Nevin Altmann, a contemporary guardianess of Egyptian heritage.
Nevin Altmann is a story of pure beauty, determination and innate love for heritage and people..
I had the rare privilege of hearing, touching and observing this story with my own eyes during my recent trip to Egypt, on the deep blue shores of the Red Sea.
Getting to know a complex reality closely linked to the local community, such as Nevin Altmann's, is a precious opportunity for personal growth, as it represents a source of knowledge of social and cultural aspects that otherwise I would have certainly missed during my trip.
Img. Me for Nevin Altmann, wearing a Classic Fellahy blue Shawl
Craftsmanship is an illustration of the history of a people..
..the traditions of a civilization and the passage of time in an artistic and manual language. It is the most direct link between man and his environment in which people shape inspiration and creativity to respond to daily needs.
In Egypt it is said that the art of weaving was born on the banks of the Nile thanks to the goddess Isis, who would have taught the Egyptians to use the spindle and the rock. Indeed Egypt is certainly one of the countries with the most ancient weaving tradition. In particular, the world celebrates the weavers of the valley of Nile, who became masters in the art of linen and wool weaving.
The beyond belief reality that I want to share with you today has its roots in the desert sands and in the clear waters of the Siwa oasis, where about 30 years ago an extraordinary woman made the brave decision to transform a unique, and almost totally disappeared, savoir-faire in what would have become a sustainable, conscious and 100% handcrafted brand with an important community project.
The women of Siwa were
skilled embroiderers..
they carried out a traditional technique of textile decoration in the daily life of the oasis, which, at that time, was completely untouched by the contamination of modern technology.
It was by observing their practices closely, with her own eyes, that Nevin Altmann realized the preciousness of those gestures, of that “know-how”, so much that she took action to make it contemporary, save it from disappearance and at the same time give the women of Siwa a living thanks to that ancient tradition, which they carried on with care and respect.
Siwa Oasis is located in the far west of Egypt, in the middle of the Libyan desert. This area is not easy to reach for a woman and her little daughter of less than one year old, both for the distances to be covered in the desert without particular safe means, and for the difficulty of obtaining military permits to pass though the area.
At the end of a difficult and tortuous journey, there is a land of bright colors..
where time passes slowly and the sounds and scents tell the habits of the inhabitants. Images that, in the years to come, have constantly inspired Nevin Altmann, in her studio in Cairo, while, immersed in this dreamy world, she experimented with designs, techniques, seams to submit to the women of Siwa for the new productions. The women would then craft the pieces from their homes, following the centuries-old techniques that characterize their culture.
Throwing a glance into the deep ocean of an artisan technique reveals a multitude of variations in shape, ornamental design, material or color, all elements of the same family faithful to their tradition.
This "slow" and extremely sustainable production process..
has led more and more women to want to learn the ancient techniques, in order to work for the brand. Initially based entirely on Siwa, the business soon found such a success that it started involving artisans from other regions of Egypt, each with their own particular stylistic signature, colors, materials and techniques typical of their area.
What started out as a small (yet, powerful!) initiative, involving only a few women in Siwa, has over the years involved more than 300 women from all over Egypt, who make embroidery for a wide range of scarves, traditional dresses, caftans, bags and other accessories. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and unrepeatable, as it is completely handcrafted.
Img. Me for Nevin Altmann, wearing a Classic Fellahy Galabeya
The singular beauty of some unique pieces is the different origin of the embroideries and ornaments applied on the same item. This witnesses that the piece has traveled from region to region and has been composed by several artisans according to their techniques, without a specific timeline. This is why some pieces take months or even years to return as complete items to Nevin's workshop in Cairo.
Later, as the years went by, it was that little girl, wrapped in swaddling clothes on the passenger seat of that car that crossed the desert 30 years ago, who took over the business and accompanied it in the success that she builds every day in Egypt and on an international level; Tamara expanded the team and enriched it with competent figures equally engaged in the same fundamental purpose (such as the sweet May, who was the first one to give me the opportunity to get in touch with the brand, giving me an experience of unbelievable personal enrichment!)
I was lucky enough to know Tamara personally, to hear this story from her own words in front of several coffees under the warm sun of El Gouna.
A woman as determined as her mother, as enthusiastic about the incredible contribution that the brand gives to the beauty of traditional Egyptian diversity and keeps a community alive and a precious heritage, that would otherwise be forgotten by the contemporary market.
Enthusiasm, energy, joy that can be clearly read through the colors and designs embroidered on Nevin Altmann’s pieces on fabrics of the purest Egyptian cotton, of the most sought-after cashmere and linen; images of daily life, of work in the fields, on the banks of the Nile, in the villages; specific iconographies of the animal world, natural elements, as well as the detailed clothing of the protagonists are wrapped in the vivid and lively colors of these landscapes.
Unexpectedly, I had the immense honor of wearing some pieces in the last photoshoot that took place in El Gouna, on a sunny (and a little windy!) spring day on the Red Sea. I even had the rare opportunity to wear a traditional Galabeya, a typical dress from the villages on the Nile banks, hand-embroidered with the motifs designed by Nevin like modern hieroglyphs.
Slowness. Authenticity. Sustainability. Community. Purpose. Contemporaneity. Heritage.
These are just some of the words full of value that best describe the reality created by Nevin Altmann, her daughter Tamara, and more than 300 women. We don’t know their faces, yet every day, perhaps without being fully aware of it, they contribute to tell, preserve and share a precious story, their story.
Slowness is necessary to understand, to learn. Time is needed to discover what can be hidden behind a “product” and to distinguish the real significance of “luxury”: understanding, embracing and supporting a story of beauty and people.
A huge thank you to the entire team of Nevin Altmann, who gave me a cultural experience that no book, guide or documentary could ever teach me. I will carry your soulful reality in my heart with care and gratefulness, and I hope to be able to give my contribution to providing it with the attention and appreciation it deserves.
Nevin Altmann
Website | E-shop: www.nevinaltmann.com
Instagram: @nevinaltmann
Photoshoot credits: model, Francesca Polizzi | Ph, Mahmoud Shabara