2 Minutes With : Laëtitia Kandolo
Laëtitia Kandolo, 28, Franco-Congolese designer, creator of the ready-to-wear brand Uchawi and, for the past year, Artistic Director of Universal Music Africa.
The town where you were born.
Maisons-Alfort, near Paris
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Everything and nothing. Do what I want. I think I've always unconsciously chased a form of freedom. Right! It seemed fun & powerful on TV. And above all, it was a "real" job. However, underneath it all I was interested in the Arts, but I think the lack of inspirational role models around me drowned out dreams for part of my youth.
How did you discover your creativity?
Through music. My father was a student and then a teacher at the INA (National Institute of the Arts) in Kinsasha. My mother was a dressmaker's daughter. I had an extremely musical childhood and I think that influenced everything else. Time made me realize that I was my parents' child.
Who's the person you've always admired, from your youth to the present day?
Mr. Mandela! He was the shield of a people throughout his life. He made his life a fight for his country and a part of the world with great conviction. I think his absence sheds even more light on what he was: a wise, mediating, extremely intelligent man. So I call him “Monsieur”.
A moment in high school or college that changed your life.
The day my Maths teacher moved me from last place to first and I became a Maths champion. I was in 5th grade. I went on to take part in a number of competitions right through to high school. It was a great lesson in life: “never diminish yourself”.
What's your favourite meal?
Plantain banana + chicken combi winner. Makemba as we say in the Cong or pondu + rice, crushed cassava leaves.
What's your favorite musical artist?
The question I hate! Depending on the period, the answers vary. Nina Simone, because she's so much more than music. She's an activist who left her mark on her time. You feel this power through her music, it was her platform.
What's the best book you've read recently?
The letters to my daughter, Maya Angelou.
What's your favourite film?
A Prince in New York.
The best creative project you've ever worked on
My 3 years with West Brands at KANYE WEST
One thing that always makes you happy
Being able to sleep.
One thing that always makes you sad
Seeing sad people.
Your favourite fictional heroine or hero and why?
Xena the warrior, without hesitation! Today, many questions revolve around the place of women in society... Xena has been around ever since, and in a way I find her character very avant-garde.