The best fashion and gift stores - Ivory Coast in 2024

Practical information : Treat yourself (& others) Ivory Coast

Timetable

Store opening hours are similar to those in France, although some close a little earlier, around 6pm. A good idea is to visit villages of craftsmen specialized in a particular type of manufacture (pottery, weavers, blacksmiths, etc.), which are mostly found in the countryside and more particularly in the north of the country, in the Sénoufo region. You need to go there during the day to see the craftsmen at work. Abidjan is full of designer stores and fashion concept stores, and it would be a pity not to visit them to bring back beautiful souvenirs and gifts.

What's very local

If there's one African capital where fashion is king, it's Abidjan, where all trends converge, where some of the greatest designers have sprung from, and where even the penniless still find a way to stay in style. All you need to do is observe the permanent spectacle of the street, particularly at dusk, when the decibels begin to invade the maquis and fashionable clubs, and the carefree youth, by turns swaying and showing off, unveils itself in an incessant parade. For blacks and whites alike, appearance is everything. For the well-to-do, daddy's boys and other seasoned pranksters, it's all brand-name clothes, flashy jewelry, designer glasses, the latest accessories and Italian shoes that proudly and ostentatiously beat the pavement, to the point where the famous Congolese sapeurs can now... go and put their clothes back on. For those with less means, there's always the alternative of yougou-yougou, cheap European fripe imported en masse by the Lebanese, mixed, assembled and matched into ever more inventive and exuberant outfits. The lucky beneficiary of this art of recycling, which characterizes many Ivorian artistic creations, is the stylist Étienne Marcel (he owes his name to his beginnings in the Sentier district of Paris), initiator of the clothing phenomenon known as "farot-farot" and idol of the "blakoros", those penniless young show-offs. The term "farot-farot" originated with the crazies roaming the streets of Abidjan, dressed in patched pants worn to the bone. The fatô jean ("crazy man's jeans" in Malinké) gave Étienne Marcel the idea of designing shirts and pants from archaic loincloths and bogolans to which were sewn yokes of old denim. This "farotized" fatô became a popular craze, and soon became the trademark of every fashion-conscious person. Other renowned designers and stylists who have left their mark on the Côte d'Ivoire fashion scene include Malian Chris Seydou - the first African designer to work for Yves Saint-Laurent and Paco Rabanne, he spent many years in Côte d'Ivoire and was the mentor of the famous Pathé'O - who has succeeded in harmoniously blending African sartorial tradition with the obligations of the modern world, or Nawal El Assad, an Ivorian-Lebanese mix who specializes in haute couture and ready-to-wear. In creations as original as they were stylish, she combined the brightness and variety of colors of printed or woven loincloths with basic materials such as cotton canvas, raw silk, denim, linen and bogolan, composing pieces that were both refined and whimsical, full of contrasts and nuances, as if to bear witness to the cultural plurality of the Ivory Coast.

Tourist traps

There are always pushy salesmen of all kinds trying to lure you to this or that store. Be sure to say no firmly, but not aggressively.

The best fashion and gift stores Ivory Coast

LIBRAIRIE DE FRANCE

CISS ST-MOISE

NOTA BENE CREATIONS

WOODIN

BOBLIN LA MER

FNAC

IMALK CONCEPT

SPORT 3

CENTRE ARTISANAL

ETTYKA

PATHE’O

COMPTOIR DES ARTISANS

VILLAGE ARTISANAL DE GRAND-BASSAM

CAP SUD

PRIMA CENTER

LIBRAIRIE LE SCRIBE

LIBRAIRIE NEWS & PAPERS

CASINO MANDARINE

GILLES TOURE

YALERRI

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Practical information : Treat yourself (& others) Ivory Coast

Timetable

What's very local

Tourist traps