The Middle Eastern edition of the famous Vogue fashion magazine, Vogue Arabia recently classified the five talented Tunisian women embodying the new creative wave, by infusing a wind of modernity and authenticity with their respective disciplines.
Over the past decade, the creative scene in Tunisia has experienced exponential growth; Galleries and shops across the country have emerged, offering craft products and carefully selected works.
Behind these creations hide many inspiring women determined to pay tribute to their inheritance: works of art focused on female experience, cooking books preserving local gastronomy, and brands of fully traceable Tunisian olive oil.
Vogue Arabia highlights five Tunisian creative women, but that does not mean that there are no others who deserve to be mentioned. These women have an already well -established and recognized career internationally, which facilitates their highlighting in a media like Vogue Arabia. Each of them has a significant history, often linked to a return to the Tunisian roots after an experience abroad.
The Malek Labidi chef
After having grown up in Tunis, Malek Labidi settled in Paris at the age of 17 to pursue business studies there. Few little inspired by the business world, she quickly decided to follow her passion and study gastronomy at the Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon.
The 2011 revolution and the creative Renaissance which followed bring it back to Tunisia, where it has since tested the traditional cuisine of the country. Currently, she is working on a series of four books documenting Tunisian culinary traditions.
Photographer Ghalia Kriaa
Originally from Tunis, Ghalia Kriaa lived four years in Montreal to study communication. During her stay in Canada, she began to capture pictures of her friends. Inspired by their beauty and vulnerability, she specializes in a photograph highlighting female stories.
More recently, his attention was paid to the daily routine, the feeling of community and the challenges experienced by Tunisian women. Today mainly based in Paris, the photographer is also moving towards fashion and worked on campaigns for brands like Yasmin Mansour.
Designer Anissa Meddeb
Raised between Tunis and Paris, Anissa Meddeb settled in New York to study the fashion design in Parsons. She quickly accumulated impressive experiences in the industry, especially at APC in Paris, Marc Jacobs and Outdoor Voices in New York.
In 2016, she launched her own brand, Anissa Aida. Its label merges refined and minimalist Japanese designs with traditional Tunisian fabrics and ancestral craft techniques.
Entrepreneur Sarah Ben Romdane
During the confinement linked to the COVID-19, Sarah Ben Romdane, who grew up in Paris, decided to settle in the hometown of her father, Mahdia, in Tunisia. There, it reconnects with the family olivecare domain, which produced olive oil from the end of the 19th century until the 1950s.
Determined to revive the estate and have Tunisian olive oil recognized at its fair value, Sarah creates her own business, Kaïa. Result: a brand of olive oil 100% traceable and proudly Tunisian, the first in the country to be sold in prestigious fine grocery stores such as the great grocery store in Paris and Selfridges.
The visual artist Dora Dalila Cheffi
Dora Dalila CHEFFI first specialized in art teaching by pursuing a license to the Aalto University School of Art, Design, and Architecture. Quickly, she turned to artistic creation and adopts a personal and introspective approach. His vibrant works include colorful portraits, esoteric videos inspired by Tunisian life and daring representations of women.
Other creative women to highlight
Other creative Tunisian women, however, deserves to be put forward and to appear in such a selection.
First there is Hela Ammar, woman of letters, lawyer, visual artist and photographer. His work explores the themes of Tunisian memory, heritage and identity. You can also quote the designer Amina Saoudi Lengliz, designer of jewelry and art objects inspired by Tunisian culture.
There is also Hind Meddeb, documentary maker, director and journalist. It documents social and political struggles in Tunisia and beyond; Selma Feriani, who promotes contemporary art of the Arab world; Or Senda Ben Amor, fashion designer, who reinvents Tunisian fashion with a modern touch.
There are many other Tunisian women who move the cultural and artistic scene, and the list could be much longer. Vogue Arabia’s article is therefore a starting point, but it does not reflect the full extent of creative dynamism in Tunisia.
