@ibeliv_official
IBELIV celebrates its 10th anniversary!
Back to basics: the beginnings of the IBELIV brand
IBELIV was founded 10 years ago by Liva Ramanandraibe, nicknamed Liv, and has become a benchmark in the field of high-end RAFFIA . A company that owes its evocative name to its passionate creator (IBELIV is a contraction of Ramanadraibe and Liva) and which, pronounced "I believe", takes on a new dimension, that of hope and belief in the future...
A family business made in Madagascar
Originally from Madagascar, Liv studied to be a chartered accountant in France. The rigor and method he acquired during his years there never distanced him from his passion for creation and for Madagascar's ancient know-how. He is also deeply influenced by the example set by his mother, Tiana Raharison, a caring and combative woman who relied on handmade creations to provide for her family. During his visits, Liv's studio smells of Madagascar handicrafts, his mother arriving with numerous RAFFIA objects from the island as gifts.
After his brilliant studies, Liv and his mother jointly decided to devote themselves toexporting Malagasy handicrafts to France. Following a trip to South America, where he witnessed the success of Ecuadorian handicrafts on the export market, Liv became fully aware of the wealth of Malagasy know-how and its potential.
Malagasy know-how in the spotlight
The family home was transformed into a workshop. From product design to manufacturing and marketing, the family takes care of everything, working day and night to get the business off the ground.
Ten years later, their company employs over 2000 craftsmen and has 5000 m2 of workshops. Mom Tiana is in Madagascar, where she runs the accessories factory that Liv designs. The brand specializes in bags, clutches and hats made from RAFFIA, the natural fiber of the Madagascar palm. Each item is an opportunity to honor the handmade work of Madagascan women and their ancestral crochet-making techniques.
Brand evolution: IBELIV enters the world of luxury
High-quality 100% natural materials, know-how handed down from generation to generation, family cohesion that commands respect: the Ibeliv brand already had everything it needed to succeed! Far from being satisfied with this initial success, the company took a new turn by taking care of the design of its products, giving them a contemporary touch. As a result, the brand is now ready to enter the world of luxury.
Driven by this quest for excellence, IBELIV now produces a collection of beautifully crafted pieces, combining fine craftsmanship and modern design. Tanned zebu leather and full-grain Italian leather, tanned using a vegetable process, are noble materials that sublimate the RAFFIA from Madagascar, which is crocheted. As for the natural colors of the products, inspired by the nuances of Madagascar's earth, they now stand side by side with daring flashy colors in tune with the times.
In 2022, the IBELIV brand developed the Mètis range, which brings together noble materials to more fully reveal the beauty potential of each. The first model in the range, the Alefa bag combines cowhide leather and RAFFIA from Madagascar.
The IBELIV brand in figures:
- About forty references: bags, clutches, hats ;
- 700 distributors worldwide;
- More than 600,000 fashion accessories worn all over the world;
- A pop-up in Paris, at La Samaritaine, in 2024;
- Since its first collection in 2014, 2-digit annual growth.
"Doing Good by Doing Well": the influence of the IBELIV brand on the community and the industry
Liv's motto is "Doing well by doing beautiful"! In this credo, Beautiful naturally refers to the handmade RAFFIA products of the IBELIV brand. As for Good, it refers to thecompany's commitment to social and environmental values, which are an integral part of its DNA. Accessories designed in RAFFIA according to ancestral Madagascan know-how are made with respect for nature. The craftswomen behind each creation are also supported by the company, which invests in their well-being and training.
The aim of the IBELIV brand is to ensure that local know-how benefits the women and men of Madagascar.
Every effort is made to ensure that IBELIV products contribute to the island's local development and the spread of its know-how.
Training workshops have been set up free of charge in the villages where IBELIV operates, to enable women living in rural areas to join the company if they so wish.
The brand is constantly seeking to enhance the economic contribution of women in an environment where their professional prospects were previously very limited.
As a result, the company has very low staff turnover, with employees who have been with the company since the beginning of the adventure!
IBELIV products: RAFFIA pieces of unique quality that highlight the women behind each product
All the products sold on IBELIV's online boutique are handmade, and each bears the signature of the woman who made it. These craftswomen are proud to contribute to placing Madagascar, their island, on the world fashion stage, as Liv likes to point out! It's great to see the IBELIV brand making a name for itself, despite the fierce competition in the international craft industry, thanks to their know-how.
The creation of a patented system: a leather strap to adjust the hat's head size.
In its 10 years of existence, the IBELIV brand has not only drawn on traditional know-how. It has also demonstrated innovation, notably with the creation of a patented system that allows 4 to 5 centimeters of adjustment around the head of hats in the IBELIV collection.
For the brand's 10th anniversary, we sought to reinvent our know-how, integrating new crochet techniques and exploring a color palette that brings a new dimension to RAFFIA. Of course, we've also taken care to preserve the essence of our DNA, which has always been rooted in authenticity and simplicity.
IBELIV, I believe: a house of expertise committed to the future
IBELIV has always been committed to social and environmental progress, and there's no end in sight! Tiana, Liva and Narindra are multiplying their initiatives to remain sustainable and ethical players in the fashion industry. Projects currently underway include the following:
- The creation of a gynecological health center in partnership with the UN;
- A program to plant RAFFIA palm trees (an endemic species threatened by the fact that the swampy areas where it grows are often transformed into rice fields), in order to reconstitute a sustainable island ecosystem;
- Partnerships with villagers in Madagascar to exploit RAFFIA.
And let's not forget the IBELIV brand's collaboration with presenter Veronica Loubry, which began in 2022! Profits from the sale of products in this collection (the Safari garden hat, the Lou garden clutch bag and the Ika garden bag) go towards the Ibeliv Garden project, the construction of a development center for children from rural areas of the island.
As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the IBELIV brand, our team is well aware that nothing would have been possible without all of you, who make our craftsmen's creations part of your everyday lives. To wear our accessories is also to wear our values. Those of a strong commitment to people and the environment...
As we look to the future, we are driven by a goal that we share with you: that of continuing to satisfy our customers while creating products that respect Man and Nature. Your trust and loyalty have been the pillars of our journey. The entire IBELIV team would like to express its deep and sincere gratitude for this beautiful story that continues to be written at every moment.
