Founded by young Tunisian immigrant Jules Ouaki in 1948, the Tati department store chain — known for transforming the fashion industry with its low-cost textiles and distinctive pink gingham pattern — debuted in Paris with its flagship store Barbès in the 18th arrondissement, a neighborhood inhabited by immigrant communities from diverse diasporic backgrounds. Fittingly, Ouaki nicknamed it the “Galeries Lafayette du pauvre” (Galeries Lafayette of the poor). His idea, in a city of exclusive boutiques, was to make merchandise accessible to customers, recreating a sort of metropolitan bazaar. The stores thus became a true Parisian icon, providing an urban identity to an entire neighborhood, with the large sign visible from the elevated metro, at the turn for Barbès-Rochechouart, symbolizing modernity and freedom. In 1990, it became the temple of streetwear, with the first prêt-à-porter line titled: “La rue est à nous” (The street is ours).

After the store’s final closure in 2020, Youssouf Fofana worked to transform the space into the headquarters for his design-development program and collective, United Youth International, created to provide technical skills, mentorship, and a community for Parisian youth aspiring to careers in various creative industries. This summer, it will become the headquarters for the project realized by Jordan in collaboration with Foot Locker, District 23, a summer school that combines creative workshops and sports, aiming to transform the 18th arrondissement into an international hub, embodying the sentiment that unites diverse diasporic cultures and the young people shaping the world of basketball globally. Fofana has organized a six-week program that uses movement as a gateway to learning creative skills, offering access to basketball courts as well as various sports facilities in the neighborhood.

Additionally, the Diaspora Renaissance exhibition, curated by Youssouf and Easy Otabor, owner of the Anthony Gallery in Chicago, will be dedicated to diasporic communities from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, featuring 23 contemporary artists, including Gabriel Moses, Alvin Armstrong, and Maty Biayenda. Six artists have also been invited to create their interpretation of the Air Jordan 1 to express what the iconic basketball shoe means to their culture.