Street wear with an African flare: Sinota Ebony expresses herself in print and pattern.
To date, the artist Sinota Ebony has always sought to reflect cultural diversity through her art. This collection moves away from the colonial legacy of wax fabric and draws inspiration from various African textile art techniques. Each piece is created as a one-of-a-kind item, hand-dyed and hand-painted, to deepen the notion of uniqueness. Every unique person will have a unique piece. This collection is primarily based on dyeing techniques from Nigeria, Adinkra symbols (Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire), and Bogolan symbols (Mali).
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Sinota Ebony
1 nov 2024
1/11/24
In my culture, where I come from, most people wear tailor-made clothing. Even though I grew up in Europe, I have never appreciated fast fashion and its harmful influence on individual identity. Why follow trends? Why should everyone be fashionable? Why dress the same to appear normal?
For me, being normal is about being yourself, feeling represented by the details that make you unique.
Nyiansu is a simplified version of a Moundang word that means "Joy." Through my designs, I want to share positive energy, creating clothes that bring happiness in having something unique and handmade that reflects our aura—clothes that bring joy.
To date, the artist Sinota Ebony has always sought to reflect cultural diversity through her art. This collection moves away from the colonial legacy of wax fabric and draws inspiration from various African textile art techniques. Each piece is created as a one-of-a-kind item, hand-dyed and hand-painted, to deepen the notion of uniqueness. Every unique person will have a unique piece. This collection is primarily based on dyeing techniques from Nigeria, Adinkra symbols (Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire), and Bogolan symbols (Mali).
Sinota Ebony grew up surrounded by women with distinct styles. Whether it was the cultural heritage of African tailoring, mainly done to measure (everyone buys their fabric, goes to the tailor to take measurements, and discusses the desired design) or the cultural heritage of her European upbringing (her mother was a fan of haute couture, particularly of designers like Jean Paul Gaultier). Her mother crocheted and taught her, from a young age, how to sew buttons, customize jeans with patches, and more. From a very young age, Sinota customized her clothes, as well as those of friends, boyfriends, and family, adding wax fabric patches to denim clothing.
After earning her high school diploma, she began a fashion design course near Toulouse, in Balma, but was unable to complete it. However, with the little she learned, she continued creating in between various jobs. Her early collections were based on wax fabric and upcycling.
During a period of severe depression, she discovered her passion for painting and created a series of acrylic and wax fabric collages called "Les Djinns de Karaba," inspired by the witch Karaba (a character from a children's tale). The series featured masks and silhouettes.
In 2024, no longer having access to wax fabric (which she exclusively bought in Africa), she decided to draw inspiration from various African cultures that create textile art, to handcraft her own fabrics and produce or customize unique pieces. Her choice is also activist in nature. Wax fabric, though heavily consumed by the African diaspora, is often not African.
Its purchase often does not benefit the African people, as the largest companies are typically based in the West or China. This textile work is also a way to honor and elevate true African culture.