Africa everywhere in the world. Indeed, the pieces sold are designed and produced in Dakar by Senegalese designers and dressmakers from fabrics with African prints. For each piece produced, African talent, materials from the continent and know-how that cannot be bought have been mobilised.
By putting Africa and its artisans at the heart of her creative process, Sarah Diouf wishes above all to promote economic and social development in Africa, through the artisans of West Africa. She has therefore opened her first workshop in Dakar, Senegal.
Ahead of the launch of her Autumn/Winter 2021 collection and her first line, Sarah told the media Whitewall her interest in the preservation of African culture, crafts and tailoring. She also spoke of her desire to support craft communities and how African spirituality inspires her daily life.
Tongoro wants to revolutionise the world's view of made in Africa. Indeed, this name still creates scepticism in the fashion world. Some people wonder how articles made in Africa and by Africans could be of good quality. This is a huge myth that the brand fights every day by working with African artisans and designing quality pieces at affordable prices.
Creating value and contributing to the birth of an industry
It is well known that sewing in West Africa represents a whole part of the culture. Women like to dress in loincloths and families often have at least one dedicated tailor. These tailors are true trend setters, holders of a know-how often passed down from one generation to another.
Tongoro, headed by Sarah Diouf, brings to light the know-how of West African artisans. The brand finds and trains tailors to international production standards and structures these skills to make them exportable. In this respect, Tongoro is a special brand and undoubtedly contributes to the creation of a strong industry. Sarah Diouf is convinced that the development of this sector through its industrialisation is the only way for artisanal communities to prosper.
In the African economic and social context, the challenge for a brand such as Tongoro is to create quality products without negatively impacting the quality of life of the human resources who contribute to them. On the contrary, the aim is to improve it. Tongoro wants to continuously contribute to the empowerment of Senegalese artisans and to the improvement of their quality of life.
Tongoro Studio is a strong identity carried by Sarah Diouf, a young, talented and passionate stylist. Her made-in-Africa creations have already won over Beyoncé in 2017. And the global artist did not hesitate to repeat the experience for the Spirit video of the Lion King album, in 2019. Tongoro is six years old. And this is just the beginning for the brand whose talent, creativity and ambition for Africa are at the heart of the creative process. Tongoro Studio has come a long way and there is no end in sight.
