On Saturday, January 20, Black designer Olivier Rousteing put on the much anticipated Balmain Fall/Winter 2024 menswear show. The show did not disappoint, as Rousteing sent pieces down the runway that we knew celebrities would be dying to wear on upcoming press tours and red carpets. However, others in the fashion world noticed that the jewelry used on a few models was identical another Black designer’s in the industry.
On the Balmain runway, some models wore face jewelry, a gold line straight down the middle of their faces, a striking piece that added just the right amount of flair to the looks. Unfortunately, Rousteing is not the creator of this jewelry, but rather Sara Diouf of the Tongoro brand.
Tongoro is an African brand, known for its gorgeous prints, patterns, and vibrant colors. It was launched in the Spring of 2016 by Sara Diouf. All of the pieces are made in Dakar, Senegal. One of the most important parts of the brand is its ability to bring more opportunities to Senegal per its website, “By sourcing our materials on the continent and working with local tailors, our long-term goal is to create a new dynamic for Africa-based manufacturing, and foster the economic and social development of artisanal workers in Western Africa.”
The CAIRO face jewelry in question debuted on the Tongoro runway in 2019. Over the years celebrities like Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell (who did the closing walk in the Balmain show), Alicia Keys, and Iman have all worn the brand’s pieces. One of the brand’s purses was even seen on Issa Rae’s hit show “Insecure.”
One element of this controversy that is eyebrow-raising is that just last year both of the designers, Rousteing and Diouf, created looks for Beyoncé’s Renaissance world tour. Could that have been when Rousteing was “inspired” by Diouf’s artistry?
Tongoro and Diouf created a joint post on Instagram addressing the controversy by typing:
“Inspired by the Woodabe tribe men’s makeup, the face piece was first presented in our « Tongoro Tribe » collection runway show in Dakar, paying hommage to African nomadic communities. The visible similarity of the piece presented by @olivier_rousteing for his @balmain FW24 Mens collection to ours, is a challenging and painful event, questioning yet again the actual regards Western brands claim to have towards African creativity while openly saying being « inspired » by it... How long?”
This is an unfortunate event if the jewelry was purposely stolen. Rousteing took to his Instagram after the runway show to write that his newest clothing show, “the citizen of the world.” If this new line is supposed to represent the world then he needs to give credit to fellow Black designers instead of allegedly stealing.