Half French, half Senegalese, Aïssa settled in Dakar after reconnecting with her family from Senegal. Her artistic fibre and her desire to create began with painting. Aïssa started selling her artwork to companies in Dakar. As she was on her way to present her works, the company expressed its wish to redecorate their spaces. She bluffed and offered her services as an interior designer. She challenged herself to create offices entirely decorated with Senegalese crafts. At a time where fabrics for decoration and interior design were not produced locally, Aïssa gave a new life to Senegalese textiles.
“Weaving is a constant dialogue between the threads and the colours.”
The journey began as Aïssa started working with a craftsman, together seeking to enlarge the fabrics to used them on furniture. Introduced to Senegalese weaving by her grand- mother, Aïssa collaborated with families and generations of weavers across the country. She redefined the traditional aesthetics, leaning towards more sober and minimalist designs. Aïssa became the empress of handwoven Senegalese textiles and her clear mission attracted many names such as Hermes, The Saxon hotel in Johannesburg, Fabrizio Casiraghi but also Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé for their house in Tangier. Recently, she also participated, alongside India Mahdavi and Yinka Shonibare, in the redecoration London’s most iconic bar and restaurant: Sketch.