In Senegal, for Eid in luxury outfits at half price

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Seynabou Sarr, known as Nabou, is overwhelmed with orders in her second-hand clothing store in the suburbs of Dakar for the great Muslim festival of Eid, called Tabaski in West Africa and celebrated by the majority in Senegal.

Barefoot, the young woman of 30 is active in a constant coming and going. Between two orders, which come in over the phone, she prepares a photo shoot to promote her flagship products: second-hand boubous.

With the purchase of mutton, condiments or new shoes, the festive outfit is a must for Eid.

Women and men wear traditional dresses and tunics for the occasion made from luxury fabrics decorated with embroidery or pearls. It is a significant expense that has become almost obligatory over time. Strong pressure on families and economies, even more so when times are tough.

Like the second-hand ready-to-wear trade in Western countries, the second-hand market for luxury boubous is experiencing growing success in Senegal.

Some new models can cost up to 250,000 FCFA (381 euros), a small fortune when the median salary is 54,000 FCFA (82 euros) per month.

At Nabou, it is possible to find them for less than 90,000 FCFA (137 euros). “Before, people were ashamed of wearing second-hand clothes and feared being mocked or denigrated. But more and more, they are becoming aware of the advantage of the second-hand market“, she explains.

The young woman launched her online business in 2018 before opening her store in 2022. She has more than 80,000 subscribers on TikTok.

Abdou Fall, a father, decided this year to buy a second-hand tunic, an elegant three-piece brown boubou with beautiful embroidery around the neck. He acquired it for 60,000 FCFA (90 euros), instead of the 130,000 (196,000 euros) that it would have been worth new.

“It was not in my plans to buy a boubou this year because I already had a lot to do with other expenses, he confides. But the price was so affordable that I thought I wouldn’t miss out.”

“Beautiful with little”

Most of the items belong to anonymous people who empty their wardrobe of outfits that have often only been used once.

Wearing the same dress two years in a row is often frowned upon. Used boubous must absolutely look new.

“Who can tell that it’s not new? Nobody. With little, you make yourself look as good as everyone else and you can also resell it in turn”rejoices Matar Sarr, another customer.

Textiles are one of the most polluting industries in the world. Only 13% of its materials are recycled in some way, according to a 2017 Ellen MacArthur Foundation report that is still the benchmark.

While some Senegalese criticize the waste of clothing during ceremonies, it is the financial argument that prevails for the majority.

Tabaski is not the only opportunity to treat yourself to affordable luxury. On the shelves, Khady Djiba is looking for a wedding dress for her little sister.

She examines the quality of the fabrics, runs her hand over the seams, lingers over the fur and finally chooses a white model with a long train enhanced with sparkling pearls.

If it had been new, this dress would have cost her at least 150,000 CFA francs (228 euros), too expensive. She bought it for 75,000 CFA francs (114 euros). The dress had a few flaws, but the seller reassured her: with a few alterations and a trip to the dry cleaners, it would be as good as new.

“It’s a good deal. I’m very satisfied.”sorry Khady Djiba.

For one afternoon, Nabou’s boutique is transformed into a showroom where young women act as models and pose in front of the cameras. Makeup, bursts of laughter, winks… The photos and videos will feed social networks.

“You will see, customers will snap up the models once they are posted on the networks”says one of the models with a smile.

AFP/VNA/CVN