Xuly Bët

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Xuly Bët Funkin' Fashion Factory, or Xuly Bët, is a line of clothing designed by Lamine Badian Kouyaté. Kouyaté (born 28 Dec 1962), is a Malian fashion designer who moved from his native Bamako, Mali to Paris, France around 1986. Kouyaté launched Xuly Bët (“Keep an open mind” in Wolof) in 1989 when he fell in love with the Parisian fashion scene while studying architecture in at Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Strasbourg (the Strasbourg School of Architecture). Kouyaté's knack for recycling flea market finds, and patching them together with an African sensibility is what has brought him to the mainstream and major recognition. He cites designers Azzedine Alaia and Yves Saint Laurent, contemporary Africa, and both punk rock and funk as influences for his funky fashions. The Xuly Bët Funkin' Fashion Factory, or Xuly Bët, collection has been awarded with the Creator of the Year award by the New York Times in 1994 and received the ANDAM award in 1996. The collection was also a part of the Africa 2005 exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum.