Alongside its golden beaches, glitzy nightclubs and vibrant music scene, Senegal’s capital, Dakar, is emerging as a key African fashion hub.

Senegalese young people watch a runway show during Dakar fashion week in the Niari Tali neighbourhood, June 2017

The breezy seaside city, located on the continent’s westernmost point, is “west Africa’s centre of style”, according to the January issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, which ranked it at No 1 on its list of urban hotspots. The New York Times this week included it on a list of 52 places to visit in 2019, saying Dakar is “bursting with positive energy” and that local “design and fashion creations would fit right in at New York showrooms”.

Dakar fashion week in the capital’s Niari Tali neighbourhood

The strength of the city’s fashion scene has long been apparent, even if it is only now gaining notice. I moved to Dakar in 2005 and spent nearly a decade based there as a newswire photographer covering stories across Africa. The role often meant documenting wars, coups and disasters, but Senegal always remained a haven of peace and relative tranquillity in an often-tumultuous region.

My eye was drawn to its vibrant colours and designs and, over the years, I photographed fashion around town. The city’s youth blend a deep respect for the traditional, flowing boubous worn for special occasions with cutting-edge styles of their own.

A model takes a runway selfie during Dakar fashion week, July 2017

Senegal has a well-educated middle class and an Instagram generation that embraces African and American fashions, creating an elegant and athletic style of bling and beauty.

Dakar fashion week, June 2017

Designer Oumar Dicko (right) of Mali and Belgium laces up a model in one of his creations backstage, July 2017

Senegal has a well-educated middle class and an Instagram generation that embraces African and American fashions

Dakar now rivals Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi and Casablanca at the forefront of African fashion, with much of its energy driven by the designer Adama Ndiaye, the 40-year-old organiser of Dakar fashion week and a number of other international African fashion week events.

“When I started it was a young girl’s dream to build something in my country,” Ndiaye says.

Models backstage during Dakar fashion week in June 2017

Left: model and designer Sachakara Dieng wears one of her creations in an elevator in Dakar, December 2018; right: hairstylist Nabou Dieng poses for a portrait near Dakar, November 2018

Launched 17 years ago, Dakar fashion week initially had only a handful of aspiring local designers and models gathering in often rundown hotels. Now dozens of designers from around the world present their creations to thumping DJ mixes as drone cameras hover above runway shows broadcast live on national television.

Guests attend a beach wedding near Dakar, November 2018

Dakar fashion week initially had only a handful of aspiring local designers. Now dozens from around the world present their creations

One of Ndiaye’s friends is Jenke Ahmed Tailly, an Ivorian and Senegalese stylist who works as Beyoncé’s creative director and also advises Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. At the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 charity concert in South Africa last month, Beyoncé wore one of Ndiaye’s creations, a Boyette bag, based on the nomadic Tuareg style of embossed leather boxes.

Models backstage during Dakar fashion week in June 2016

Models Amy Faye and Sachakara Dieng wear creations by Adama Ndiaye in Dakar, July 2012

Africa’s fashion scene has grown steadily over the past two decades, with sub-Saharan Africa’s apparel and footwear market now worth $31bn, according to data by Euromonitor. Industry challenges include managing clothing production costs, quality control, distribution logistics and reaching large markets.

A presenter gets ready backstage during Dakar fashion week, July 2017

Adama Ndiaye with Virginia DaSylva and hairstylist Nabou Dieng, November 2018

Left: sound engineer Papis Sarr takes a break from work near Dakar, June 2016; right: Virginia DaSylva poses for a portrait at a friend’s wedding near Dakar, November 2018

Such challenges are far from the minds of most Senegalese, whose most pressing fashion concerns involve choosing the right outfit and looking their best wherever they’re headed.

Model Amy Faye waits backstage during Dakar fashion week, June 2016

This is a selection of images reflecting the variety of Dakar styles and fashion events I’ve photographed over the years.

Models backstage during Dakar fashion week, 2017

Model Nafissatou Gningue backstage

Left: Adama Ndiaye strikes a pose; right: a model waits backstage