The art of crochet: How do our artisans bring our products to life in RAFFIA ?

Are you literally succumbing to the RAFFIA trend? Crochet, loom, braiding: various techniques are used to sublimate this natural material with its bohemian charm. Once reserved for the summer months, RAFFIA accessories can now be worn all year round. It's enough to make any fashion enthusiast want to learn how to crochet and give life to authentic creations made with RAFFIA yarn!

How do you get the results you want? While the fashion for creative hobbies seems to make RAFFIA crochet accessible to everyone, it requires real know-how. As specialists in the manufacture of bags, Clutches and hats in RAFFIA, we at IBELIV know all there is to know about RAFFIA crochet. It's our pleasure to share with you the secrets of our talented craftswomen who handle theart of crochet to perfection.

The earliest known crochet creations date back to the late Middle Ages. But what about thearrival of crochet in Madagascar? Here are some answers.

The emergence of crochet in Madagascar

If the Malagasy craftswomen who work at IBELIV handle crochet with such dexterity, it's because they draw their know-how from the past. Indeed, the arrival of crochet in Madagascar dates back to the time of the first missionaries. From that time onwards, crochet techniques were taught in convents. It was eventually passed down from generation to generation.

Ancestral know-how that endures to this day

Today, RAFFIA plays a major role in Malagasy craft production. This natural fiber is used by no fewer than 50,000 craftsmen in a sector that includes RAFFIA fashion accessories, RAFFIA decoration and even the construction of natural huts using RAFFIA.

With these creations, IBELIV is determined to perpetuate the ancestral skill of making RAFFIA creations, stitch after stitch, by hand, using a hook, with a variety of finishes, from the simplest to the most elaborate. In fact, with RAFFIA thread and a hook, our craftswomen can bring unique pieces to life. Bags, Clutches and hats that magnify this natural fiber in an infinite number of stitches and stitches...

While RAFFIA can be braided to show it off to its best advantage, crocheting offers greater versatility. Indeed, this tool makes it easy to create a variety of stitches and meshes. This notched needle is a generous size, perfectly suited to the texture and coarseness of RAFFIA yarns. Simply thread the RAFFIA yarn through the notch on the hook to begin your creative projects.

A true expert in the field, the Madagascan craftsman magnifies the RAFFIA fiber with this precious tool. The result varies according to the stitches and meshes used, offering a unique artistic touch to each creation. Here are a few examples to give you an idea of the different forms of weaving possible with crochet:

• the Clutch Tanala
• The Coral bag
• The Miaro hat

This natural material can be used in any imaginative way! But crocheting RAFFIA requires precision and skill. A true artist, the Malagasy craftsman who masters this ancestral technique ends up making this art his own, each stitch reflecting his inspiration and talent. That's why all the bags, Clutches and hats in the IBELIV collection feature a signature. The signature recalls the name of the woman who crocheted your product in RAFFIA.

Before RAFFIA yarn and crochet hooks find their way into the hands of our craftswomen, there are several stages involved in the manufacture of a product in RAFFIA IBELIV. Here's a look back at the various stages involved in creating the accessories in our collection, from the harvesting of the natural fiber to the final product.

• RAFFIA harvesting: a partner collector takes charge of harvesting this natural material from wild palm trees. He removes only a few young shoots from the tree, then frays the RAFFIA branches.
• Separating the RAFFIA fiber: craftswomen divide each fiber by ten to obtain RAFFIA yarn for crocheting.
• Drying RAFFIA yarn: waterlogged, RAFFIA fiber requires a long drying time to obtain a strong, durable material.
• Dyeing the material: RAFFIA yarn is then dyed and cleaned with natural pigments. This step enables us to offer each item in the collection in a palette of rich, vibrant colors.
• Crocheting the product: the RAFFIA yarn obtained after all these stages finally arrives in the hands of Madagascan craftswomen. They then proceed to create the fashion accessories in the IBELIV collection: hats, Clutches and bags in RAFFIA. The material is disciplined under the crochet hook through various stitches and meshes.
• The finishing touches to obtain the final product: depending on the design project, refined details such as leather handles or shoulder straps can be added to enhance the style of RAFFIA hats, bags and Clutches .

The RAFFIA trend has been going strong for years, and it's not going away any time soon. RAFFIA handbags, Clutches and hats have become timeless fashion accessories, allowing consumers to return to their roots. Decorative accessories in RAFFIA are just as successful, and now rub shoulders with wooden furniture to bring an authentic dimension to our interiors!

At a time when environmental issues are more topical than ever, opting for these creations made from 100% natural materials whose sturdiness and durability guarantee exceptional quality seems an obvious choice for many. How much more so when the manufacture and sale of these products allow us to promote ancestral know-how while offering fair working conditions to the local population!

We share this point of view. Sensitive to environmental and social issues, IBELIV is committed to ethical and sustainable fashion. Every bag, every Clutch, every hat in our collection is handmade by local artisans trained by us in crochet techniques to offer them fulfilling work. Using natural RAFFIA and vegetable-tanned leather, we rely on top-quality, eco-responsible materials to guarantee the durability of our products. Unique features that make all the difference!