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Last year I lost a good friend to leukaemia. He had started the very first bone marrow register for sub-Saharan Africa . The UK launch was planned for September 2007. Sadly he only made it till May 2007. I was there during his last days and it took me a while to mentally recall healthy pictures of him.
After that I resolved to remember only the beautiful memories of those who are I hold dear and special. Those whom I call my friends I love and cherish. There are just some things more important than money and fame. As the saying goes, “ a faithful friend is a medicine for life.”
That's why on this occasion I want to tell you about the beautiful memories of my dear friend Katoucha Niane, simply known in the fashion world as “Katoucha.” Her faults and failings really do not concern me; after all, we all have our faults, and those who love us - our families, spouses, partners, friends - all love us regardless of our short- comings.
Katoucha was born in Conakry , Guinea into sophisticated and privileged background. Her father was the famous historian and archaeologist Djibril Tamsir Niane, a senior university Lecturer who had fled from Guinea with his family and sent Katoucha to Mali for safety after threats from the political regime at the time.
She rejoined her parents four years later in Dakar , Senegal . At 17, she gave birth to a daughter, Amy, the fruit of a brief, first marriage.
She went off to Paris by herself, though her mother was concerned about how she would survive alone. She need not have worried; Lady Luck took a delight in her. Katoucha was tremendously lucky, after being in Paris a matter of months, she was spotted by Jules Francois Crahay of Fashion label Lanvin, who initially hired her as a fitting Model.
Thierry Mugler accelerated her to catwalk status and this was the catalyst of her rise to international stardom and fame which led to her becoming the darling of the biggest designer names in the Fashion industry.
I recall the former Kenyan Supermodel, Khadija, who was working with the deceased Yves Saint Lauren (“YSL”) as the face of its cosmetic campaign, ( an exceptional achievement for a black model), telling me how she ran into Katoucha in Paris and was asked to help to facilitate an introduction. She did as she was asked and on meeting Katoucha, YSL's heart melted, thus began a union that was to turn her into a global Icon!
YSL was the facilitator of Katoucha's rise to stardom. He nicknamed her the ‘ Peul Princess' after the Peul ethnic group of Guinea . In his words Katoucha's body was made for couture. She became his muse and the inspiration for many of his collections.
According to Dominique Deroche, the PR at the fashion label:
“ Monsieur Saint Laurent loved her enormously.
She was like the sketches in the YSL drawings. A proud head on a very slim, long neck; elegant, slim body and beautiful strong shoulders, she was made for haute Couture.”
Magnificent on the catwalk, Katoucha was to become the favourite of couturiers in Paris , Milan , and Tokyo , where she was adored by all.
The Katoucha I knew was beautiful, incredibly glamorous and stylish. She could have dressed in rags and still looked every inch a princess. Such grace is not bestowed on everyone. It's easy enough when we die to achieve a measure of grace, but she achieved such grace while she was alive.
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