About
Cotonou Couture is an ethical fashion brand selling men’s and women’s shirts and tops in colourful African prints.
All our clothes are made by
Cotonou Couture is an ethical fashion brand selling men’s and women’s shirts and tops in colourful African prints.
All our clothes are made by
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Cotonou, Bénin
Cotonou is the economic capital of Bénin: a small West-African country, just next to Nigeria. |
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Our tailors
Each item is handmade with great care by one of our four independent Béninese tailors: Sabine, Didier, Felix and Justin. Didier and Sabine (who are husband and wife and have their own atelier in the neighbourhood Agla in Cotonou), make the majority of the clothes. Didier makes all men's shirts. All our tailors have a passion for tailoring and enjoy working with Cotonou Couture. Sabine's response when she received the pictures of our first photoshoot via WhatsApp: 'Woa!!! Bravo! On continue!!'. On est d'accord. (We agree.) |
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African Wax
It is one of the first things to catch your eye when walking the streets of any West, Central or East African town (or city, or village): the incredibly colourful wax print clothes that people wear. In Francophone African countries this is called 'pagne' (the specific 2x6 yard piece of cotton textile with wax print) or simply 'tissu' (fabric). Women often tie the pagne around their waist as a kind of sarong, but it can also be tailored into dresses and suits. |
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The team
Just like any other business, Cotonou Couture is a team effort. |