The rhythm of weaving in Senegal

French weaver and designer Johanna Bramble talks us through tradition and texture in her Senegalese studio.

Part of the Project

From the Series

French weaver and designer Johanna Bramble has lived and worked in Dakar, Senegal for a number of years. She’s known for textile creations that reflect a myriad of textures and colours, made with materials that include metal, plastic, leather, glass beads, and even fibre optics. In this interview, Bramble goes back to the roots of her latest work: an appreciation for the intricate, meaningful practice of traditional Senegalese weaving even when modern techniques are available.

“I decided to respect the traditional weaving because traditional Senegalese weaving is full of meaning. The feeling is very important to me, so to interact between the feeling and the colour... you can really make amazing things,” she says. “Because it’s handmade, you can imagine anything and really make whatever you want. There is an infinite way of weaving.”

Bramble is the founder of Johanna Bramble Creations. She travels between Dakar and Paris, working with Senegalese weavers to produce fabrics for furniture, decoration, lighting and accessories and more.

She’s one of the designers featured in Design Indaba’s Africa.Now. series. In the latest iteration, Design Indaba journalists investigate design and creativity in Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.

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