00:02From Gabon's forests to the runway in the French capital, derived from palm leaves and traditionally reserved for Gabon's nobles
00:11and village chiefs,
00:12Rafia gained international attention on the runways of the world's fashion capital last week.
00:18Gabonese fashion designer Chuchu Lazard has made a name for himself using the natural fibers to craft his award-winning
00:26garments.
00:26Whether brided, sewn or glued to bastions or skirts, nearly all of Lazard's dresses incorporate Rafia.
00:34Lazard says he learned his craft by designing dresses for the two most important women in his life, his mother
00:41and grandmother.
00:43And in reading his latest collection for the show in Paris, they remained his inspiration.
00:50Gabonese Rafia is distinctive. It is woven very finely. It is a textile that deserves to be shown.
00:59Although the signature material is used throughout his collection, the natural fibers are never dyed.
01:05In the Central African country, Rafia has special significance.
01:11Rafia was originally used by nobles, by the village chief, and it was a code.
01:17It depended on the length of your Rafia and the pattern on it, because they were also patterns made from
01:23tree bark.
01:24It is a traditional fabric that is also part of our country's spirituality.
01:29It is a fabric that speaks to the ancestors.
01:35Nowadays, no longer just for nobility, Rafia features at Gabonese traditional weddings and indigenous Buiti spiritual ceremonies.
01:44Lazard wants it to go global.
01:47Our culture needs to assert itself, at least in textiles.
01:51I would really like this textile to be recognized as a treasure for Gabon and to be protected.
01:57But for that, we need to work more and also show it abroad.
02:00That is why I am happy, but also very stressed, to present it in Paris.
02:06Lazard was only nine years old when he began helping out his mother with her sewing to make ends meet.
02:13He has never received formal training in fashion.
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