Fake Threads

As briefly mentioned in “What’s your name” inhabitants of Dakar have a penchant for counterfeit clothing. I would argue that bootleg goods are helping to kill the vibrant sense of fashion and people’s individuality in terms their dress. The popularity of “ready-to-wear” or “prêt-a-porter” clothing has taken a hold of Senegal. While many people still buy fabric and visit a local tailor, many people, especially young people, are beginning to turn to the easier and cheaper way to purchase clothing. With tailors you bring the fabric and any amenity you would like added to your piece, lace, piping, jewels, etc. The tailor, almost all of whom are men, takes your measurements and evaluates whether you have enough fabric for your design. Most of the time you provide the design of the desired clothing. It is a lot of fun and can be a nice creative outlet. If you are not the imaginative type the you can tell the tailor what you want (dress, pants, outfit) made from the fabric and he or she will design it for you or you can look at a book of photos the tailor has of his of her work. I personally take great pleasure in designing my own outfits or “borrowing” my friend’s ideas.

Anyway, prêt-a-porter is significantly cheaper both monetarily and in quality. It is also omnipresent in Dakar. Vendors selling fake Channel tank tops or faux Lacoste belts walk around the neighborhoods hawking their goods. The markets, even the market that sells fabric, has many counterfeit goods from fake Louis V wallets to Prada shoes (that say Gucci on the inside, I swear) to fake Diesel jeans. Counterfeit is ubiquitous. This not just a Senegalese thing, at the clubs Arab men sporting faux Polo shirts sip their Cokes and talk to their girlfriends who have the faux Longchamp bags. At university every other person is wearing at least one item of prêt-a-porter. Caitlin bought “real Gucci sunglasses” for a very small price. Gucci is written across the bridge and is on crooked. On one side the silver medallion that should say Gucci is missing. They are the most ridiculous sunglasses but emblematic of “prêt-a-porter” and the new wave of Senegalese fashion.

I don’t think many people believe their knock-off goods are real. Otman, who I think has amassed a huge quantity of bootleg clothing, says he picks it out because it because it is accessible or he likes the way it looks. I don’t think he has any idea the price or the reputation of the real goods. He wears it because it was a gift from someone or he likes the color. I have noticed that friends oftentimes buy their friends the knock-off clothing as presents. While we in the US would be offended to receive a fake bag or pair of jeans, here these gifts are welcomed.

Senegalese style clothing- boubous, batiks, taille-basses, etc do come in prêt-a-porter but usually in an enormous size made for big mamas or for little children. If they do come in a more fitted size, usually batik dresses, it is not acceptable to wear them out of the house since they are considered house dresses. “Traditional” wear is not supposed to be fitted so the size doesn’t matter. Men wear their clothing huge so that it hangs off of their bodies. It is all the rage to wear tight clothing so young women will rarely wear huge boubous. It is far more common to see her wearing a taille-basse, which consists of a top and long skirt that when made at the tailor is usually fitted. All of the prêt-a-porter taille-basses I have seen come with enormous tops and fitted skirts. Not cute. The hugeness of the clothing sometimes makes it inappropriate for young women to wear because the armpit holes expose their breasts. For older women it’s fine because they do what they want and you end up seeing their breasts on a daily basis through the armpit hole of their boubou (I kid you not). It is far more attractive and wise just to go to the tailor and get measured.

One of my favorite pastimes is checking out counterfeit shirts. I enjoy picking out all of the grammar and spelling errors. One of Otman’s favorite Diesel shirts has establishment spelled wrong. His friend’s mother just sent him a gift of bootleg jeans and a tee shirt. The Dolce and Gabana tee said, “The best place for avantre is here.” It doesn’t make sense that Italian brand would write on their clothing in English. It makes less sense that the clothing is counterfeited to begin with.

A shirt is a shirt, a belt just a belt so it shouldn’t matter that they are fake. I think it does since it says something about what is being dumped into Senegal. Senegalese society is not materialistic nor brand obsessed as we are in North American and Europe. People buy the prêt-a-porter because it’s cheap. Those Channel tank tops are sold everywhere in a variety of colors for about $3. The bootleg clothing gives off the appearance that Senegalese culture is turning into a consumer haven. It also demonstrates to the outside that Senegalese people do not care about quality or that they can be easily fooled. I think the connotations are bogus. Already tailors are feeling the effects. Some have closed up shop while others have to raise their prices in order to make money. It is another example of something being introduced from the outside that is messing up the culture and the country.