The Xuly Bet NYFW Collection: An Ode to Mali

The Xuly Bet NYFW runway show was held at Skylight at Moynihan Station. It was the first show of the day, and what a way to get started! If the upbeat New York pride mood music wasn’t enough to wake you up, then the bright colors and crazy mix of patterns and textures surely was. This was another lively Kelly Cutrone production with the always fun to be around Kelly Osbourne and Spike Lee in the house. Cutrone and Osbourne seemed to be inseparable this fashion week!

The runway for the Xuly Bet NYFW show exploded with color as soon as it began. The bright purple background gave way to models in fun springtime outfits in every color under the sun. From leggings and shorts mixed with zip up casual jackets to simple dresses all covered in some kind of funky colorful print, the models had me longing for the season already. Their boldly printed sunglasses and heels gave the accessories as strong of a statement as the clothing. The sheer raincoats, oversized bags and head wraps gave every outfit a perfect final touch.

Mali-born and Parisian-based designer Lamine Kouyaté launched his line, Xuly Bet, in 1989. Xuly Bet is a Wolof/Senegalese expression that means “keep your eyes open”. Lamine went to France originally to study architecture. After diving head first into the club scene, he started designing clothes for his club kid friends. He was named designer of the year in 1994. Soon after. he opened a boutique in New York City on Orchard Street where he held unconventional events like graffiti contests.

This collection was dedicated to Kouyaté’s native country of Mali and to his 86- year-old mother. She was of Mali’s first female doctors and used to be involved with the fight for women’s rights. One print was a direct reference to International Women’s Day.

I look forward to seeing all that comes from this creative artist in the future!