Côté Minou has been making waves in the Washington DC area with their innovative styles and creative designs. Maryanne Mokoko and Stephanie Mouapi weave creative designs, and great colors into an elegant tapestry full of vibrant color and patterns. From Howard University’s Homecoming, to George Washington University’s Taste of Africa, they have made an impact in the DC Metro area’s fashion scene. With such a wonderful run of success, it is only fitting that they officially launch themselves in style. Jamati caught up with these busy ladies to find out more about them.

Jamati: What was the impetus for starting Côté Minou?

Côté Minou was an idea derived from our waiting to put the continent of Africa on the map. We both love fashion and saw this as our way of doing so. We wanted to create designs with an African touch, rich in pattern and versatility that everyone can wear without thinking too much about it.

Jamati: You and Stephanie work together to design. How do you coordinate this, and what roles do each of you play in the design?

We both design and coordinate all the clothes for our clothing line. Stephanie and I both have different styles which are complimentary as they bring diversity to our creations. This works well for our customers, because they can get a variety of options.

Jamati: How long does it take you to fulfill an order? Do you sew the clothes yourselves or do you have someone else do it?

It takes about 1-2 weeks; depending on how quickly the client needs the dress. If we have the dress already made, we can adjust it and send it to the client in about 3-4days.

We always come up with our designs, then go fishing for suitable fabrics with the pattern and colors to fit. Then we assign the clothes to be specifically made to fit our vision. These are sewn by our professional tailors who reside both here and also back home in Cameroon.

Jamati: Maryanne, you are studying architecture right now, so do you think that you will stop designing once you get your degree?

Actually, I was. I just graduated from Howard University this May with my Bachelor’s in Architecture and Design and I am currently looking for a full time job. No worries we intend for Côté Minou to stay forever, we are not going anywhere.

Jamati: How has the public’s response been to your designs?

So far, so great! We are simply doing our best to keep everyone loving what it is we do.

Jamati: Do you anticipate opening a fashion house in the future, and if so, where would you like to open it?

Definitely, we intend to open a fashion house in our home country of Cameroon. We are also eager about opening our first store here in the U.S. and eventually everywhere else.

Jamati: Tell us a little bit about your latest fashion event, The Paparazzi Launch.

Well, we have been designing for two years now, sold a number of clothes,and have featured at shows for others. We came up with June 21, 2008 as the date marking the beginning of summer two years ago, when Côté Minou was born. It is our anniversary and clothing launching, where we will make it official. We will also have our first ever Menswear line here.

It was entitled PAPARAZZI because we intended to have a collection of clothes that would be classy, funky fresh, and glamorous, [a look]which many feel can only be pulled off by the stars….We will showcase them to you and eventually have it available at a price that is affordable.

For anyone interested in our collections, we are located in the Washington-Maryland area and you can visit us and leave comments or questions at our blog. Our website will be coming soon.