{"id":1779460,"date":"2026-02-19T10:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T07:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1779460"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T07:46:00","slug":"gringo-is-a-state-of-mind-inside-the-fashion-brand-built-on-afrofuturism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1779460","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Gringo is a state of mind\u2019: Inside the fashion brand built on Afrofuturism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-196-1309-872\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438019.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article longread\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/fashion\/article\/69676\/1\/gringo-custum-fashion-brand-built-on-afrofuturism-dakar\" data-article-id=\"69676\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\" data-template=\"Longread Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1700\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438019.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Adrien <span class=\"nowrap\">de Hemptinne<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T10:46:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">DateInMeta<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical vertical - fashion\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>\u2018Gringo is a state of mind\u2019: Inside the fashion brand built <span class=\"nowrap\">on Afrofuturism<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>At a fashion shoot in Dakar, Gringo Custum creative director Neguin Yembas discusses identity, luxury and being <span class=\"nowrap\">an outsider<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T10:46:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - fashion\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-19T10:46:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/NathanPietrelle\">Nathan Pietrelle<\/a><\/span><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Photography\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Photography<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/AdrienDeHemptinne\">Adrien de Hemptinne<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-19-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Gringo Custum<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/0\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1133\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1700-1133\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438018.jpg\" width=\"1700\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/1\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-196-1309-872\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438019.jpg\" width=\"1309\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/2\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-221-1360-906\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438020.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/3\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1360-906\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438021.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/4\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-353-1360-906\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438022.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/5\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"908\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-400-1362-908\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438023.jpg\" width=\"1362\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 19 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>At the heart of Gringo Custum is two friends: Neguin and Yan. The pair founded the brand in 2022 shortly after arriving in Senegal from Gabon. Neguin is the designer, a jack-of-all-trades always on the lookout for anything slightly quirky, who basically just wanted to dress differently. Yan\u2019s his safe guy, a more discreet type, in charge of management alongside the coordinator, Harry, the brand\u2019s third figure, who introduced us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gringo is a very specific creative process. Using patching and upcycling techniques that make each piece a unique product, Neguin checks, cuts and reconstructs. No patterns, no sketching. Everything\u2019s conceived and assembled on the spot before being handed over to Moussa, the couturier. It\u2019s a very intuitive process, closer to that of a visual artist than a fashion designer \u2013 as Neguin says, clothing is a medium of artistic expression he practices like painting, or video, which makes his designs almost performative statement pieces, whether day or evening wear. They border on costume; they need to be lived and incarnated with attitude, like a fictional character or a punk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gringo is definitely a punk state of mind \u2013 not just in its DIY approach but also in its relationship to marginality. Neguin\u2019s vision depicts the gringo as an outsider who is one with his world, yet fails to go unnoticed. It\u2019s all eye-catching colours, pattern games, textile collages, an instantly recognisable yet paradoxically isolated look \u2013 all the while firmly occupying the centre of attention. Neguin diverts the trope of the stranger and reclaims it with an exaggerated eccentricity, wanting to make the gringo ever more visible, ever more audacious. That\u2019s the brand\u2019s essence: the need to be together, and yet apart. In the end, when you wear Gringo, you\u2019re in the crew. You belong \u2013 and wherever you are, you aren\u2019t alone. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"9c7f1833-e723-4d08-996f-b3f5011a70c5\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438036.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1700\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438036.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Gringo Custum<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Adrien <span class=\"nowrap\">de Hemptinne<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you got to where you are today?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>What started it all for me was just wanting to be myself. When I arrived in Senegal in 2019 to study, I didn\u2019t necessarily set out to start a brand, but I wanted to dress differently. That\u2019s what really pushed me to create my own designs. And in 2022, seeing people start to appreciate it here and there, I started to make it for profit. I said to myself, \u2018Why not really focus on it? It could lead somewhere.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>So where does your interest in fashion come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>I don\u2019t think I have a particular interest in fashion, as I\u2019m not just into clothes. It\u2019s more art that interests me, in a general sense. In the end, it\u2019s cultural. I don\u2019t necessarily go around saying this, but I have Congolese origins and I think for a lot of people the Congo is a very cultural country, geared towards everything \u2013 that\u2019s garms, vintage culture. So I always got a kick out of seeing my dad dressed up in suits and stuff like that, and I started to dig style from a very early age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>That\u2019s what led you to create Gringo, to share this world, because people were into it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>Gringo is really an intergenerational identity that speaks to everyone. Old people who wear the brand, young people, and some kids appreciate the work. Not everyone can access the garment or wear it, given Senegal\u2019s locality and climate, but seeing older people appreciate the garments speaks to me \u2013 that\u2019s the most important thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cGringo was a way of defining my personality. If you look at the meaning, a gringo is a foreigner and when I arrived in Senegal I really felt like a foreigner in everything I did\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Can you expand on the Gringo identity \u2013 why did you choose the name and what do you mean by it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>Gringo, in a nutshell, was a way of defining my personality. If you look at the meaning, a gringo is a foreigner, and when I arrived in Senegal, I really felt like a foreigner in everything I did. So it\u2019s more a state of mind I\u2019ve adapted to what I\u2019m wearing. You really recognise Gringo by the fabrics, the cuts, the extravagance, its avant-gardism. Which makes it easy to get attached to the look. And I think that\u2019s what gave me the strength to really be different and really assert that identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As an outsider who\u2019s also Gabonese, how do people in Dakar perceive your creations \u2013 this sense of marginality won\u2019t necessarily please everyone?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>We see the work is well-received. We\u2019ve got all kinds of clients: artists, public figures, fathers, businessmen. It&#8217;s more the prejudices that people have in the street, actually.\u00a0<\/span><span>I\u2019ve sometimes been the victim of stuff, of harassment, where I\u2019d get somewhat homophobic insults about my style. For them, such and such fabric is feminine, such and such textile is pretty weird.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We need to remember Senegalese culture\u2019s relationship to religion, which can also limit artistic opinion. When I started working on my brand, I motivated people and inspired them to be themselves. A lot of people have contacted me on the down low to find out where I buy and who makes my pieces. That means they\u2019re interested. You can see the results of the brand \u2013 you can see that we\u2019re evolving, we&#8217;re being appreciated!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"a842d4fa-292c-463d-b9fa-b3f5011a5e3f\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438029.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1700\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438029.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Gringo Custum<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Adrien <span class=\"nowrap\">de Hemptinne<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>You\u2019re very much into the patchwork and upcycling aesthetic. Is there a premise behind this way of conceiving clothing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>For me, it all starts when I walk down the street. It\u2019s not any particular place \u2013 I tell myself that anything can bring me something. I might find something with a street vendor and put the fabric aside. I might find a piece and put it aside. Then, when I see the fabric, I sit with it, it speaks to me. And the thing to emphasise is that I don\u2019t draw my pieces. I make them on the spot. That\u2019s also what makes the brand so special: we\u2019ve never made any sketches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As opposed to designers of a previous generation who are still pretty focused on the \u201cGrand Boubou\u201d [the best-known traditional African garment] or other archetypes, you make clothes that are warm, that aren\u2019t necessarily adapted to the climate here. How do your clothes maintain an international influence, while still claiming a certain African-ness?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>The super afro side, it\u2019s really the environment. Because in my campaigns, I share a lot of the African ecosystem \u2013 this kind of ghetto, urban side. <\/span>I\u2019m not really into luxury, even if I can do luxury pieces. I don\u2019t really want to show myself in a world that isn\u2019t mine.<span> I\u2019m not going to sell something that I don\u2019t live. I sell my pieces in an environment that I know, that I master and which I inhabit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Even the fabrics I use aren\u2019t all imported. Some of them have been made here by hand. We\u2019re an avant-garde, Afrofuturist brand. That\u2019s to say that we go beyond cultural codes, which is why people from elsewhere, people like you, are interested. Whether you\u2019re African, European or Asian, you can find yourself in the pieces. It means you\u2019re showcasing something that doesn\u2019t necessarily come from your community, but that makes you feel good. That\u2019s the aim of the brand, that\u2019s the aim of the work. And it\u2019s paying off.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m not really into luxury, even if I can do luxury pieces. I don\u2019t really want to show myself in a world that isn\u2019t mine. I\u2019m not going to sell something that I don\u2019t live\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>When I first came here, I did some initial curatorial research into West African thought on art and its philosophy. And I really understood textile as a means for the transmission of ancient memories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>What people don\u2019t know is that I\u2019m someone who has been very much affected by life. I\u2019ve been sick, paralysed. My brand isn\u2019t just clothes that people come and buy just to wear. It\u2019s first and foremost a story. I have been very alone, and it\u2019s these things that allow me to express my feelings, my experiences, my sadness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Because already, you\u2019re alone as a student at home in Senegal. Not many of us will have a business or get to go to Europe for a fashion show. Not many of us will have interviews, do editorials and make clothes. They can sell or send pieces to their parents, they do a bit of business, but for me, it\u2019s not the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Our final theme is Afrofuturism. Where do you stand in terms of everything we\u2019ve discussed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>I think Afrofuturism is actually just a way of showing Westerners that Black people can evolve in their way of doing things. What they want us to do is use Afrofuturism to link the existing idea of the future to what is African. But that\u2019s saying that \u2018futurism\u2019 already belongs to what\u2019s white and that \u2018Afro\u2019 is a name for us. I just define it as a way of doing things. We say Afrofuturism in an exaggerated way to describe the fact that we\u2019re going beyond what\u2019s being done locally. Because in terms of design, we don\u2019t necessarily have the same means as elsewhere. As Afrofuturists, we\u2019re obliged to show a heightened, exacerbated creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><em>Styling Neguin Yembas, Harry Jardel, make-up Thaicia, models Milo Ndour, Harry Jardel, Pulzia Nolwen, Neguin Yembas, styling assistant Maxime Delvaux, creative coordinator Nathan Pietrelle, backstage photographer Alain Dram\u00e9, press and media relations Sydney Diack<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/africa\">Africa<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-navigation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/news\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img one\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">News<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img two\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Fashion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img three\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Music<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img four\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Film &amp; TV<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/69676\/1\/gringo-custum-fashion-brand-built-on-afrofuturism-dakar#features\" class=\"image-navigation__img five\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Features<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img six\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Beauty<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img seven\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Life &amp; Culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img eight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Art &amp; Photography<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-19-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Gringo Custum<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/0\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1133\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1700-1133\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438018.jpg\" width=\"1700\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/1\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-196-1309-872\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438019.jpg\" width=\"1309\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/2\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-221-1360-906\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438020.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/3\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1360-906\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438021.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/4\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-353-1360-906\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438022.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36710\/5\/gringo-custum\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"908\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-400-1362-908\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438023.jpg\" width=\"1362\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 19 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>At the heart of Gringo Custum is two friends: Neguin and Yan. The pair founded the brand in 2022 shortly after arriving in Senegal from Gabon. Neguin is the designer, a jack-of-all-trades always on the lookout for anything slightly quirky, who basically just wanted to dress differently. Yan\u2019s his safe guy, a more discreet type, in charge of management alongside the coordinator, Harry, the brand\u2019s third figure, who introduced us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gringo is a very specific creative process. Using patching and upcycling techniques that make each piece a unique product, Neguin checks, cuts and reconstructs. No patterns, no sketching. Everything\u2019s conceived and assembled on the spot before being handed over to Moussa, the couturier. It\u2019s a very intuitive process, closer to that of a visual artist than a fashion designer \u2013 as Neguin says, clothing is a medium of artistic expression he practices like painting, or video, which makes his designs almost performative statement pieces, whether day or evening wear. They border on costume; they need to be lived and incarnated with attitude, like a fictional character or a punk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gringo is definitely a punk state of mind \u2013 not just in its DIY approach but also in its relationship to marginality. Neguin\u2019s vision depicts the gringo as an outsider who is one with his world, yet fails to go unnoticed. It\u2019s all eye-catching colours, pattern games, textile collages, an instantly recognisable yet paradoxically isolated look \u2013 all the while firmly occupying the centre of attention. Neguin diverts the trope of the stranger and reclaims it with an exaggerated eccentricity, wanting to make the gringo ever more visible, ever more audacious. That\u2019s the brand\u2019s essence: the need to be together, and yet apart. In the end, when you wear Gringo, you\u2019re in the crew. You belong \u2013 and wherever you are, you aren\u2019t alone. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"9c7f1833-e723-4d08-996f-b3f5011a70c5\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438036.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1700\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438036.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Gringo Custum<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Adrien <span class=\"nowrap\">de Hemptinne<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you got to where you are today?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>What started it all for me was just wanting to be myself. When I arrived in Senegal in 2019 to study, I didn\u2019t necessarily set out to start a brand, but I wanted to dress differently. That\u2019s what really pushed me to create my own designs. And in 2022, seeing people start to appreciate it here and there, I started to make it for profit. I said to myself, \u2018Why not really focus on it? It could lead somewhere.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>So where does your interest in fashion come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>I don\u2019t think I have a particular interest in fashion, as I\u2019m not just into clothes. It\u2019s more art that interests me, in a general sense. In the end, it\u2019s cultural. I don\u2019t necessarily go around saying this, but I have Congolese origins and I think for a lot of people the Congo is a very cultural country, geared towards everything \u2013 that\u2019s garms, vintage culture. So I always got a kick out of seeing my dad dressed up in suits and stuff like that, and I started to dig style from a very early age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>That\u2019s what led you to create Gringo, to share this world, because people were into it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>Gringo is really an intergenerational identity that speaks to everyone. Old people who wear the brand, young people, and some kids appreciate the work. Not everyone can access the garment or wear it, given Senegal\u2019s locality and climate, but seeing older people appreciate the garments speaks to me \u2013 that\u2019s the most important thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cGringo was a way of defining my personality. If you look at the meaning, a gringo is a foreigner and when I arrived in Senegal I really felt like a foreigner in everything I did\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Can you expand on the Gringo identity \u2013 why did you choose the name and what do you mean by it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>Gringo, in a nutshell, was a way of defining my personality. If you look at the meaning, a gringo is a foreigner, and when I arrived in Senegal, I really felt like a foreigner in everything I did. So it\u2019s more a state of mind I\u2019ve adapted to what I\u2019m wearing. You really recognise Gringo by the fabrics, the cuts, the extravagance, its avant-gardism. Which makes it easy to get attached to the look. And I think that\u2019s what gave me the strength to really be different and really assert that identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As an outsider who\u2019s also Gabonese, how do people in Dakar perceive your creations \u2013 this sense of marginality won\u2019t necessarily please everyone?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>We see the work is well-received. We\u2019ve got all kinds of clients: artists, public figures, fathers, businessmen. It&#8217;s more the prejudices that people have in the street, actually.\u00a0<\/span><span>I\u2019ve sometimes been the victim of stuff, of harassment, where I\u2019d get somewhat homophobic insults about my style. For them, such and such fabric is feminine, such and such textile is pretty weird.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We need to remember Senegalese culture\u2019s relationship to religion, which can also limit artistic opinion. When I started working on my brand, I motivated people and inspired them to be themselves. A lot of people have contacted me on the down low to find out where I buy and who makes my pieces. That means they\u2019re interested. You can see the results of the brand \u2013 you can see that we\u2019re evolving, we&#8217;re being appreciated!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"a842d4fa-292c-463d-b9fa-b3f5011a5e3f\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438029.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gringo Custum\" class=\"img\" height=\"1700\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1360\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438029.jpg\" width=\"1360\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Gringo Custum<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Adrien <span class=\"nowrap\">de Hemptinne<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>You\u2019re very much into the patchwork and upcycling aesthetic. Is there a premise behind this way of conceiving clothing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>For me, it all starts when I walk down the street. It\u2019s not any particular place \u2013 I tell myself that anything can bring me something. I might find something with a street vendor and put the fabric aside. I might find a piece and put it aside. Then, when I see the fabric, I sit with it, it speaks to me. And the thing to emphasise is that I don\u2019t draw my pieces. I make them on the spot. That\u2019s also what makes the brand so special: we\u2019ve never made any sketches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As opposed to designers of a previous generation who are still pretty focused on the \u201cGrand Boubou\u201d [the best-known traditional African garment] or other archetypes, you make clothes that are warm, that aren\u2019t necessarily adapted to the climate here. How do your clothes maintain an international influence, while still claiming a certain African-ness?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>The super afro side, it\u2019s really the environment. Because in my campaigns, I share a lot of the African ecosystem \u2013 this kind of ghetto, urban side. <\/span>I\u2019m not really into luxury, even if I can do luxury pieces. I don\u2019t really want to show myself in a world that isn\u2019t mine.<span> I\u2019m not going to sell something that I don\u2019t live. I sell my pieces in an environment that I know, that I master and which I inhabit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Even the fabrics I use aren\u2019t all imported. Some of them have been made here by hand. We\u2019re an avant-garde, Afrofuturist brand. That\u2019s to say that we go beyond cultural codes, which is why people from elsewhere, people like you, are interested. Whether you\u2019re African, European or Asian, you can find yourself in the pieces. It means you\u2019re showcasing something that doesn\u2019t necessarily come from your community, but that makes you feel good. That\u2019s the aim of the brand, that\u2019s the aim of the work. And it\u2019s paying off.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m not really into luxury, even if I can do luxury pieces. I don\u2019t really want to show myself in a world that isn\u2019t mine. I\u2019m not going to sell something that I don\u2019t live\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>When I first came here, I did some initial curatorial research into West African thought on art and its philosophy. And I really understood textile as a means for the transmission of ancient memories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>What people don\u2019t know is that I\u2019m someone who has been very much affected by life. I\u2019ve been sick, paralysed. My brand isn\u2019t just clothes that people come and buy just to wear. It\u2019s first and foremost a story. I have been very alone, and it\u2019s these things that allow me to express my feelings, my experiences, my sadness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Because already, you\u2019re alone as a student at home in Senegal. Not many of us will have a business or get to go to Europe for a fashion show. Not many of us will have interviews, do editorials and make clothes. They can sell or send pieces to their parents, they do a bit of business, but for me, it\u2019s not the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Our final theme is Afrofuturism. Where do you stand in terms of everything we\u2019ve discussed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Neguin Yembas: <\/strong><span>I think Afrofuturism is actually just a way of showing Westerners that Black people can evolve in their way of doing things. What they want us to do is use Afrofuturism to link the existing idea of the future to what is African. But that\u2019s saying that \u2018futurism\u2019 already belongs to what\u2019s white and that \u2018Afro\u2019 is a name for us. I just define it as a way of doing things. We say Afrofuturism in an exaggerated way to describe the fact that we\u2019re going beyond what\u2019s being done locally. Because in terms of design, we don\u2019t necessarily have the same means as elsewhere. As Afrofuturists, we\u2019re obliged to show a heightened, exacerbated creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><em>Styling Neguin Yembas, Harry Jardel, make-up Thaicia, models Milo Ndour, Harry Jardel, Pulzia Nolwen, Neguin Yembas, styling assistant Maxime Delvaux, creative coordinator Nathan Pietrelle, backstage photographer Alain Dram\u00e9, press and media relations Sydney Diack<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/africa\">Africa<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/69676\/1\/gringo-custum-fashion-brand-built-on-afrofuturism-dakar&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-196-1309-872\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438019.jpg&#8221;] Photography Adrien de Hemptinne DateInMeta\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 Fashion \/ Feature \u2018Gringo is a state of mind\u2019: Inside the fashion brand built on Afrofuturism At a fashion shoot in Dakar, Gringo Custum creative director Neguin Yembas discusses identity, luxury and being an outsider February\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 FashionFeature February\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 TextNathan PietrellePhotographyAdrien de [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1779460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1779460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779460\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1779460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1779460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1779460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}