We celebrate the difference

For this month, we are super excited to announce our designer of the month from Algiers, which is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The talented designer and founder of Berberism was Born in a Berber family and grew up in artistic and artisanal culture in Algiers and Paris. Let’s discover her story in the interview below.

Could you speak a little bit about yourself? Tell us about your background and what led you to launch your own brand?

Born in a Berber family, I grew up in artistic and artisanal culture in Algiers and Paris. My mother taught me to sew when I was 7 years old. She made many pieces for me using techniques like crochet, embroidery, and knitting, among others. Since then, her creativity and originality have continued to inspire what I make with my hands.

BERBERISM is my design concept where L-leather is the principal media: It is at the same time flexible and rigid, folk and rock, legendary and futuristic. I’m a percussionist too so leather is for me is sort of media that vehicles values and cultures with resonance.

What inspires you the most?

Music, rhythm, and dance are very important to me, they make our bodies precious as perfect tools. I love nature, history, geometry, art, and poetry.

Did you come to Tunisia?

I’m inspired too by traveling, and I came to Tunisia two times to visit my Tunisian cousins. I discovered the most wonderful couscous fish of my life, and my aunt offered me a lot of Tunisian « Amazigh » costumes which made me fall in love with this country. Tunisian people are brave and hard workers. They have all my support, got bless them inchallach.

How do you conceive your collections ?

I consider myself as an artist more than a brand. I legally protect my artistic work to make some business with. I Conceive concepts with Technics, and I use it to create collections and unique pieces.

What do you want to communicate to the world? What are you trying to the vehicle through your creations?

I usually develop my skills by learning about African leather Technics because my message to the world is Pan-Africanism. I am trying to show how African unity could be strong and beautiful. Because it really is.

We have to create something softly powerful, to transmit it.

What is it like running your own business? Describe your typical day.

My work is like a trance. I need silence and time for creation, music, friends, and ambiance for my art direction work. I work in Centre Pompidou as a creative, so my days are full but very deep.

Where do you sell your collections ?

I have stockists in Paris and in Algiers to sell my works. I expose in galleries in Paris and pop-up stores. My next step is to have a stockist in Carthage and Marrakech.

One Last question…

Tell us a weird / fun fact about you.

Indeed my mother taught me to sew because one day I transformed a yellow skirt that I loved. So at home, I decided to sew it with brown wire… It was a big mistake...