In Cotonou, young designers reinterpret the style of Gnonnas Pedro

From September 14 to 18, 2026, graduates of the School of Fashion Design and Accessories (ESDAM) will unveil their final collections in Cotonou. For this Fashion Graduation 2026, the school has chosen to explore the dialogue between clothing creation and cultural memory centered around Gnonnas Pedro.

The project goes beyond merely revisiting a historical silhouette. The students have focused on the codes associated with the Beninese musician and how to translate them into contemporary pieces. ESDAM presents this sequence as both a creative exercise and a means of transmission.

One of the graduates, for instance, built her collection around “Gbêto é no mon,” a song by Gnonnas Pedro. The school explains that the song served as a starting point for her visual universe, a way to convey a musical reference through volumes, materials, and styling.

On August 18, Marius Gnonnas met with the students to discuss his father’s journey, his career, and the fashion codes that accompanied his various periods. This immersion preceded the presentations and provides the collections with a documented framework on the artist’s aesthetic.

Gnonnas Pedro, born in 1943 in Cotonou and passed away in 2004, established himself as one of the prominent figures in Beninese salsa and notably performed with Africando. Universal Music notes that he also traversed highlife and jùjú, singing in multiple languages, including mina, yoruba, French, English, and Spanish.

For the young designers, this repertoire opens up a broader field than just stage costumes. Colors, attitudes, Afro-Cuban references, and the heritage of southwestern Benin become avenues to be translated into materials, cuts, and accessories. The choice of a local artist gives the exercise a distinctly Beninese identity.

The presentations are scheduled from September 14 to 18. ESDAM specifies that its Fashion Certificate is awarded by a certification committee after evaluating the students’ achievements, and it also supports learners aiming for a Professional Qualification Certificate or a Qualification Certificate for trades.