HOW PATHÉ’O CHAMPIONS AFRICAN PRIDE

Words: Daniël Geldenhuys

If you’ve heard of the name Pathé’O or Monsieur Pathé’O (both short for Pathé Ouédraogo), it’s probably been in the context of designing Nelson Mandela’s signature colourful printed shirts. Although true, dressing Mandela was a simple action that triggered a shift in West Africa’s sartorial self-image. Decades before it was thought of in these terms, Pathé’O and Mandela pulled off a since unmatched influencer-marketing coup… and the effects still reverberate today on a global level.

A 17-year-old penniless Pathé’O left his birth country Burkina Faso in search of a better life further west. With five years of formal education to his name, he supported himself with construction gigs until settling in Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire. There, he began an apprenticeship with a tailor — payment consisted of food and a spot to sleep on the workroom floor, but the experience upskilled him enough to start his own business.

Pathé’O’s pieces have always been created around a love for cotton shirting and dying techniques, which he honed by working with artisans in Mali and Burkina Faso. His flagship boutique has remained in the tailors’ quarter of Abidjan. Notably, his clients included women of the African diaspora who wanted to wear his designs abroad in Europe and the US.

The Mandela connection is thanks to Miriam Makeba, who discovered Pathé’O on her apartheid exile-fuelled travels. She wore his dresses for her live performances and, upon her return to South Africa in 1994 for Mandela’s inauguration, gifted him a selection of Pathé’O shirts.

It goes without saying that Mandela loved his gift. When French president Jacques Chirac invited him to France to celebrate Bastille Day in 1996, Mandela wore a regal gold Pathé’O shirt. The act had an immediate effect on Pathé’O’s business — he sold out his boutique stock in days. They would meet for the first time in 1997 at the Organisation for African Unity conference in Burkina Faso, where they struck up an instant friendship. “Sometimes you meet people and they take everything from you,” Pathé’O told the BBC. “He gave me everything.”

The Mandela-Pathé’O friendship’s significance goes beyond the economic benefits for Pathé’O, who opened boutiques in Mali, Burkina Faso and Cameroon. It promoted a trend of pride in identity which saw African businessmen and politicians moving away from wearing Western suits and embracing Pathé’O’s proudly African aesthetic.

Reports suggest Pathé’O has always been far more passionate about nurturing the African pride Mandela helped him establish than gaining any sort of foreign fame. And so, he saw his recent collaboration with Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri on her Resort 2020 collection not as a form of European validation, but rather as a modern platform to assert the relevance of African craftsmanship as a worthy form of luxury.

In light of fashion’s current infatuation with sustainable craftsmanship, Pathé’O’s resurgence into the global media spotlight couldn’t have come at a better time. In the same way his relationship with Mandela made echoes in the way Africans dressed, his Dior collaboration serves as a reminder to take pride in your identity and the skillset of local artisans. It’s the most stylish way to honour yourself, your community and your heritage.