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In Madagascar, the textile industry is dominated by free zones, which employ nearly 120,000 people spread between the capital and Antsirabe. Alongside these behemoths, on a completely different scale, there is a multitude of small artisanal workshops, with radically different business models. This is the case of Mad Créations, an embroidery workshop, created 20 years ago, which works for the luxury industry abroad. 70% of production is exported. And the bulk of the turnover is played before the Christmas holidays.
From our correspondent in Antananarivo,
Roseline, second in the workshop, checks the works in progress of each of the 15 embroiderers. Two-thirds work on typical Christmas motifs. She goes around the table: This is Olivia, she makes Christmas balls for Switzerland. Hery, she makes the tablecloth with the Christmas presents for Monaco and the United States. Perle, she makes Santa Claus placemats for France… “says Roseline.
For this workshop, this pre-holiday period is pivotal. “ Christmas business accounts for 40% of annual turnover “, explains Véronique Maugé. Franco-Cameroonian, she bought Mad’Création 8 years ago.
Orders start coming in May, to make designs. And the bulk of the production really starts in September. The flagship products are the tablecloths. The customers, you know, are big families, it’s tablecloths that you can’t find in stores. A 10 m tablecloth, with a number of napkins that can go up to 26, or even 30 napkins. Some exceptional pieces can take up to 3 months to manufacture, because here, each piece is made from start to finish by a single embroiderer, for a more harmonious finish.
Highly valued craftsmanship
Drawing, cutting, stenciling, sanding, embroidery, washing, ironing: each step is done entirely by hand. A craftsmanship highly prized by the major historical brands of Western household linen, whose codes and requirements are perfectly mastered by Véronique Maugé, former designer of a Parisian haute couture house.
We sell without a brand. And it is them, on arrival, who put their own mark. That’s the deal, we can’t help it. I know very well that for example, as soon as we sell a placemat for 20 euros, we can find it for 150 euros in resale shops. But we don’t have the customers in Madagascar to resell at that price, so we just manufacture. And outside, I don’t have the points of sale either. We’re manufacturers, not resellers, and that’s fine with me, as long as I can keep my shop running!
Luxury embroideries “Malagasy life” [«fait à Madagascar », NDLR] that can be found today in chic boutiques all over the world.