Dakar has done more than it’s fair share of putting West Africa on the map globally, with labels like Selly Raby Kane and their African print emblems of Senegalese life, to Amy Sall, the fashion curator and darling of Vogue US and Sophie Zinga whose collections ahve consistently hit the mark. But there is always room for one more, and Tongoro seems set to join those ranks.
Born from the desire of making beautiful and accessible clothing, TONGORO is an African Ready-To-Wear label designing functional yet contemporary collections. We bet on delivering something different from what’s been expected from African brands until now, offering playful and affordable apparel. The brand focuses on understanding the fashion that its customers want ; with a control of the supply-chain, designing, manufacturing and distributing our products, TONGORO is a 100% Made In Africa label providing retail solutions that offer style conscious consumers quality, variety and convenience at an affordable price. By sourcing our materials on the continent and working with local tailors, our long-term goal is to contribute to the development of African retail production in Western Africa, with our first atelier in Dakar, Senegal.
With a manifesto uncluttered with high artistic leanings, the brand can actually focus on the art of creating clothes, and it does so with its debut collection, a cache of contemporary trends interpreted through the lens of Senegalese culture.
An African Dream, perfectly describes the voluminous off shoulder blouses, the oversize box clutches, the resplendent cowries choker and exaggerated print jumpsuits and culottes. There is a definitive Africanness to the pieces without them becoming cliche representations of Africa, it’s a tightrope to walk, but the design team behind Tongoro is quite the trapeze artist.
Best part, Tongoro is having sales to commemorate the end of April, so go to their site here, and sign up for their newsletter to get first dibs.