From Allafrica · · 3m
Mariama Camara Builds African Textile Institutions
Guinean entrepreneur Mariama Camara creates global textile institutions to protect African heritage and empower artisans.
In brief
Guinean entrepreneur Mariama Camara creates global textile institutions to protect African heritage and empower artisans. Mariama Camara founded the Institute of African Textiles to document, preserve and strengthen African textile knowledge for economic value. Originally reported by Allafrica.
Mariama Camara
Guinean textile entrepreneur Mariama Camara founded the Institute of African Textiles to document, preserve and strengthen African textile knowledge for economic value.
25 Years in New York
Mariama Camara has lived in New York City for 25 years and founded multiple institutions including Mariama Fashion Production and the Institute of African Textile.
Textile Heritage
Mariama Camara inherited textile knowledge from her great-great-grandmother in the Ghana Empire and maternal great-grandmother in Guinea who established a government textile training centre.
2008 Foundation
In 2008, Mariama Camara co-founded There Is No Limit Foundation with a US$250 loan to a woman maker, Fatoumata Banjoura.
Tory Burch Collaboration
Mariama Camara's 2012 collaboration with Tory Burch brought African textiles to global markets including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Galeries Lafayette and Harrods.
Michelle Obama's Dress
Michelle Obama wore Mariama Camara's Blue Jasmine dress on live television during her Drink Up campaign, which sold out quickly.
Institute of African Textiles
The Institute of African Textiles, with five pillars including the African Textile Academy and IE3 Museum of African Textiles, documents and preserves African textile knowledge.
Natural Dyes
Mariama Camara partnered with Dr. Theanne Schiros to develop over 100 natural colors using African plants including onion skins and avocado skins.
Documentation Project
Mariama Camara's *Know Their Names* project documents historic African textiles alongside the people who make them to preserve knowledge.
Textile Ownership
Mariama Camara aims to ensure African artisans own and benefit from their textile knowledge through documentation and institutional support.
Global Market Access
Mariama Camara's work has helped African textiles reach global markets through collaborations with brands like Ulla Johnson and EDUN.
Sustainability Focus
Mariama Camara emphasizes sustainability by training artisans to move away from harmful synthetic dyes towards natural alternatives.
Textile Heritage Protection
Mariama Camara advocates for recognizing and protecting traditional textile knowledge through institutions like the Institute of African Textiles.
African Textile Ecosystem
Mariama Camara describes the African textile ecosystem as interconnected, including makers, communities, materials, knowledge, and markets.
Textile Ownership Goal
Mariama Camara aims to create more than one million jobs through the Institute of African Textiles by 2022.
Textile Market Gap
Mariama Camara states that the biggest gap between African textiles and global markets is confidence in marketing and positioning.
At a glance
Mariama Camara founded the Institute of African Textiles to document, preserve and strengthen African textile knowledge for economic value.
