Made For A Woman x Fendi: the collaboration told by Eileen Akbaraly

«I am of Italian and Indian origins, but I grew up in Madagascar, the country that I consider my home» says Eileen Akbaraly founder and CEO of Made For A Woman , «It is a wonderful place, where uncontaminated nature is extraordinarily rich in biodiversity and resources, but also, unfortunately, one of the poorest countries in the world. Growing up in such a complex context allowed me, from an early age, to open my eyes to the injustices and inequalities that surrounded me and which I was never able to accept: from the age of 8, in fact, I understood that my future would be dedicated to improving the living conditions of the population of this splendid country through one of my great passions, fashion." On the occasion of the collaboration with the Roman fashion house Fendi for the creation of the Roll Bag - made of raffia with the FF motif and leather handles with handmade decorations - we had the opportunity to meet with Eileen Akbaraly who talked about the Made For A Woman project.

L'OFFICIEL: When did you realize you were attracted to fashion and craftsmanship?
EILEEN AKBARALY: Since I was a child, my family origins are proof of this. From my Indian family I inherited the passion for bright colours, fine fabrics, elaborate embroidery with beads and sequins, geometric and symbolic motifs, while my Italian roots are responsible for my love for the most sophisticated and timeless fashion, with a strong focus on artisanal savoir faire and high quality workmanship. Madagascar, with its thousand-year-old craftsmanship, especially for the processing of raffia - the material of choice for Made For A Woman - is the perfect place to allow these two apparently distant "souls" to find a unique balance, rooted in natural inspirations and tradition but with a new and contemporary interpretation.

LO: How was the Made For A Woman project born?
EA: It was born at the end of 2019, with just 15 artisans. In a small atelier in the capital, Antananarivo, we began producing raffia bags and accessories and building the foundations of what would become the heart of our mission: a large project of social and environmental impact based on the principles of slow fashion and responsible entrepreneurship. In just 4 years, the artisans have become over 350, almost all from vulnerable or marginalized backgrounds and our project has evolved accordingly. To date, Made For A Woman guarantees all its employees 360° support which includes a living wage, access to health and prevention, educational and training projects, a welcoming environment free of discrimination, psychological support and assistance social, a kindergarten, and everything the artisans need to regain dignity and independence. At the same time, our style and craftsmanship have also evolved, attracting the attention of international fashion houses, including Fendi, with whom we have collaborated over the last year on the Hand in Hand and Roll Bag projects.

LO: How was it collaborating for Fendi on this occasion?
EA: An indescribable emotion. We are honoured to collaborate with a brand like Fendi, which shares our values ​​and our desire to create "products with a purpose", products that represent something more than a simple object - in this case, a celebration of excellence and artisanal, Italian and Malagasy innovation and our shared commitment to female empowerment and environmental sustainability.

LO: How are raw materials treated by women artisans?
EA: In our atelier we only work with locally sourced raw materials from certified suppliers – a fundamental element of our production chain, which has earned us verification from WFTO, the global fair trade organisation. Our raffia, the most used material for creations, is collected respecting the environment according to responsible practices and follows a transparent supply chain. After harvesting, it is dyed with non-toxic pigments, free of heavy metals, and then used to make accessories and clothes using a variety of artisan techniques, such as crochet, macramé, tressage, embroidery and weaving. To further reduce our environmental impact we use second-hand materials (such as cotton) and recycle raffia that should be thrown away, transforming it into "Rainbow" products, completely unique and diversified multicolored creations, which are among our most loved products .