Maison Delacour: The spring collection debut of storied fashion designer Akou Delacour
Internationally acclaimed fashion designer Akou Delacour recently showcased his collection at the American Club in Dhaka.The night was a resounding success and the dancefloor was full of bass and praises of the designer’s artistic choices
Bangladesh is the textile capital of the world. You would be hard pressed to find a brand that does not source its fabrics from Bangladesh. So it was both a breath of fresh air and long overdue for our capital to host a prolific fashion designer, entrepreneur and role model.
'Maison Delacour' was the spring collection debut of storied fashion designer Akou Delacour at the American Club in Dhaka on 17 March.
Dealing in ravishing reds and gregarious greens, the designer effaced himself completely and was omnipresent at the event simultaneously.
Revelry and runway
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The show's guests included the small and tight-knit expat community mingled with Dhaka's upper class elite, alongside fashion lovers and industry veterans.
The slightly uneven runway was centre stage, integrated with nature and encircling a tree entangled in fairy lights with chandeliers hanging from its boughs.
This was fantastic foreshadowing for Akou's fashion line as most of it would have themes of 'wildness', 'ferocity' and 'nature' all woven from his artistic vision, replete with class.
To the left of the stage was a halogen lit photo booth flanked by white tables filled with goodie bags for the guests.
By design
The designer himself was bedecked head to toe in a regal purple and gold getup, greeting guests, marshalling models and putting the final touches on everything.
Effortless and effusive, observing him for even a brief moment would strike you with the revelation of why such a storied designer who has been featured in New York, studied in Paris, featured and covered by big name publications, would be debuting his fashion line here. Simple, it is because he sees opportunity.
Delacour is one of the founding members of GoDeskOne, a fabric sourcing, quality controlled intermediary in the textile supply chain. The artist is multifaceted, his eye for design is well complemented by his shrewd business acumen.
A 'dogmatic' pre-show
The highlight of the evening was a dog show. Seven dogs were shown off to the audience who were in the full swing of revelry.
A Covid-19 doctor, Dr Neely shared the tale of her Guatemalan rescue dog Ketzi, who was the only one in the shelter that was not barking.
On the other side of the spectrum was a nervous bundle of energy called Tikka whose owner Kelly, is the dog's emotional support human.
When asked how his experience on the runway was, Ketzi the quiet black dog curtly replied, "Ruff."
Model behaviour
The gala show started off with an acapella song by AfroBangla artist Oli and transitioned smoothly into the first dresses of the night.
Akou understands his environment and audience so well, he starts with ravishing reds and gregarious greens. On the birth anniversary of the Father of our Nation, Akou had the audience already enraptured and dealing in double entendres out-the-gate.
The designer's last showcase had themes of liberation, feminism, and self-assertion, he changed tack in favour of vibrancy, colour and "the inner wildness" as described by the jovial master of ceremonies, Omar.
Our own Miss Universe Methila absolutely stole the show, to no one's surprise, in a beautiful backless flowers-on-white ball gown with arm length black gloves and a black bow around her waist.
The DJ Oni was on point the whole night and mixed tunes to have the crowd ready to bust a move as the show ended and the models alongside their designer took their bows.
The night was a resounding success and the dancefloor was full of bass and praises of the designer's artistic choices.
The models were finally able to let loose and really show the rest of the guests how to properly use a photobooth. Akou received all the flowers in the afterparty, both literally and metaphorically.
'If you cannot wear confidence properly, no outfit can save you'
TBS caught the designer Akou Delacour amidst the post show celebrations for a few questions
In 2016 you were dancing and designing to Beyonce's New Style on your YouTube channel, is that still part of your creative process?
Oh my God, I cannot believe you have seen that! That record was very inspiring to me, you know it was very much about black power and I just loved the song and was inspired to make a whole fashion line based on that and as for the dancing, I just love to dance, it keeps the energy up.
Your work is about inspiring other fashion designers, who are the people that inspire you?
I have a friend who I met here, Anna, she's French and she inspires me a lot. She makes sure that her factory provides equal employment opportunities to marginalised denominations.
There is a lot of homophobia in the fashion industry still, which does not make sense. How can you buy Chanel and still be a homophobe?
What fashion advice do you have for men?
You know a lot of people think that men do not care about how they dress. When you look at the figures, however, it is the men who spend the most.
Look around you, everyone here is dressed to the nines and they are not doing it for you or me, they are doing it for them.
Fashion is one of the most primal and primary ways of expressing yourself - it is about making a first impression. If you cannot wear confidence properly, no outfit can save you.
