DESIGN & CRAFT
EN
A designer with a textile and design background, Inès Bressand is looking at craft technics with a contemporary eye from her workshop in Marseille, France. In collaboration with craftsmen, she manipulates materials and questions traditions to explore a new sculptural vocabulary through beautiful objects for the everyday use.
The first AKAMAE straw bag series has been developed during a 3 month stay in Ghana together with master weavers. A fine understanding of the straw material, known as elephant grass, and craft technics allowed the designer to develop a series of shapes with freedom and audacity.
In Upper East region in Ghana, the baskets are weaved mainly by women on a self-organized working system, allowing them to combine weaving, farming and family duties. Our baskets require specific technical skills, insuring a long-term relation with the weavers whom we work with since the origin of the project. In our workshop in Ardèche, France, the raw straw baskets are formed and completed with vegetally tanned French leather handles, underlining the volumes of the accessories with a graphic accent. All the making is done by skilled hands with very simple tools, in a cross-cultural craftsmanship collaboration.
The brand seeks to explore innovative basketry and Inès Bressand is regularly visiting Ghana to research new technics and insure a unique approach. A new edition of straw bags is designed every year for the Spring/Summer season since 2018. The AKAMAE line is available worldwide in a selection of boutiques.
FR
La première série de sacs en paille AKAMAE fut développée lors d'un séjour de trois mois au Ghana avec des maîtres vanniers. Une compréhension fine de la paille naturelle — appelée herbe à éléphant — et des techniques artisanales ont permis à la designer Inès Bressand de développer une série de formes libres et audacieuses dans le monde de l’accessoire.
