Timetable
The usual opening hours of the shops are similar to those in France, they may close a little earlier for some around 6pm. Good plans are to go to villages of craftsmen specializing in one type of manufacture (pottery, weavers, blacksmiths, etc.), which are mostly present in the countryside and read particularly in the north of the country, in the Sénoufo region. It is necessary to go there during the day to see the craftsmen at work. Abidjan abounds in shops of creators, designers and fashion concept stores that it would be a pity not to visit to bring back beautiful souvenirs and gifts.
Budget & Tips
The loincloths. Contrary to a commonly held belief, the wax-printed loincloth known as "wax" is not a fabric of African origin, but a foreign fabric, an amalgam of Indonesian and Dutch technical traditions, which has "taken" so well on the continent that it has ended up colonising the spirits and becoming a claimed symbol of Africa, even though it actually represents an imposed part of its identity. It is in Ghana, a stopover on the road to India, that the epic of the loincloth begins. At that time, Dutch sailors had high hopes of swapping the fabrics brought back from Indonesia for the riches of Ghana, still known as the Gold Coast. But the fabrics in question did not meet local criteria and would have to be reworked to meet the demand. In the second half of the 19th century, the first Dutch-made wax ("Marianne") was introduced in the Ivory Coast and, in 1934, the industrialist Van Vlissingen (who gave his name to the Vlisco company) observed with satisfaction that most Bassamois wore fabrics produced in his factory. It is a curious fate that that of the loincloth, emblematic of African culture and yet designed in Europe, where designers isolated in their workshops project their fantasies of this faraway land onto fabrics intended for export to Africa. Through the motif, the loincloths are in fact the crucible of multiple cultural interactions since, in addition to Western designers, they are designed on the spot by artists recruited from the various art schools in the country, schools which themselves welcome young people from all over the sub-region. The specificities of the designs will thus reflect to a greater or lesser extent those of the origins of their drawers. Whether graphic, rhythmic, descriptive, floral or ethnic, these motifs borrow their particularities from textiles as varied as Korhogo canvas, bogolan, raffia or Akan woven fabrics, which they transcribe in the language of the loincloth. Although Côte d'Ivoire has several production units (including the famous Uniwax factory), Dutch loincloths still enjoy unequalled prestige, which is reflected above all in terms of price, as shown by the example of Vlisco's wax-prints, the most expensive and the most expensive on the market. Thus, although they are well aware of their origin, consumers of loincloths continue to claim wax as a typically African product. A key element of this (re)appropriation is the naming of the fabric, which guarantees its social and cultural viability. It is to the semi-wholesale women sellers, the famous Nana Benz, that we owe this phenomenon. True trendsetters, they are the first to see the fabric as it leaves the factory and the only ones capable of recognising a successful loincloth. The loincloths thus named will become "classics" that will mark their time with more or less happiness depending on whether they last or not, just like a timeless hit or the summer ditty. A truly successful classic becomes a "champion" loincloth, an indispensable attribute that should be part of the wardrobe of any self-respecting elegant woman. The classic will come in different colours depending on the region of the country where it is sold: more ochre for the North, and more colourful as you go down south. Some mothers will even keep their classics for many years without wearing them to give them to their daughters at the time of marriage, thus guaranteeing them financial independence when needed while ensuring the continuity of the family patrimony. The graphic word of the loincloth, which makes the body say more than the mouth, thus conveys an implicit message, weaving a silent network of affinities and/or inter-individual competition. The names given to loincloths also prove to be an excellent indicator of current social phenomena. Everything goes through them: from television series ("Dallas") to so-called "urban" loincloths ("Yamoussoukro goudron", "Abidjan c'est technique"), via historical loincloths, retracing the vagaries of the political and economic life of the moment ("Conjoncture", during the economic crisis of the 1980s; "La puissance de Laurent Gbagbo", or more recently the "Third Bridge" loincloth, celebrating the completion of the work of art that has been awaited for so many years). Among the "best-sellers", the loincloths of the unfaithful ("Ton pied mon pied", "Si tu sorsors je sors"), those of deceived wives ("oeil de ma rivale", a very practical way to get the message across to the unfaithful husband without alienating him further by shouting at him; also used to let his rival know that we know) and finally, the loincloths of social representation ("Capable husband" proudly displays the financial wealth of the spouse; "Braised fish" reveals a comfortable lifestyle with repeated outings in the bush). A word also about punctual or commemorative loincloths, which highlight a particular event, such as the loincloth published in 1982 on the occasion of the arrival in Ivory Coast of François Mitterrand, and on which one could see medallions in the effigy of the French and Ivorian presidents in the company of their respective wives, all on a blue or old pink background. However, it is not only the motifs that attest to the quality of the loincloth and the status of the person wearing it, and it is divided into several categories whose textile and aesthetic qualities already in themselves induce social differentiation: Dutch wax, English, Ivorian, java, fancy, soso, etc., the Dutch being the must and demonstrating the degree of respectability and financial affluence of the person who wears it. Fancy, for example, printed on only one side with less complex technical processes than wax, offers a poorer quality of fabric and its colours will fade quite quickly. Traditionally used for village work, it has long been assimilated to the loincloth of the poor. Prestige also depends on the models and cuts according to which the fabrics are assembled, little fancy will become big, enhanced by the care of a skilful tailor who will transform it into a maxi, a purely urban creation consisting of a top, a long skirt and a third piece of fabric, usually tied at the buttocks or tied into a head handkerchief
What's very local
If there is one African capital where fashion is king, it is Abidjan, a place where all trends converge, where some of the greatest designers have sprung from, and where even the penniless always find a way to stay in. You only have to look at the permanent spectacle offered by the street, especially at dusk, when the decibels begin to invade the maquis and trendy clubs, and the carefree youth, alternately swaying and showing off, is revealed in a never-ending parade. Whether among blacks or whites, here appearance is of paramount importance. Among the well-to-do, the sons of dads and other experienced faroteurs, it is only branded clothes, flashy jewellery, designer glasses, the latest accessories and Italian shoes proudly and ostentatiously beating the cobblestone, to the point that the famous Congolese sapeurs can now... go and get dressed. For those who have less means, there is still the alternative of the yougou-yougou, a cheap European fripe imported en masse by the Lebanese, mixed, assembled and assorted in ever more inventive and exuberant outfits. Happy beneficiary of this art of recuperation that characterizes many Ivorian artistic creations, the stylist Etienne Marcel (he owes his name to his beginnings in the Sentier district in Paris), initiator of the clothing phenomenon known as "farot-farot" and idol of the "blakoros", these young penniless show-offers. The term farot-farot has its origins in the madmen hanging around the streets of Abidjan, dressed in patched and worn-out trousers. The fatô jean ("the jean of the madman" in Malinké) would have given Etienne Marcel the idea of designing shirts and trousers from archaic loincloths and bogolans on which were sewn yokes of old denim. The fatô, thus "farotisé", aroused a real popular infatuation, very quickly becoming the distinctive sign of any trendy person. Among the other renowned designers and stylists who have made their mark on fashion in Côte d'Ivoire is the Malian Chris Seydou - the first African stylist to work for the houses Yves Saint-Laurent and Paco Rabanne, he spent many years in Côte d'Ivoire and was notably the mentor of the famous Pathé'O - who was able to blend African clothing tradition with the obligations of the modern world - and Nawal El Assad, a mixed race of Ivorian-Lebanese women specialized in haute couture and ready-to-wear. Through creations as original as they are stylish, she combined the brilliance and variety of colours of printed or woven loincloths with basic materials such as cotton canvas, wild silk, denim, linen and bogolan, composing pieces that are both pure and fanciful, all in contrasts and nuances, as if to testify to the cultural plurality of the Ivorian people.
Tourist traps