With Jordan, Youssouf Fofana is Creating an Immersive, Alternative Cultural Experience at the Olympics

Concerned about the access young people will have during the Olympics, Fofana tells OkayAfrica via Zoom, “It’s very important to create an alternative that will mix cultural programs with sports programs.” Raised by Senegalese parents in France, Fofana says District 23 is inspired by his experience as a self-taught designer and creative who’s proud of his dual heritage of Africa and France. Centering his ideals around what he sees as synthesis and community, he’s been able to create designs that reflect the width of his personal background, while creating an ecosystem that pays it forward for the next generation of creatives.

District 23 is a continuation of his ethos, albeit on a bigger scale. In 2021, he launched United Youth International (Union de la Jeunesse Internationale) to begin hosting workshops for young people at the iconic Tati Barbès store, which shut down in 2020. It’s the same spot for District 23, which features a summer school curriculum for young creatives, art exhibitions, and more culturally curated elements.

For Fofana, this marks his third and biggest collaboration with Jordan Brand, and he’s thankful it aligns with his values. “When we started this project with Jordan Brand, the first thing we considered was how we can do something very authentic with a legacy for the community,” he says. “That’s what we’re about and I think it’s the same with Jordan. We’re creating a very big ecosystem in the neighborhood and they want to support it.”

Below Fofana discusses his personal path, his relationship with the Jordan Brand and District 23. Our interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

OkayAfrica: What was your guiding principle while curating District 23?

Youssouf Fofana: My principal guideline was synthesis. We are in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, it’s a very multicultural arrondissement, and I took inspiration from my own story because my parents are from Senegal and I was born in France. So, it’s a mixed point of my two cultures to create something new, a new language, and when we spoke with the Jordan team, my first thing is how the young people can feel the spirit of synthesis when they come into this space.

Here, we have a mix of French designs and African designs. We have a café, a traditional Parisian ring mixed with North African seats. For the menu, we worked with local moms from the neighborhood mixed with young talented chefs from the diaspora to create something new, and for the gallery, we have artists from all around. We have artists from New York with a Tunisian background, we have some artists from London with Nigerian background , artists from Paris with a Namibian background, and it’s very important to highlight how they use art to share a new narrative.

The summer school really caught my attention. Why is that so important to the general experience?

It’s very important because, when I started Maison Château Rouge, I did not go to fashion school. I learned by myself, with magazines, I saw a lot of videos on YouTube, a lot of interviews with designers, and I started step by step. It was very difficult for me to find who [could] help me, and I think this summer school is very important because we have a very huge scene of new designers in Paris. A lot of these designers are from the diaspora and I think they’ve experienced the same problems as me, and the whole of this project, or my own role in Paris, is how I can create a new community and assist the new generation to overcome obstacles.

How does your personal mission play into District 23?

I grew up in the suburbs of Paris and it’s very particular because when I was at home I lived like a traditional Senegalese. My parents spoke Soninke and we ate traditional Senegalese dishes. But in school or at work, I live like a very French guy and it was very difficult sometimes to find a good meeting point, like a balance. When I went to Senegal during holidays, people said, “You are French, you are not Senegalese,” and I lived with the two comparatives from Senegal and from France. That’s why I co-found Maison Château Rouge, because I want to be part of the solution, and I want to propose some alternative, to give some answers for the young kids, because I'm very convinced that if we create a reference point, kids after us will not experience the same thing.

What would you say is the ultimate achievement for this particular experience?

I think, for me, the big achievement is the legacy we leave after the project. When I started my first project, I didn’t have a lot of money but I left a legacy because I worked with the local community. I worked with local tailors and local fabrics, and step by step I made a big impact. And, now, I’m very happy to do this project with the Jordan Brand, because it's like a continuity of my project but bigger and with a more impactful legacy for the neighborhood and for the community. When I started, my ambition was to do projects like these and I’m very happy that it’s happening.