{"id":1475,"date":"2026-06-26T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T06:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/?p=1475"},"modified":"2026-06-26T07:21:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T06:21:55","slug":"mossi-traore-fashion-and-everything-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/mossi-traore-fashion-and-everything-else\/","title":{"rendered":"MOSSI TRAOR\u00c9, FASHION AND EVERYTHING ELSE"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In Marseille, the Mucem is dedicating an exhibition to one of the most singular figures in French fashion. More than a retrospective, \u201cMossi Traor\u00e9, la mode aussi\u201d explores a universe shaped as much by haute couture as by popular cultures, urban arts and the transmission of knowledge. Founder of the MOSSI label and the Ateliers Alix school, the designer still sees himself more as a seeker than as an established figure.
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As you walk through the exhibition, you discover not only a wardrobe, but an entire universe. Do you see yourself today more as a fashion designer or as a storyteller?
<\/strong>I see myself as both. I feed off my different activities. The various projects are my own way of approaching my profession.

The Mucem has chosen to recreate your studio. If someone spent an entire day in that space, what would they learn about you that they would never see on a runway?
<\/strong>They would learn that, with all the projects and ideas constantly bubbling inside me, they need to understand me and keep up with the pace if they want to work with me. But it’s enriching and educational!

You have often said that you were shaped both by the street and by the great masters of couture. Looking back, which of those two schools taught you the most?
<\/strong>I have never worked for a brand or a fashion house. I never completed my formal education; instead, I embarked on a sort of \u201cbackpacking education\u201d by travelling the world. I am entirely self-taught, driven by curiosity. I had the opportunity to enter institutions such as the Opera, which opened doors for me.
School taught me fashion culture, cultural exchange, curiosity and the desire to discover the world. The street taught me to be myself, to be free and to create my own paths of inspiration. If I had to sum it up in two sentences: school taught me passion, and the street gave me freedom.

You have made transmission central to your work, notably through Ateliers Alix. Was it a responsibility you set for yourself, or a necessity born out of your own journey?
<\/strong>The Ateliers Alix project came from passion. It was neither an obligation nor a necessity. I absolutely wanted to pay tribute to Madame Gr\u00e8s, an extraordinary couturier and a major source of inspiration.
I was fortunate enough to meet Josette Thomas, an extraordinary woman who became my mentor in couture. The project came together little by little. I felt it was important to act as a link in the chain of transmission, to warn others about the mistakes I had made and to train people in a craft that could lead them to employment.

Having an exhibition in a museum is often seen as a form of recognition. How does one experience that while still feeling like a work in progress?
<\/strong>First and foremost, I experience it with a great deal of gratitude. I still feel that I am searching, with a desire to explore new territories. I see this exhibition not as an endpoint, but as a stage that allows me to step back before moving forward again.

Your work is often described as committed, yet it never feels militant in the traditional sense. How do you convey ideas without turning clothes into manifestos?
<\/strong>I don’t make fashion to convey ideas, and I don’t seek to be militant. My goal is to act, to pursue the initiatives that matter to me through an impact-driven approach. I don’t seek to impose a message or to bring others onto the same path as mine. I don’t want to be a revolutionary of fashion! Perhaps my vision gives this impression of commitment, but it belongs only to me and to those who share my values. I do what I believe in. Whoever loves me can follow me.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Among the 105 works gathered in the exhibition, is there one that tells something essential about the man behind the MOSSI label?
<\/strong>I wouldn’t say that a single piece sums up who I am, but each one tells a chapter of my story, my milestones, my outlook on life and some more intimate aspects as well. This exhibition is a condensed portrait of the person behind the Mossi label: the individual, the dreamer.

You pay tribute to Madame Gr\u00e8s through the name Ateliers Alix. If you could sit down with her today, what would be the first question you would ask?
<\/strong>If I had had the chance to meet her, I wouldn’t have asked her a question. I would simply have asked whether I could learn by her side.

When you look at the French fashion scene today, do you feel that it has become more open than when you started?
<\/strong>I see more diversity and inclusivity. Fashion has evolved and become more democratic in that respect, but it still remains closed in many ways. It’s as though the fences surrounding fashion are lower than they used to be, but they are still there. It is a world that inspires dreams, but it is above all difficult to make it all the way.
There is still a lot to be done. Doors remain more or less locked, and it starts with fashion school: tuition fees, networks and finding apprenticeships. Policies are being implemented to help people enter the major fashion houses, but overall it remains difficult. The elevator is broken, and the staircase is blocked.

If visitors were to leave the exhibition with one thing in mind, what would you like them to take away?
<\/strong>Above all, I hope they leave with emotion.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Mossi Traor\u00e9, la mode aussi, until November 16, 2026, at the Mucem, Marseille.
Mucem.org<\/a><\/strong>
Conceived in close collaboration with the designer, the exhibition brings together more than one hundred works, including around fifty creations by Mossi Traor\u00e9, displayed alongside objects from the museum’s collections, videos, textiles and works by artists who inspire him. Designed as an immersive experience, the exhibition notably includes a reconstruction of his studio and explores the connections between fashion, popular cultures and traditional craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

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Mossitraore<\/a>
Mossi.officiel<\/a>
Mossi.fr<\/a><\/p>\n

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In Marseille, the Mucem is dedicating an exhibition to one of the most singular figures in French fashion. More than a retrospective, \u201cMossi Traor\u00e9, la mode aussi\u201d explores a universe shaped as much by haute couture as by popular cultures, urban arts…<\/p>\n

Read more\u2026MOSSI TRAOR\u00c9, FASHION AND EVERYTHING ELSE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","iawp_total_views":8,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-culture","category-fashion","ratio-3-2","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1475"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1497,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1475\/revisions\/1497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citymagazine.city\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}