Luxury shoe designer Christian Louboutin has recently boarded the African Fashion wagon: He launched a bag collection titled Africaba. The bags are made out of a mix of different African fabrics and were embroidered in Senegal, at La Maison Rose, a place where “women learn the traditional Senegalese skill of embroidery, ensuring them a trade.” But the bag is not fully produced in Senegal, only bits and pieces – the finishing touches are done in Italy. The final bag is being sold for over 1000 USD. I am all for ethically produced, sustainable designs. But over 1 K for a bag made out of African fabrics, that is just over the top! Maybe it would be less over the top if it would be more transparent how much of the 1K USD are actually going to the women from La Maison Rose?
Vivienne Westwood once also produced bags in Kenya, but sold them for 100-250 USD – much more reasonable in my opinion. The cut of the Africaba bags is nice, the combination of the different fabrics and prints is neither new nor unique – the price however, certainly is!
What are your thoughts? Comment below!
Find out more:
w: http://us.christianlouboutin.com/us_en/news/en_from-dakar-to-paris-the-journey-of-africaba/
w: http://us.christianlouboutin.com/us_en/discover-maison-rose
The bags are beautifully made but you are correct nothing really
new or different then what’s done before. For such a price the hand straps should be thicker and a second cross body strap as well (I hope it’s real leather!). Very simple in design that doesn’t (in my eyes) really justify the price!
completely agree with you!
completely agree!
I completely agree with you Tiffany!
I do not see why/how this is a bad thing. He is bringing Africa into the mainstream saying something we produce or originates from our continent is valuable. This should be good news for all those designing ethnic attire because now shoppers will have an eye for similar goods. Let’s stop this habit of blasting everything just because. See the opportunities and seize them.
We are not blasting it, we are just giving it a critical spin. If I would be totally against it I wouldn’t have written about it – as this is also giving the brand and topic an audience.
we could just buy direct from africa and stop making other races rich and bring up our own. But no as an american i try to go to africa and buy fabric people think im rich and want to over charge me yet my white co travel got a better deal wtf
Les sacs sont beaux mais ne méritent pas le prix de US $1,000. Vraiment, Christian Louboutin!!! Tu devrais avoir honte!! Combien payez vous les femmes Africaines pour leur travail?? Combien d’argent donnez vous en charité aux causes Africaine?
We would have preferred a collaboration with an African designer. Western designers seem to think that things can only be inspired/made in Africa, how about designed in Africa. There are many creative individuals on the continent, why not use his “star power” to expose the world to an emerging creator.
http://www.kuwala.co
To the angry commenter above–Louboutin is half Egyptian so thus half African, not black. If you’re going to rant get your facts straight.