Seydou Nourou Doumbia, known as Chris Seydou (May 18, 1949 - March 4, 1994), was a

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

known for his use of traditional Malian fabrics, particularly

bògòlanfini Bògòlanfini or bogolan (; "mud cloth"; sometimes called mud-dyed cloth or mud-painted cloth in English language, English) is a handmade Malian cotton fabric traditionally dyed with fermented mud. It has an important place in traditional Malian ...

(mudcloth). Born in

Kati KATI (94.3 FM), branded as 94.3 KAT Country, is a radio station which broadcasts country music and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Licensed to California, Missouri, the station serves the Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, ...

in Mali's

Koulikoro Region Koulikoro Region ( Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kulikoro Dineja) is a region in western Mali. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km2. Its capital is the city of Koulikoro. Geography The ...

, Seydou lived part of his childhood in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

(now the capital of

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

) before moving back to Kati with his mother in 1963. Even in childhood, he designed and created clothing to dress dolls and, in 1965, he became an apprentice of the

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

Cheickene Camara at Kati. In 1967, he returned to Ouagadougou where he opened his first tailor shop. He soon moved to

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

(1969) and then to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(1971), where he worked first for Yves Saint-Laurent and then at Mic Mac with the stylist Tan Guidicelli. At this time he also met designer

Paco Rabanne Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (18 February 1934 – 3 February 2023), more commonly known under the pseudonym of Paco Rabanne (; ), was a Spanish-born naturalised-French fashion designer. Rabanne rose to prominence as an ''enfant terrible'' of ...

. Leaving in 1981, Seydou moved again to Abidjan, where he created his Chris Seydou line. For the new line, Seydou designed Western-style jackets and miniskirts from traditional African patterns and fabrics, marketing the clothes in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and urban

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. The designs are particularly noted for their pioneering use of bògòlanfini, traditional mud-dyed cloth. Seydou returned to Mali in 1990, becoming good friends with soon-to-be-president

Alpha Oumar Konaré Alpha Oumar Konaré (born 2 February 1946) is a Malian politician, professor, historian and archaeologist, who served as President of Mali for two five-year terms from 1992 to 2002 and was Chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2003 ...

. In 1993, he founded the African Foundation of Fashion Designers, but died in 1994 with 44 years in Bamako of AIDS. Atelier Chris Seydou, a group of tailors who worked with him in the past, continue to produce a bògòlanfini clothing line in

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

References

This article began as a translation of the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia, which cites the following as a source:
Revue noire n°13
(June 1994)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seydou, Chris Malian fashion designers 1949 births 1994 deaths People from Koulikoro Region Malian expatriates in Ivory Coast Malian expatriates in Burkina Faso Malian expatriates in France