Etienne Diop, who recently showcased his collection at the Paris Fashion Week brings up again the importance of the ongoing revolution in fashion. A revolution that recreates the abided rules and brings further the crucial importance of the artisanal side of the industry.

I’d like to begin with asking you about your early progressing years. How was life and what influences and inspiration were you amidst while growing up?

These recent years I have learned a lot, been inspired a lot, I woke up on my culture, being closer to my culture, and to learn more is my best inspiration. It's just here, with me, it’s my family, my friend and what surrounds me. This “waking up” gave me the confidence to develop my identity and the identity of what I do in my art.

Please describe the cultural understanding you began building while discovering your creative outlet... How did fashion happen to you? What is the story?

After my high school, I did one year course in design at Nimes University, I did not really like it because it was too theoretical. During my years I did an internship at a fashion atelier and I really liked that, so I decided to do a formation of two years for becoming a model. After that I did an internship at tailoring atelier in Paris «Camps de Luca» and a formation of one years at «La chambre syndicale de la haute Couture Parisienne», who permitted me to be a candidate and participate to the Fashion Design master at IFM. My internship at Camps de Luca evoked something inside me, being closer to a slow fashion and artisanal fashion. As things process, I like more designer like CCP and Boris Abidjan, and others alike who inspired me.

Speaking of innovative materials and art to wear… What did you like about this idea? What difficulties and challenges did you encounter while developing your suits?

For me, we are now at a moment where we can’t do anymore pieces, we need to innovate and it’s very much on to innovate about the shape and innovating the fabrics. In my collection I developed some pieces more ready to wear and some more exposition-like, I think it’s important to divide my collection with pieces like top and pants, with some accessory, and align towards more of luxury my jacket pieces and my weaving pieces which are more heritage pieces. Such weavings were made by a family 30 years ago, so my challenges were to make perfect pieces for these important fabrics.

Let’s get into your conceptualisation and creative process. How do you navigate the overall flow?

I work firstly by styling, put old garment, re-cut, re-sew to find another shape, after that I do some collage with my styling to find my look and my garment. I use the mostly used fabric only from the end of rolls, sourcing fabric for me it’s really important. For the finishing I do a lot of toiles and mocks-up in 3D for finalising my looks.

What is it that you like about the current times we’re living in? Do you have any guilty pleasures? What fears do you hold for the world that is on its way to be experienced?

I don’t do a 100% ethical fashion, but I think we need to do only political and ecological fashion now, I love to do upcycling and get the rests of fabrics to give them a new life, like I do with the weaving of my collection. But it’s a long way to change this fashion mentality, we are just at the beginning.

What do you think about the consequences of industrial culture that impacts mental health… and the constant growing mentality of survival mode and consumption habits?

My ideal fashion is the slow fashion, produce less for producing better, and not create new textiles but reuse fabric and garment to provide them with a new life and identity, it’s important for us and important for our planet. With this also comes the idea to be closer to artisanal fashion, this work is in good conditions for everyone.

The line between art and design are fading where both are constantly evolving. How do you view this? What would you like to say on the idea of certain designs becoming art?

For me and for how I work, my design is my art. We, the new generation, do more artistic fashion as commercial fashion and it’s really important to be back in the past and bring more artistic elements in our design.