Africa Top Success Ils font l'Afrique
Kossi Gan Baaba-Thundé Aguessy commonly known as Kossi Aguessy, was born on April 17th, 1977 in Lomé, Togo. His father is a Togolese and her mother, a Brazilian. At 20 years old, he became one of the biggest designers of the world! He already completed grammar school at only 13 years old!
He has an exceptional story.
He lived in New York with her mother when he was 3 years old. Considered as a gifted child, he studied in specialized schools. He seemed to live indoors. One day, he emptied a cupboard which he transformed into building. His mother did not give any chance to this achievement and destroyed the house of her son’s dream. «She behaved like this because she was afraid of my uncommon reality.”
Kossi was A-level holder in New York French High School at 13 years old. His mother offered him holidays in London where he dreamed of becoming designer.
Kossi Aguessy studied industrial design and interior architecture in Central ST Martin’ College in London (where John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stelle McCartney… had studied before).
His story was still amazing when his mother refused to pay his school fees in London.
He took a competitive examination and became scholarship holder. “From London, I called my half-sister to pass this news to my mother. Her answer was that if I did not join her in New York within two days, I would no more be her son. I stayed in London and I was certified after six year during which she no more talked to me.”
Kossi implemented his dream and founded a new family. “For the first time in my life, I succeeded in competitive examination and my fellow students looked like me. I was told in Saint Martins, that I was there to learn how to control what I am, not who I am.”
He got a new revelation during a trip to Barcelona: “I finally accepted my madness because Gaudi, Einstein and more were considered as mad but they were those who built the world.”
Today, he shares his life between Togo, France and the United States.
His beginnings were not easier. In 2001, the French designer, Phlippe Starck gave him a chance to work with him. “I have worked for him for four years. It was as in a factory but I learned a lot. He helped me to fetch deep into me.”
He then worked with famous trademarks. He designed Stella McCartney perfume bottles and collaborated with Yves Saint Laurent, Swarovski, Cartier…
He was the designer of the monument for the celebration of 50th independence anniversary of Togo.
His trademark is materials mixture that constitutes his way of living his African and Brazilian origins. “Brazil where I spent all my holidays when I was child brought me to appreciate the beauty of culture, material, interbreeding and memory.”
Kossi Aguessy is considered as “design researcher”, someone who anticipates and imagines future. He is also an painter
“I invest at 200 % and spend all my time with my customer to understand how he lives and moves. I should manage to feel things like him. This is very troublesome and quite schizophrenic! ”
He is very proud to have never had unsatisfied customer.
He launched” Organicology”, a furniture collection with the designer Samy Aïtali. He is also managing “DAMN” collection in collaboration with Fermob brand.
His dream is to develop his own trademark and open a research laboratory in Rotterdam, a production line in France, and stores all over the world mainly in New York, Paris, Dubai, etc…
He is very sensitive to ecology. “My first job was to design a new interior for the Espace Renault, then for Megane and Avantime. Today, if I were to do it again, I would request new material composition and new engineering. I found it necessary to work with renewable energy and give up all-pollutant! ”
He does not forget his home country: “Africa of my father opened my mind to the world. Though I was back to Togo only once at the age of 10, and I am no more in contact with my father, I have never lose my roots. Thanks to my mother, I can speak Yoruba and Mina. African should not forget their ancestral values. To catch up, Africa must have courage to jump over a step, forget today and think better of tomorrow. ” 
