Cameroon celebrates the legacy of cotton

In Cameroon, fashion week has kicked off in Yaoundé with an urban parade dedicated to the celebration of cotton.

Models opened the way to an impressive parade of dancers, performers, clowns and even giant puppets. The show was called "Cotton Pride, from seed to dress".

"When you see a woman walking by in a beautiful dress or a man in beautiful cotton trousers, you can't imagine the whole chain of work that goes into it. So in fact Cotton Pride is the pride of cotton work. It means that before you can wear this beautiful dress, there are people who cut, there are people who sew, there are people who spin the fibres, there are people who sow the seed, others who pick the flowers and others who transport these cotton flowers to the spinning mill. So in fact all these pictures show the different stages of cotton processing", said show director, Nathalie Veuillet.

The show was a prelude to the Fashion and Design Forum.

The urban parade was an initiative of the Centre des Créateurs de Mode du Cameroun (CCMC), which is headed by Yves Eya'a.

"The theme of the designers' collections is Let fashion express itself. And for us it was important that fashion went to the streets because today when we look at the streets, it's all that inspires us as designers, as fashion, as fashionistas. And so it was important for us to be able to take to the streets to show the Cameroonian public the fashion that is expressed today in Cameroon", added the CCMC promoter. 

With its carnival atmosphere, Cotton Pride attracted many people. 

"This show is really beautiful. It's beautiful because it's typically African, it's beautiful, I love it so much," said one onlooker.

Africanews reporter, Philippe Anatole Malong, added: 

"Yaoundé's Fashion Week features exhibitions, conferences, debates, fashion shows and other activities aimed at bringing fashion design closer to the Cameroonian public".