# Mariama Camara Builds African Textile Institutions

> Guinean entrepreneur Mariama Camara creates global textile institutions to protect African heritage and empower artisans.
- Title: Mariama Camara Builds African Textile Institutions · Allafrica
- Summary: Guinean entrepreneur Mariama Camara creates global textile institutions to protect African heritage and empower artisans. Mariama Camara founded the…
- Keywords: mariama camara, institute of african textiles, african textiles, guinea, textile industry, artisans, sustainability, natural dyes, textile heritage, global markets, news, world
- Source: Allafrica — https://allafrica.com/stories/202610100144.html
- Published: 2026-10-10T22:22:03+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: mariama camara, institute of african textiles, african textiles, guinea, textile industry, artisans, sustainability, natural dyes, textile heritage, global markets, news, world
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Mariama Camara founded the Institute of African Textiles to document, preserve and strengthen African textile knowledge for economic value.