Sarah Diouf is taking the media and fashion world by storm. The self-identified "child of Africa" is the creative genius behind Tongoro, a ready-to-wear fashion label based in Dakar.
She describes herself as a dreamer who makes things happen in her universe.
“I think the major event that shaped who I am today is the accident I had in 2008; I was riding a motorcycle and got hit by a car, resulting in 2 broken cervical and 6 months of hospitalization…
It has drastically changed my view on life, and my ambitions. So, this question always takes me back there. It’s how everything — my journey until here — started,” said Diouf.
Diouf was raised in Abidjan by parents of Senegalese, Congolese, and Central African descent.
She has a masters in marketing and communication from INSEEC U in Paris and she first set out by establishing Ghubar in 2009, a quarterly digital publication promoting African and Arab fashion and arts.
She followed this in 2015 with NOIR, a bi-annual lifestyle magazine connecting Black women globally.
In 2016, Diouf decided to move to Dakar so that she could turn her ample talents for entrepreneurship and storytelling into developing an online womenswear brand that could proudly be called ‘made in Africa’.
With its pillar being promoting Senegalese craftsmanship, affordable luxury and everyday glamour, Tongoro proved an instant hit.
The ever growing label has been worn by long-time supporter Beyoncé in her black is king film, and has released the brand documentary Made In Africa.
Glamour South Africa spoke to Diouf about her creative process, her influences, and some of the challenges she's faced as an African designer trying to establish her foothold on the continent.
GLAMOUR: How has your personal journey been like since you started in 2009?
Sarah Diouf (SD): Interesting, rich, full of ups and downs but also extremely rewarding. I have grown so much. I started at 19 with my online magazine, Ghubar, thinking I was going to create a media empire (laughs), and today I am running a fashion business, which is not something I ever saw myself doing.
But it’s still incredible to me that I have managed to do all of this by myself. I think our personal lives are always tied or somehow an indirect result of our accomplishments, and I find mine incredibly fulfilling.
I am so grateful for doing this work with Tongoro now. The internet has been an incredible way for people like myself to create our own path and have a voice in a landscape where we didn’t always see ourselves.
Glamour: A lot of young people are struggling to make a living these days, therefore, what advice would you offer someone who wishes to follow in your footsteps?
SD: Before being able to make a living of what we love I think it’s so important to develop a discipline for work and one or two specific skills.
When I look at the generation right after mine, I see that multitasking (as having as many hats as possible) has become a thing, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing; I myself wore many hats and had to learn how to master many areas of my business because I couldn’t afford hiring people when I first started, but ultimately, focusing on too many things at once does not leave enough space for the one thing you could be great at to blossom.
I have always created and found a way to tell stories. And I started without money.
I think the first goal should always be to breathe life into a vision and to say something whatever the channel is. When done right, everything falls into place and the opportunities come.
So, my advice would be to focus on the one thing we’re truly passionate to become great at it, and find a way to monetize it.
Glamour: What’s the best advice you have ever received when you were still younger and impressionable and how did it (advice) influence your career choices?
SD: ‘To stay fearless. When I have an idea, I always jump head first (with a little bit of planning of course), but I never let the projections or opinions of others (I rarely ask for them) dictate what I should or not do.
At different stages in life, we can sometimes be insecure about how the world will perceive us or our actions; it has never been the case for me when it comes to my work. My business mentor saw that in me early on and told me to never lose that.
Glamour: Give us 3 things you cannot leave your house without? And why?
SD: Nowadays, I’d say my phone, my keys and my mask, out of necessity! (laughs).
Glamour: Give us 4 things that make you proud of being an African?
SD: The culture, the history, the land, and the experience!
It’s always weird to me when people ask me to describe the life in Senegal, for example.
I cannot describe it; you have to come and experience it! It’s vibrations and energy like no other! I cannot translate that into words.
The sum of all of it makes me proud, because it’s so unique, rich and valuable.
Glamour: Describe Tongoro's design aesthetic. What makes your brand distinct?
SD: Tongoro’s aesthetic is somehow very regal, yet airy at the same time.
I am honestly just ‘doing’ it, so it’s hard to truthfully answer this question (laughs) I just try to tell an authentic African story that can resonate with most, from the way we produce the garments to the imagery.
Glamour: What can you tell us about Tongoro’s 2021 capsule collection? What are the key pieces?
SD: We’ve just presented our 5th anniversary collection on July 2nd. It was a beautiful retrospective of all the work I have done so far.
The jumpsuits are definitely our signature and key pieces. They’re easy and effortless showstoppers.
Glamour: Your journey with your brand, Tongoro, has been hugely successful as a result among your customers you can easily count the likes of Beyonce, Naomi Campbell and Alicia Keys, therefore, please tell us who are you making clothes for and what does your typical clientele like and how do they look like?
SD: I would say the Tongoro woman is bold and fearless, she’s an explorer, and she’s very proud. She lives an exciting life and can show for it.
The beauty in selling online is that we get to see where all the orders come from and it’s sometimes insane when I see some countries pop up, Im like… ‘how did you find us?!’
I don’t often get to see who wears the clothes in person, but we have an incredible community of women, worldwide.
And also, the support we get from African women is unmatched and makes me very proud.
Glamour: Your home country Senegal is a strong tailoring hub, and they are many designers with different aesthetics, how important is it for you to support such a movement?
SD: I think there is enough space for all of us to thrive and it’s mandatory that we somehow create a dialogue amongst each other as we are or will face the same difficulties when it comes to growing at some point.
I always say that African fashion is not an industry yet - but an ecosystem - that cannot be sustainable without information.
The structuring and industrialisation of the sector cannot happen with one designer only, especially in one country, and the more designers there will be, the more likely it is to happen.
Glamour: How do your Senegalese heritage and the brand's location, influence the brand's identity and seasonal designs?
SD: I think it reflects in the designs and the story telling as I am always inspired by my surroundings and try to infuse that in what I do, but because we (Africans) are not a monolith - and there are so many African stories - I also dig inspiration in other African cultures to further the dialogue around the ‘Made in Africa ‘.
Glamour: They are many fashion designers and creatives on the continent and they are proudly raising the flag across the globe but most of their garments and designs are not worn/easily accessible to fellow Africans, therefore, what would you say is the course of this and how does your brand address these challenges?
SD: I think e-commerce is the solution to ease African designs into as many closets as possible.
Internet has made possible the exchange of goods in a way we couldn’t before and we have to hold onto this opportunity.
The more e-commerces there will be on the continent, the easier the trade agreements and logistics solutions, as only volume can impact these things.
We also have to push for this new way of doing things. Brick and mortar is great but limiting and sometimes too costly. We have to adapt, especially seeing how the pandemic has shifted our lives.
Glamour: What are your thoughts on the current African fashion industry?
SD: I think we have an enormous potential to become one; we do need a lot of structuring, some support from our respective governments and culture departments to strengthen and monetize the sector.
It’s crazy to me that ‘we’ can see how much fashion can generate and create in terms of value and income in other parts of the world and not believe in the potential of our own. It has to start somewhere.
Glamour: What made you decide to do the documentary film Made in Africa last year, and did the message you were trying to convey with it reach its intended recipients?
SD: I was sitting on so much footage, it was the 4th anniversary of the brand and with everyone at home because of the pandemic, I wanted to share something uplifting.
It was very therapeutic and emotional as I edited everything myself; it was one of those moments where you look back at everything you’ve done and think ‘wow… I really did that’.
Honestly, every time I work on a project, I just dive in and pour so much of myself, but I rarely think « I hope x or y sees it », I just put it out there hoping it reaches and touches at least one person.
I think stories are meant to be told, but you can never know who is going to hear, read or see it. I am just a vessel.
Glamour: What/how has the feedback been like since you have released the film over a year ago?
SD: I still have some people coming to me saying how inspired they are after watching it, which always warms my heart. I think the documentary also amplified the story of Tongoro, which is great — it’s a great marketing tool.
Glamour: What’s next on your journey?
SD: This year Tongoro turned 5; we’ve celebrated with the Tongoro Beach Club in May, our anniversary shows in July in partnership with Speak Up Africa, which is a women-led organisation based in Dakar, and we have an upcoming partnership with Mangalis Group’s Yaas Hotel for the launch of our Tongoro Home line.
It’s a blessing to still be able to develop projects in times like this, I am so grateful. For the remaining part of the year, I am going to take things one step at a time and take the time to enjoy life.
