Ndiaga Diouf posing for the first Tàccu issue

Ndiaga Diouf is on a journey to put the Senegalese fashion scene on the map with his online fashion magazine TÀCCU. We caught up with him to learn more about the genesis of such a project.

Who is Ndiaga Diouf?

I am a 26 year old man who would describe himself as funny, stubborn and sarcastic.

Would you say your own personality translates to Tàccu?

To a certain extent yes (laughs). I guess you can feel it in my writing style: in the captions or articles for instance. Sometimes it can either sound sarcastic, fun or bitchy (laughs).

How did you get started in fashion?

I actually didn’t know I was passionate about fashion. Nothing I did during my academic studies was related to fashion. I opted for digital communication, e-business and multimedia after 2 years of medical school. Then, I finished my education with a project management master’s degree. Now, I am working as a copywriter in a communication agency.

Fashion came up when I randomly started working for a stylist who had just settled in Dakar. She was a friend of a friend and she couldn’t speak any French or Wolof. She needed someone to help her translate all her conversations. As a student, I just wanted to make a little extra money so I started working for her as an Assistant. Her work was related to Art, which I love and was focused on woven fabrics - she had worked as a costume designer for the movie Queen of Katwe. I was curious and my interest in that job grew every day. I started out asking questions until I was able to express my own opinions.

Fashion and lifestyle blogger @lesthete_ for Tàccu challenge #TACCUCHALLENGE #TACCUISTHENEWVOGUE

Amazing. And how did that experience lead you to create your own fashion platform?

One day back in 2017 during a random discussion in a taxi, she told me how surprised she was that there was no street style website in Dakar. She thought the colourful and vibrant fashion styles of Dakar should be celebrated. At the time I didn’t even know what a street style site was. But after her explanations I loved the idea and decided I would create one.

What I did not know was that there was already an existing “Dakar Street Style” Instagram account. But that account wasn’t very active. After waiting for months (until September or October) I tweaked the name and launched my account: Dakar Street Style. I hosted the account from 2017 to 2020, posting people’s outfits, fashion weeks’ debriefs (which people loved), the runway collections and who wore what.

Koko brand for Tàccu’s cover

Now Street Style Dakar has been replaced by Tàccu Magazine. Can you tell us how that transition happened?

Street Style Dakar was exciting but at some point I lost my enthusiasm. I felt like I had covered the whole topic, from all angles. I was questioning my work: “What is my added value?” “What made my work unique?”. I wanted to do something new. I felt like I was putting myself in a box: my passion for fashion was bigger than street style.

I was thinking a lot at that time and didn’t know what to do next. I would always say to my friends that my biggest dream was to be editor in chief for a well-known magazine. But the idea didn’t make its way into my mind directly. It was only when I was turning ideas over in my head about what was missing in the Senegalese fashion scene that I realised we did not have a magazine that would showcase our Senegalese photographers, stylists, designers, makeup artists and so on. From that moment, I knew what I wanted Street Style Dakar to be: a fashion magazine.

What about the rebranding of this new direction? How was it received by your community?

I couldn’t keep the same name as I was going a broader new direction. So, after some time thinking about it, I found “Tàccu” (which means “clapping” in Wolof): short, easy, meaningful, the name was perfect. I could create a whole concept around it. I had a couple of ideas but they weren’t punchy enough. I thought about “petaw” (cowrie) too common, or “fatayer” (samosa), too foodie. (laugh)

Then once I got a second opinion about the name from a good friend of mine who’s also a copywriter, things happened quickly. I made a Tàccu “bible” for myself. I presented the concept to one of my friends who is a visual content creator. I wanted to shoot a video to make this big announcement. We shot it the same week and a couple of days later I told the whole world that Street Style Dakar was from now on going to be Tàccu magazine. It was so well received! It was like people were waiting for it.

Great model Amy Faye for Tàccu challenge #TACCUCHALLENGE #TACCUISTHENEWVOGUE

So, you started Street Style Dakar on your own alongside your job and studies. Is it still the case with Tàccu? Have you built up a team to work with on this big project?

Not at all. I am still the only one behind the project. However, I am not working on it all by myself. I always discuss my choices with my good friend who’s a copywriter. I also ask the opinions of the people around me and the other creatives I work with.

Do you have a clear vision of where you want to get to with Tàccu?

I have projects. I would like it to be a printed magazine maybe in 3 or 4 years. But for now, I want it to be solely digital. I want it to be fun, young, I want to create fashion memes, Tàccu Awards…I have a lot of ideas!

What is the message behind Tàccu? What do you want to tell the world with your magazine?

I want to put the Senegalese fashion scene on the map. I want to show how amazing and unique Senegalese creatives are. We have great talents here. Affirming who we are will also go against the common misconception of Africa as a country. I don’t really like the “Made in Africa” tag. It’s too easy to jump on this tag because Africa is trendy. But Africa is Senegal, Mali, Togo, Soudan and so on. I’ve never seen a “Made in Europe” or “Made in America” tag. Instead I see “Made in France”, “Made in Italy”. I want to promote “Made in Senegal”. The expression of fashion is very different from one country to another.

Entrepreneur Papi for Tàccu challenge #TACCUCHALLENGE #TACCUISTHENEWVOGUE

What have been your major challenges so far?

My number one challenge is always money! (laughs) But seriously, the main problem I face in my work is the brands’ marketing. Let’s take the example of our latest article about Eid collections. Eid is like a red carpet time in Senegal. Tailors are booked up 2 to 3 weeks before because everyone wants to wear the best outfit for Tabaski (Eid el Kebir in Senegal). So, I wanted to showcase Eid collections with Tàccu. But to my great surprise, I found that there were only 2 to 3 designers who had created special collections for Tabaski. I was a bit confused. I wish there was more to showcase for such an important celebration, all over the country. In Senegal, our designers don’t do regular SS or FW collections because it doesn’t make sense here but I really think they should consider making collections in line with the religious celebrations which are fashion peaks here.

One other thing is how brands shoot their products or the lack of marketing campaigns. If brands want people to buy their products, they have to show them how their products will come to life when they will wear them. As far as I am concerned, if they produce quality shoots I will have more content to share on my page. To give you an idea, there are designers who often contact me to ask if they can pay me to share their brands with Tàccu. But that’s not how I envision my work. If they produce quality shoots, I won’t wait for them to ask, I will share their work. We have a long way to go but there are some designers who are doing this already and doing it well.

Fashion and lifestyle blogger @bob.and.mat for Tàccu challenge #TACCUCHALLENGE #TACCUISTHENEWVOGUE

Have you experienced difficult times so far?

Not really but I had those phases of doubt when I didn’t know if I still wanted to keep going with Street Style Dakar. At that period of time, I went to a seminar hosted by one of my friends about Instagram. They were talking about how to manage your account with vision. I wasn’t going to participate but at some point I asked a question about my doubts about Street Style Dakar. Firstly, I was surprised that a lot of people in the room knew Street Style Dakar. Secondly, they were all surprised that I felt my page had no purpose. They told me how this page helped them feel more confident in their style, how it helped them to be more bold. I was about to give up on that account but that moment gave me so much energy that I felt like I had to keep pushing.

What are your biggest wins so far?

Without any hesitation, the Vogue Challenge wave. I’m not sure if it’s a win but it was a great moment of gratitude. There was this sad news every day about Black people facing violence and racism, the “support Black businesses” movement started and the Vogue Challenge happened. Some friends were telling me they were expecting my Vogue Challenge. But I couldn’t see myself doing a Vogue Challenge while I had my own magazine”. I tweeted “I’m not into the Vogue Challenge. I’ll do Tàccu.”. I shared Tàccu covers that I created for this challenge and people liked them. The wave moved from Twitter to Instagram where one of our well-known Senegalese artists Papi (@l.artrepreneur) shared a story saying he was ready for a Tàccu Challenge. I shared the assets in a link in the bio and said we were ready and waiting for Tàccu covers, with no big expectation. Guess what, it was a hit! People loved it! I literally had to switch off my phone to charge it because of all the notifications I was receiving! People were participating over and over again, from everywhere. I was shocked. I got more than 1500 followers in 2 days. And the covers were so nice! That’s the reason why I did that thank-you video to show them their support meant a lot. What they did was unbelievable!

One Tàccu follower @theblulover for Tàccu challenge #TACCUCHALLENGE #TACCUISTHENEWVOGUE

Speaking of this incredible achievement, what were your main lessons learnt throughout this journey?

What I have learned is that you can’t go anywhere without a community. My community supported Street Style Dakar from the very beginning. People here would always send me texts to show their support. Now with Tàccu, people are showing their support from everywhere. It gives me the energy to do my best everytime. I want to thank all those people who support me by giving my best in my work.

I have also learnt that you need to take your time. Especially when you’re a creative. If you don’t have any ideas, take your time and don’t put yourself under pressure. For instance, after the Tàccu Challenge wave, some friends congratulated me but they were putting pressure on me saying that now I will have to do more. A lot of people were saying the same thing and I started doubting myself. “Why were they all saying that from now on I will have to do better as if I wasn’t already doing my best?” I didn’t let the doubts knock me down for too long. I got my thoughts in order and kept in mind that the only thing that matters was that I was doing my best every time, and always trying to do better.

What words of wisdom keep you motivated?

There are two expressions I always keep in mind. The first is “Dreams don’t work unless you do”. And to join Ndaane’s meaning, I really believe in the power of attraction, in manifesting your intentions. You already have anything you want and believe in. You just have to put the hard work behind it.

My second favourite expression is from Lady Gaga: “People will always talk. So let’s give them something to talk about.”.When people ask me “Who do you think you are?” I tell them I am the biggest editor in Senegal or even the world. Anna Wintour had better watch out (laughs). If you believe in something and do whatever you can to make it happen, the universe will send you positive responses.

From Street Style Dakar to TÀCCU Magazine: The Power Of Community