Benin Fashion Show Turns the Atlantic's Painful History Into Indigo Art

A fashion show on the shores of Benin's Lake Toho has unveiled 16 new indigo patterns inspired by the ocean.

On 24 October, at Indigo Village in the municipality of Ouidah, the Couleur Indigo brand led by Nadia Adanlé presented "Apusomɛ," its 19th collection. The range combines textile creation, historical memory and the search for new ways to preserve and transmit knowledge related to indigo.

"Our goal is to promote this fabric and revive it from its state of neglect," Adanlé told Africanews. “We are focusing on the quality of what we offer, working on enhancing the product's prestigious image, and being as creative as we possibly can be.”

Motifs from the deep

Among the creations are Lanvigan, Nussianu, Corail Intégral, Filimi and Scallop all inspired by the ocean landscape, featuring fish, seashells, octopus, jellyfish, turtles and corals. Each motif carries a specific symbolic meaning.

One design carries particular weight. "There is one motif we named ‘Filimi’ 'Remember Me,'" Adanlé said. “In drawing inspiration from the seabed, we looked specifically to the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike other oceans, the Atlantic is the world's largest graveyard, due to a tragic history. I decided that, since those who perished there have no graves, they should at least have a fabric that remembers them.”

A platform for cultural tourism

Indigo Village showcases the entire indigo process from preparing raw materials and dyeing to crafting textiles and creating finished products and also serves as a platform for promoting cultural and artistic tourism in Ouidah.

Coline-Lee Toumson-Venite, project manager for arts, culture and cultural and creative industries for the Presidency of Benin, said: “I believe Nadia is developing one of Benin's most precious assets a true gem for its cultural and creative tourism sector.”

The momentum continues in November with the fifth edition of the African Indigo Symposium, themed “Indigo and Plural Arts: Performative Dialogue and Hybrid Practices.”