Akamae Tall Round Basket N.16

A sculptural woven bucket bag with a tactile appeal. The leather handles roll up on both sides to form circular double ears, reminiscent of the handles of ancient Greek amphorae. The smoothly tapered body, complemented by leather circular embellishments on each side, evokes images of ancient pottery. Its flat bottom allows the bag to stand upright on surfaces with ease. With a larger volume, it offers enhanced practicality.

＊ All bags by Inès Bressand are handcrafted, light differences in colour, shape and size may occur.
＊The baskets are handwoven in Ghana by local craftsmen and craftswomen using traditional techniques. They are woven without a mould and therefore each basket is unique, carefully selected for its weaving quality and the harmony of its shape. Some basket forms are obtained in a second shaping process done by hand in our atelier in France. The leather handles are fabricated and hand-stitched in Inès Bressand's atelier in Saint Pierreville, France.

ー Material ー
Straw｜Pennisetum Purpureum natural fiber* from Ghana
Leather｜French Vegetable Tanned Leather**

Size｜Lid Ø22cm, Body H32 x W24cm（35 with side decorations）, Strap length: 38cm

ーHandmade in Ghana & Franceー

Having a textile and design background, Inès Bressand looks at craft technics with a contemporary view. Based on materials manipulations and collaborations with craftsmen and women. Together she develops new ways of working, one step away from tradition, aiming to produce new pieces in a cross-fertilization process. Her most representative works are an ongoing series of straw bags called AKAMAE made with weavers in Ghana and distributed worldwide – and a series of furniture called Zezuru marrying wood and galvanized metal for the Botswana based maker MABEO furniture.

Inès Bressand launched her eponymous accessories line after visiting Europe and Africa while doing research for her master’s degree thesis and discovering the art of basket weaving. Inspired by the intricacies of the craft, she spent three months in Ghana where she learned how to make bags and baskets under the guidance of artisan weavers using traditional materials such as naturally golden elephant grass found in the Savannah. Her unique handmade pieces were soon spotted by industry insiders, and today she offers sculptural handbags and backpacks with a focus on natural materials, craftsmanship and honouring historic methods.

She has worked as a freelance designer with the fashion brand LOEWE to design and produce straw accessories with the baskets weavers she works with in Ghana. Inès lives and works in Marseille, France, and has a workshop with Eve Chaumontet in the village of Saint Pierreville in Ardèche region where all the AKAMAE straw bags are shaped and the leather handles stitched. Regularly in Africa to collaborates with craftsmen since 2015, Inès seeks to develop her practice along the new materials and makers she meets.