Through the artisanal gesture of know-how, Itinerance creates links to give visibility, creative and economic power to craft women in the Mediterranean basin.
Website: itinerance.org
Main Address: alexia@itinerance.org
Network: Itinerance has partners in Morocco, France, Tunisia and Greece
Itinerance brings together craftswomen and changemakers in the Mediterranean basin. It runs projects, workshops, talks and exhibitions.
A Q&A with Itinerance
COMMUNITY
OCM: In what ways are you a community and how do you serve its needs?
I: Itinerance is an NGO that brings together communities of artisans and changemakers in the Mediterranean. The creation of a responsible network around the craftswomen of the Mediterranean basin is the essence of Itinerance's purpose: by the artisan's gesture of know-how, Itinerancy gives (back) a visibility, an economic and creative power to the communities of craftswomen of the mediterranean basin.
Itinerance has 3 types of actions:
A social mission: gather & support women artisans in the Mediterranean basin
A cultural mission: protect this intangible heritage and educate the public at large, students and professionals
A pedagogical mission: raise awareness and promote some know-how
EXPRESSION
OCM: In what ways do you nurture creativity, cultures and customs relating to dress, clothing or bodily adornment within your community?
I: Craftswomen are authentic memory bearers. For millennia, exceptional know-how has been exchanged in the Mediterranean, from one shore to the other. Communities have nurtured this hand gesture from generation to generation. Yet, the diversity of traditional craftsmanship is in decline.
Through it’s cultural mission, Itinerance promotes intangible cultural heritage around the Mediterranean through exhibitions. This action contributes to their transmission and protection.
COMMON WEALTH
OCM: In what ways do you share your knowledge, skills, creativity and/or resources with others?
I: Passing on & training young generations and companies are Itinerance's pedagogical & second mission.
How does Itinerance train new generations for these creative challenges? By making the link between the traditional and the contemporary.
In this respect Itinerance designs pedagogical content around the know-how and intangible cultural heritage and builds workshops for students and professionals of the industry.
PEOPLE
OCM: In what ways do you respect and care for other peoples, the significance of their cultural expression and rights to dignified livelihoods?
I: As mentioned above, through its cultural mission Itinerance annually highlights a community of artisans and contributes to protect and preserve their intangible heritage through the large public exposure.
Itinerance makes the general public aware of this other way of doing and consuming through exhibitions in museums.
Itinerance has also a co-creation approach: that is to say on the one hand the craftswomen will learn new designs and on the other Itinerance will learn new gestures and skills. So there is a learning relationship on both sides.
NATURE
OCM: In what ways do you work with nature to protect and restore the living world?
I: The craftswomen of the Mediterranean basin are faced with major economic, social and environmental challenges.
Itinerance's purpose and missions intend to find an answer to this major social issue through the know-how of these women.
Its social mission is articulated around two actions: (i) integrate the craftswomen of the Mediterranean basin into a digital cartography and (ii) generate fair trade opportunities for them.
Part of its social action also includes some training to communities around sustainable principles. By addition to the social, geographical and creative indicators, Itinerance applies specific criteria for the sourcing of crafts regarding the environment and raw materials.
In short, the global purpose of Itinerance is dedicated to support the path of change in the fashion industry especially considering the gender equality and poverty's SDG's.
How to participate
Coming soon...