Weaving a better world
When my family and I had settled down in Winnipeg, we had to put away the clothes we brought from Benin! Our coats couldn’t hold up to the -50 degrees. It was a cold that burned you to the bone. Our first shock!
Leave our clothes – and all the emotional value that goes with them – for as long as winter lasts because it imposes its clothing culture on you. The second shock!
How to appropriate the North American winter while being connected to one’s source?
Why not wear clothes in the colours and styles of your choice during the winter? MonKanvo provides answers to these questions. Although it is one of the oldest crafts in the world, weaving is a means of expression for peoples and, as such, carries a variety of messages. From the Métis sash of Canada to the Kanvò of Abomey in the Republic of Benin, via the Danfani of Burkina Faso, these woven products tell stories specific to each country. The common point is that they are human stories. A bit like language, which plays a strong role in the socialisation of people, weaving is also a connector, a means of self-expression and discovery of others.
About the name…
Monkanvo: linguistic interference between French and Fongbé (language of Benin).
Mon: (French), possessive adjective. Kanvo, kanvò [kanvor]: Fongbé language of Benin, means textile from weaving.
Monkanvo: My woven textile, like a double possession, a belonging, an adoption.
With Monkanvo products, you can easily embrace the cold and successfully integrate while enjoying the joys of each season.
Monkanvo draws on the diversity and transversality of the weaving craft to create warm textiles made from sheep and alpaca wool.
Through its products, Monkanvo also wants to make known the African content. It is a visual narrative of Africa that weaves and reveals itself. Offering warm woven textiles of unique quality, customisable based on wool, this is Monkanvo’s promise.