Tahiana Creation / Marie Alexandrine Rasoanantenaina

Tribal affiliation: Malagasy, Merina

How to purchase:
Website: https://tahianacreation.mg/
Email: rmalexandrine@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +206 747 7060

Bio:

Marie combines traditional weaving techniques with modern aesthetics to create baskets, rugs, and other household items for daily use. The core element of this art is the vetiver grass, which is grown and harvested by men and then woven by women. It has a natural sweet smell that artists carefully preserve.

For 35 years, artisans at the Madagascar cooperative textile organization Tahiana Creation have been producing a range of natural-fiber products. Tahiana's founder, Marie Alexandrine Rasoanantenaina, started out by selling handmade clothing door-to-door in the 1980s; Within a few years, she was able to hire additional women to help with sewing and embroidery. As Marie's business grew, she began to experiment with alternative dyes and materials, tapping into Madagascar's abundant natural resources. The island of Madagascar is beloved, of course, for exports like pepper and vanilla, but the island is also home to hundreds of unique forms of plant life, which lend themselves beautifully to sources for a variety of creative uses. By 1992, Tahiana Creation was tapping into these resources--creating natural hues from materials like bark and fruit pits, all indigenous to Madagascar.

Marie supports other seamstresses not only by providing platforms by which they can sell their work, but also by providing learning opportunities in the form of training and workshops meant to foster marketing and business skills.