MsAfropolitan Boutique Interview Series – Dielle N’Diaye, founder of Lady Soül Rebel

The mission of the MsAfropolitan Boutique is to showcase and offer a handpicked range of products made by African Diaspora women on a rotating basis. Visit us here.
As part of my journey to achieving this goal, I’ve met many inspiring women whose stories I want to share with you in an interview series features which you can follow here.

Dielle N’Diaye, a France-based Afropolitan jewelry designer, is one of those women that knows who she is, what she stands for and what she wants from life. The first time we spoke on the phone, I immediately felt an ease and genuinity that made me feel like I’d known her for a while. It’s that individuality that also comes across in her jewelry range, Lady Soül Rebel, a brand that represents the rebel in all of us. If you want to see some of her rebellious pieces visit the MsAfropolitan boutique here.

What does the term Afropolitan mean to you?

An Afropolitan woman is a fabulous woman who’s proud and has an incredible sense of style. She loves her roots, she’s original, creative, strong and she’s a rebel of course!

Could you describe Lady Soül Rebel in one or two sentences?

Lady Soül Rebel is an original jewelry brand for women who love to be unique.
The idea is to refuse a frozen world, be rebellious and express who we really are. Individuality makes us feel beautiful, as fashion and beauty are things that change all the time.

Could you share an exciting development currently taking place for Lady Soül Rebel?

My interview in Yaye Marie Ba’s blog, a very talented woman, was a lovely experience. Thanks to that, I’ve had a lot of encouragements and many people contacted me. You, Minna, also gave me the chance to sell some of my products in your boutique MsAfropolitan, thank you so much! I think that it’s the beginning of a new adventure inshallah 🙂

What inspired the name for your business?

I was inspired by three things, three words, three concepts:

Lady Soül Rebel: being rebellious makes you a beautiful lady
Soul Rebel: the name of a Bob Marley song that I really appreciate.
Soul: my favourite style of music

If you could pick one known African woman, Diaspora and continent, that you think is inspiring, who would that be and why?

Senegalese designers like Adama N’Diaye, Mame Faguèye Ba, Sadiya Guèye, Oumou Sy and many others inspire me. These African women give me the feeling that everything is possible when you have the will, and that being a woman born and living in an African country is not an obstacle to success. On the contrary, it can make you even more creative because of the lack of means such as money, infrastructure, studies…
Observing their careers, makes me inspired, and gives me the initiative to succeed in my own personal and creative life!

Is there any particular element from Senegalese culture that you maintain in France?

The most importants elements from my culture are values, things like respect and patience. I also wear wax fabric dresses and eat senegalese food everyday.

Do you have a favourite post on the MsAfropolitan blog, and why?

My favourite blog post is Big butts are in fashion because I also think that women, particularly black women have to be proud of what they are both intellectually and physically. If people see us mainly as women with curves and a big bottom, then we become sex objects. Black women must refuse this, respect themselves and be respectful. For example, I dislike how we are portrayed in rap videos, it’s a demeaning image of black women, of all women in fact.

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