AKAMAE edition 19. WEAVING

These straw bags have been woven by Bashiru, Yaa, Apana, Azaare, Akamae, Philemon and Stella during the winter 2014-2015, in Northern Ghana. I had several months there to learn about the weaving techniques and to imagine new directions with the weavers. Back in France I shaped the basic woven shapes into new forms which became the bags, adding black leather handles to contrast with the golden straw. I called the series AKAMAE, referencing a very talented weaver I worked with, and in 2018 I submitted it to the Accessories Price of the villa Noailles in Hyères (France) where I was a finalist, and received my first order from the iconic store Dover Street Market Ginza in Japan. The potential of the material, the skills of the weavers and my curiosity have since allowed the AKAMAE collection to become a cornerstone of my work.