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MAMI WATTA :
the very couture spirit of water

©Sophie Tracy May, @sophietracymay

The new queen of French drag

In order to participate and stand out in this new season of Drag Race, the queens had to be wide awake. And Mami Watta was. Even more than that, she was WOKE. If you get it, you get it.

Runner-up in season 2 of Drag Race France, Mami Watta returned more powerful than ever in Drag Race France All Stars season 1, going on to win the crown of this first All Stars edition, €30,000, and the right to rule France for eternity.

While reminding Shy’m that her epic and popular fall at Bercy would never be forgotten, Mami Watta demonstrated with precision, intelligence, and elegance that fashion was not just a performance accessory, but an extension of oneself. Why? To tell your story without speaking and in her case, to highlight her roots, and to present a unique vision of drag. All this in 8 episodes. What a (drag) queen.

When culture meets Haute Couture

Beyond her naturally hilarious humor (yes, this is a fan speaking), Mami Watta has made a name for herself thanks to her keen sense of fashion and the rich universe she has woven throughout the episodes. Her fashion moments? Only tops, no bottoms. On TV.

At the heart of her aesthetic lies a desire to portray the black woman’s body, to enhance it and show off all its cultural diversity.

« Ça fait du bien de voir ça. Il “est téton.”»

– Daphne Burki, member of the Drag Race France All Stars judging panel.

References to her African heritage have multiplied, and it was about time! Daphne offered us a magnificent, very French play on words, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work in English. So I’ll leave you with that frustration and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Among the iconic elements inspired by African traditions, we find, for example: a tribute to the water spirit Mami Wata (from whom she takes her name), a silhouette and necklace reminiscent of giraffe women, ear spreaders and a lip plate worn by Mursi women, and a mask inspired by Mukudji, which was highlighted in her semi-final look.

Beyond aesthetics, these choices reflect a genuine political and artistic approach: reaffirming the place of African cultures in a space—fashion, television, and Western pop culture—where they have long been invisible or caricatured. Because YES : integrating references meticulously and respectfully is also what fashion and drag are all about.

AND WE LOVE IT!

Oulala qui voilà ?

Whether you’re French or not, you’re bound to have heard the famous “OULALA QUI VOILÀ, MAMI WATTA TATA” during episode 4 of Drag Race France All Stars.

So obviously, I had to quote it!

“Better dressed, but you can still see my butt.”

– Mami Watta in the song “On s’envoie en l’air““

Sulfurous? YES. Forgettable? NEVER. Her assertive sense of fashion allows her to create the moment, on every runway and at every performance. A true winner.

From the launch episode to the Grand Finale, Mami Watta showed the entire world that there is only a fine line between the art of drag and cutting-edge fashion. Well, just a heel. And it is precisely this ability to move from a powerful ethnocultural aesthetic to more relaxed, even glamorous looks, always with taste, that led her to succeed Keiona, Queen of Ballroom, on the throne of France.

And because a reigning Queen deserves to be praised for her relationship with fashion, here are Mami Watta’s top 5 best looks from the first season of Drag Race France All Stars!

While Ebony was able to stir up Passion and illustrate her style with Rage, Mami Watta proved that the art of drag can be both a cultural and aesthetic revelation. AN INTERNATIONAL STAR IS BORN!