Ramatoulaye Diop, who shared Michel Blanc’s life with total discretion for almost fifteen years

The name of her clothing brand, Dokke, means “gifts you receive on life’s journey.” The meeting with Michel Blanc is probably one of the ones accepted by stylist Ramatoulaye Diop. The two shared almost fifteen years of romance before the 72-year-old actor suffered a heart attack on the night of Thursday October 3 to Friday October 4, it has been revealed. Paris game .

A secret passion

For more than a decade, the latter did everything to maintain his relationship with the reserved Senegalese woman. “We don’t work in the same circles,” Jean-Claude Duce’s translator declared in the magazine’s columns in 2015. Neither she nor I want to be labeled as a “woman”. If we believe the testimony of Ramatoulaye Diop, transmitted on the website of his Dokke brand, the fashion designer grew up in Dakar, where he created his clothes.

A passion he kept secret for a while. “Rama was born in an African, Senegalese family, for whom the imagination of success is first of all synonymous with work in the “classical” field,” it is noted on his page. But very quickly people around him showed great support. “I’ve been designing clothes and accessories for my loved ones for years,” she explains. They really encouraged me to start.”

“Thank you very much”

Then he flew to Paris, where he worked for a while in consulting companies and as a CFO in the IT company CAC40. But working in the shadows to create his Dokke clothing line. And very quickly returns to his first loves. Later, as a Parisian, I tried to fuse in my style all the influences that come from the diverse cultures that meet in this magnificent city (Dakar, Editor’s Note), he says on his website.

In 2018, Ramatoulaye Diop finally brought his brand to life. A label he describes as “chic, elegant, understated and practical”. Very quickly, he participated in events such as Afropunk in Brooklyn (August 2019) and Paris (July 2019), or even Dakar Fashion Week (2019 and 2020 editions). And restraint is always essential for a stylist. “Parisian at heart, Rama is understated in a world where image and visibility are at the very heart of the fashion industry,” according to her website. He posted only a few photos on his Instagram account with 436 subscribers.

A page where he mostly highlights his creations or poses with Rossi de Palma. Proud to live her passion, Ramatoulaye Diop also credits those who have had a positive influence on her career, particularly Michel Blanc. “So, a thousand thanks to mom, dad, my love, my incredible friends, my Paris-Dakar team, Maman Diop’s Yasa chick, Terroux, Charlot, Madame Perrier, my French teacher, orange boxes, markets to textures…” she writes is he

Thoughts on fatherhood

Ramatoulaye Diop would meet “Bronze” in an interview in the early 2010s Ciné Télé Revue:Michel Blanc spoke about his partner’s profession not without pride. “He created his brand Dokke (which means donations),” he announced. Before joking. “Fortunately, I don’t model. She is a tall Senegalese woman, she is not my size. These are urban clothes.’

For many years, the fashion designer was the support of the actor. And if they thought about having children together, they would decide to refuse it by mutual agreement. Michel Blanc did speak on the subject in an interview Paris game In 2015 “I have nothing against the idea of ​​a child and I live with someone who is old enough to have a child,” he emphasizes. Before pointing out that not having one is partly due to his childhood. “I was my parents’ priority, and I could ask myself if I would be able to have a priority other than my little person,” she continued at the time.

Later he confided Ciné Télé Revue: unrepentant on the subject, noting that his age could also be an obstacle to fatherhood. “This has never happened in my life (having children, editor’s note), even if I said to myself with my partner. “Yes, maybe,” but I decided too late, he analyzes. (…) It will be. “Your uncle is coming to pick you up from school,” I wanted to avoid that. By mutual agreement, we told ourselves that would be crazy. Maybe it’s better this way. Maybe I wasn’t a good father. I’d pass on my neuroses, there’s no point.” Since then, the disappearance of the actor has shocked France. His companion, for his part, stuck to his usual reserve.