To Be Daring with Peulh Vagabond

Peulh Vagabond’s collections are for daring women. The collections are a blend of tradition and modernity, and are inspired by places the designer has traveled to and the things around her. By putting forward rare fabrics full of history, designer Dyenaa Diaw hopes to transport the person wearing a Peulh Vagabond piece to a different place. With Fulani/Peul origins and being a second generation immigrant, Africa is where she draws her inspiration and it is through her love for drawing that she is able to transcribe her ideas into the art of tailoring. Her showroom is located in the center of Paris where Dyenaa welcomes and greets clients, and offer her pieces both in standard and custom sizes.

Featured below are pieces from the Upper Volta collection, which Dyenaa describes as bold, modern and chic.

This collection is an hymn to the land of upright men of Burkina Faso and an ode/poem to the famous woven loincloths called Faso Dan Fani.  The silhouette combines a proud, mysterious and captivating Africa with a Parisian sophistication. With pop of colors and graphic lines, the designer entrusted the “photography” seen through her collection to the famous Otto Moncloa’s Versace campaign as well as the artistic Matar Ndour, an African ethnological photographer.  Joining a new generation of creators and designers who poke fun at the conventional prêt-à-porter, Dyenaa wants to affirm through this collection that fashion can be innovative, and to convey to a wide audience that individuals must have above all a true identity and lead by opening themselves to the world, especially to the continent of Africa.

Olivia (left) is wearing the Pissila ensemble. Laurinda (right) is wearing the Top Kaya Or. Both pieces are available to purchase here.

Peulh Vagabond’s mission is to collaborate with weavers cooperatives in order to highlight ancestral spinning work and promote better working conditions for each craft worker. Traditional weaving is a multi-secular activity in Africa and it is not rare to see cotton fields for local consumption on the continent. Today, even though this activity is in attrition, women and men are working for "the preservation of handmade traditional trades". With the help of these cooperatives the brand creates its own patterns and biannual collections to offer unique textiles to its customers.

Peulh Vagabond continuously aims to improve their production processes in order to maintain high quality designs. Their products are handmade/crafted first. For example, the faso dan fani is a traditional fabric of west africa that is found in the high volta collection. The textile is handwoven by their weavers from cotton yarn. The quality of the dye of the yarn, the precision of weaving and the design of our material make it a unique product. Shades may be different from one strip to the other. Also small stains (red sand) may be an integral parts of the fabrics due to the climatic conditions of the country. This makes their artisanal material more alive and take absolutely nothing away from the beauty of the fabric. The manufacture is then made in france.

Learn more about Peulh Vagabond here and follow the brand on Instagram here.