Manel Tebii is a stylist. She launches a pretty brand of accessories that spreads the name of one of the queens of Tunisia; Kahena. The brand offers pockets, bags for computers, travel bags and mixes pompons, fringes, closures, silk linings …. Interview with the young designer to find out more. By Amel DJAIT.
How do you define Kahena Kollection?
Tebii Manel: Kahena Kollection is a very young brand. 100% Tunisian, this one is in agreement with the Tunisian patrimony.
Can you explain the “spirit” of the brand? Where did this idea come from to create accessories from ancient weavings?
The Kahena spirit is mainly to highlight the Tunisian heritage through the old carpets such as the “klim” and the “margoum”. We also use old weavings such as “bataneya”, “faracheya”, “bakhnoug” which have already been used in different regions of Tunisia.
Today how many materials do you use?
We have chosen to use the old weavings to create accessories of the brand Kahena Kollection such as shoes, pouches, backpack, sports bag, protective cover for MacBook, pc and tablets, etc. We particularly like the fact that these carpets were not made for commercial purposes. They retain their authenticity and represent the memory and identity of the peoples who weave them.
Today we only work with carpets and blankets that are usually made of cotton, wool or goat hair. For the lining, we always use noble materials such as wild silk or taffeta. Recently, we started working with leather for the lining of shoes.
How do you find your raw materials?
We really groom to find our raw material because we want to work only with old weavings. This requires great research because each region and each village has its own style. We put the focus on shimmering colors or sober, intricate or refined designs, …
Do not you think that destroy heritage more than you value it?
For us, it is by no means possible that we destroy these beautiful and old weavings! On the contrary, with the accessories Kahena Kollection, we give back “life” to old weavings sometimes forsaken, forgotten, torn … or just more worn!
What are your plans for 2017?
For the year 2017, we intend to concentrate more on the creation of shoes and dig more in the Tunisian heritage in order to develop our brand.
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