"I strongly believe in small-scale industries, as a way to bring development to West Africa. "
Aïssa Dione, founder of Aissa Dione Tissus (Senegal)
Read moreQuote of the Day by Aïssa Dione
Aïssa Dione, founder of Aissa Dione Tissus (Senegal)
100 LIONESSES: Aïssa Dione, Revivalist of Ancient Weaving Craftsmanship
Aissa Dione, founder of Aissa Dione Tissus, Senegal
Senegalese entrepreneur and textile designer, Aissa Dione, has made it her lifelong mission to revive her country’s ailing textile industry, and in the process, create products that are highly desirable the world over.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Aïssa Dione
"Africa can do more than simply send its raw goods overseas .... Spinning and textile industries have nearly all closed and traditional weavers are slowly but surely disappearing. It’s a huge paradox. While millions of tons of cotton are being grown in west Africa, you can barely find a metre of finished textiles.”
- Aïssa Dione, a renowned Senegalese painter and textile designer, founded the company that bears her name, Aissa Dione Tissus back in 1992. Her mission: to revive Senegal's traditional and unique fabric weaving craftsmanship and build a production chain that is truly '100% Made in Senegal'. Her approach is to combine unique design, know-how and artisan craftsmanship to transform African grown cotton into a valuable product. She has succeeded in this, building a high-end fabric brand underpinned by centuries old cotton processing and weaving skills. Today, Aissa has more than 100 employees whose traditional handwoven fabrics are delivered to the absolute top-end interior design brands across Africa, Europe and the United States. Aissa's designs and fabrics grace major design salons and brands such as Hermés, Fendi, Christian Liaigre and Peter Marino.
Read moreVideo: Aissa Dione a visionary entrepreneur weaving magic in Senegal and saving an ancient craft
It's always a thrill to watch a master craftsman at work! This enthralling video showcases the unique fabric weaving craftsmanship of Aissa DioneTextiles. Aissa Dione, a renowned Senegalese painter and textile designer, founded the company that bears her name, Aissa Dione Tissus back in 1992. Her mission: to revive Senegal's traditional and unique fabric weaving craftsmanship and build a production chain that is truly '100% Made in Senegal'.
Read moreVideo: Aissa Dione the revivalist of Senegal's ancient weaving craftsmanship speaks about her company Aissa Dione Fabrics
Source: Première Vision | Published on 13 February 2015
Aissa Dione created the eponymous Aissa Dione Fabrics company with the objective of relaunching the textile production chain in Senegal by combining art and industry while encouraging the sustainability and development of traditional skills threatened with extinction.
Read moreAissa Dione – The startup story of an inspirational African textile revivalist who has captivated the world’s leading interior design brands
Aissa Dione, founder of Aissa Dione Tissus, Senegal
Senegalese entrepreneur and textile designer, Aissa Dione, has made it her lifelong mission to revive her country’s ailing textile industry, and in the process, create products that are highly desirable the world over.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Aissa Dione: Entrepreneurs often have to swim against the tide to realise their dreams
Reviving an industry; creating jobs; starting a new venture - sometimes this means you have to swim against the tide of conventional thinking....
"I do realize that I am swimming against the economic tide .... But at the same time, I know that this is the only way you can develop. We are showing the way forward."
- Aïssa Dione, a renowned Senegalese painter and textile designer, founded the company that bears her name, Aissa Dione Tissus back in 1992. Her mission: to revive Senegal's traditional and unique fabric weaving craftsmanship and build a production chain that is truly '100% Made in Senegal'. Her approach is to combine unique design, know-how and artisan craftsmanship to transform African grown cotton into a valuable product. She has succeeded in this, building a high-end fabric brand underpinned by centuries old cotton processing and weaving skills. Today, Aissa has more than 100 employees whose traditional handwoven fabrics are delivered to the absolute top-end interior design brands across Africa, Europe and the United States. Aissa's designs and fabrics grace major design salons and brands such as Hermés, Fendi, Christian Liaigre and Peter Marino.
Read moreVideo: Aissa Dione is at the heart of magically weaving African grown cotton into prized fabric
Source: Bruno demeocq
Watch highly skilled artisan weavers at work in Assia Dione's workshop in Dakar, Senegal as they create beautiful fabrics prized by many of the high-end interior design brands of the world.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Aissa Dione: Big things can be achieved from humble beginnings
Remember, you can achieve big things from the most humble of beginnings....
"I began with this company in 1992. I was working from home with a single weaver. Before too long, there were 15 working with me and I moved to an area specifically designed for small and medium enterprises. I wanted to re-launch textile production – but in a different way."
- Aïssa Dione, a renowned Senegalese painter and textile designer, founded the company that bears her name, Aissa Dione Tissus back in 1992. Her mission: to revive Senegal's traditional and unique fabric weaving craftsmanship and build a production chain that is truly '100% Made in Senegal'. Her approach is to combine unique design, know-how and artisan craftsmanship to transform African grown cotton into a valuable product. She has succeeded in this, building a high-end fabric brand underpinned by centuries old cotton processing and weaving skills. Today, Aissa has more than 100 employees whose traditional handwoven fabrics are delivered to the absolute top-end interior design brands across Africa, Europe and the United States. Aissa's designs and fabrics grace major design salons and brands such as Hermés, Fendi, Christian Liaigre and Peter Marino.
Read moreQuote of the Day
"If you talk about economic development, it is odd that we, the producers, the creators of employment, do not have access to credit and do not get the kind of tax breaks the traders get."
- Aïssa Dione, a renowned Senegalese painter and textile designer, founded the company that bears her name, Aissa Dione Tissus back in 1992. Her mission: to revive Senegal's traditional and unique fabric weaving craftsmanship and build a production chain that is truly '100% Made in Senegal'. Her approach is to combine unique design, know-how and artisan craftsmanship to transform African grown cotton into a valuable product. She has succeeded in this, building a high-end fabric brand underpinned by centuries old cotton processing and weaving skills. Today, Aissa has more than 100 employees whose traditional handwoven fabrics are delivered to the absolute top-end interior design brands across Africa, Europe and the United States. Aissa's designs and fabrics grace major design salons and brands such as Hermés, Fendi, Christian Liaigre and Peter Marino.
Read moreAissa Dione: Bridging the Gap in Senegalese Textile Culture
Source: Maison D' Exception | Posted on February 24, 2014 by Pascal Gautrand
For twenty years, textile designer Aïssa Dione has been directing one of the few enterprises in Senegal that weave fabrics with locally-grown cotton according to ancestral know-how. Her mission of building a production chain that is truly, 100% 'Made in Senegal' is outside of the norm in a country where exporting raw materials is the primary activity.
Read moreVideo: Le grand paradox - Aïssa Dione at TEDxSandaga
Source: TEDx Talks | Published on July 18, 2013
[French] In this TEDx Talk Aissa Dione discusses the paradox of West Africa being a producer of some of the finest cotton in the world, yet it hardly produces or sells any finished fabric - losing out on a valuable value-adding economic opportunity.
Read moreVideo: Artisan weaving craft of Senegal
Aissa Dione - Reviving Senegal's textile industry
Source: RNW Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Published July, 29 2011
Designer and entrepreneur, Aissa Dione, has made it her mission to revive Senegal’s ailing textile industry. Her solution - go to the high-end of the global market. She has cut out a niche for herself by supplying hand crafted fabric to the world's most exclusive interior design companies.
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