5 Inspirational Female Creatives From Tunisia To Know

From hospitality to fashion design and beyond, here are names you should remember

By Amelia Dhuga

Over the past decade, the creative scene in Tunisia has grown at an exponential rate; galleries andboutique shops across the country have opened up, selling artisanal products and curated worksfor their eager customers. Behind these products are a whole host of inspirational women intent on paying tribute to their heritage - think art work focussed on the female experience, cookbookspreserving local cuisine, and fully-traceable Tunisian olive oil brands.

Here are five noteworthy Tunisian females leading the charge on the country’s creative awakening.

The Chef: Malek Labidi

After spending her childhood in Tunis, Malek Labidi moved to Paris at 17 years old in order tocomplete an undergraduate degree in business. Feeling uninspired by the corporate world, Maleksoon decided to follow her passion and study all things food at the Institut Paul Bocus in Lyon. The2011 Revolution and subsequent creative renaissance brought Malek back to Tunisia, where shehas since worked on showcasing the country’s traditional cuisine. The chef is currently working ona four part series of books documenting Tunisian culinary traditions; her first book, 'La Table duNord', focussed on recipes from North Tunisia, and her latest release, 'La Table de la Côte', showcases food from the coast.

The Photographer: Ghalia Kriaa

Originally from Tunis, Ghalia Kriaa relocated to Montréal for four years in order to pursue a degreein communications. Whilst living in Canada, Ghalia started to snap photos of her female bestfriends on her Nikon film camera. Inspired by their beauty and vulnerability, the photographer came to specialise in works depicting the female narrative. Recently, her attention has shifted towards the everyday mundanity, sense of community, and struggle experienced by Tunisian women. A recent series of Thalia’s depicted the hammam ritual, showcasing the centuries long act of communal female bathing. Predominantly based in Paris now, the photographer has also started to specialise in fashion photography, working on campaigns for brands such as Yasmin Mansour.

The Designer: Anissa Meddeb

Originally raised between Tunis and Paris, Anissa Aida relocated to New York in order to studyfashion design at Parsons. The designer quickly gained a whole myriad of impressive experiencesin the industry, including with A.P.C. in Paris, Marc Jacobs, and Outdoor Voices in New York. In2016, Anissa launched her own label, Anisaa Aida. The brands marries sleek, clean cut Japanesedesigns with traditional Tunisian fabrics and craftsmanship techniques - think structured denimjackets and streamlined linen kaftans.

The Entrepreneur: Sarah Ben Romdane

During the COVID19 lockdown, Parisian raised Sarah decided to relocate to her father’s home cityof Mahdia, Tunisia. Whilst there, she reconnected with her family’s olive oil estate, which they hadused to produce olive oil from the end of the nineteenth century until the 1950s. Determined toreinvigorate the estate and elevate recognition for Tunisian olive oil, Sarah set about creating herown company, KAÏA. Sustainable and ethical production is integral for KAÏA, with the companyemploying over 50 local female farmworkers to handpick the olives using traditional methods. Theend result - a fully traceable and proudly Tunisian olive oil brand - is the first from the country tomake it into prestigious food halls like La Grande Epicure de Paris and Selfridges.

The Visual Artist: Dora Dalila Cheffi

Dora Dalila Cheffi originally specialised in art education whilst studying for her BA at AaltoUniversity School of Art, Design, and Architecture. Her focus quickly turned towards creating works of her own, however. Motivated by her immediate experiences, Dora adopts a personal approach when creating art; vibrant portraits, esoteric videos focussed on Tunisian life, and bold depictions of women take centre stage. Over the next year, Dora’s work will be showcased at the Wusum Gallery in Doha, Forum Box in Helsinki, and Galleria in Helsinki.

Read the original article on Vogue.