MaliMali
Home | What is Bogolan | The Products
An Introduction
MaliMali makes beautiful textiles and clothing using the ancient West African technique Bogolan, which means 'made from mud' in Bambara, the main language of Mali. The Bogolan technique of dyeing and printing cotton is entirely organic and kind to the environment. It contains no harmful mordants or chemicals and its use of leaves and tree bark as dye stuff promotes the planting of trees in this dry land where desertification is one of the greatest challenge to survival. MaliMali is based in the beautiful and ancient City of Djenne, a Unesco World Heritage site, justly famed for its great Mosque, the largest mud structure in the World.
MaliMali is not a charity, but set up as a commercial operation to benefit the people of Djenne, promoting social and economic progress through Trade and at the same time providing training through apprenticeships in in sewing, cutting , weaving and the bogolan technique. The company was formed in 2007 by Sophie Sarin, a Swedish designer and artist who lives in Djenne and runs a hotel: www.hoteldjennedjenno.com