Taszuri Créations, the designer with Berber style: her inspiration? Berber tattoos.

Video

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Rym, I am 29 years old and I am the founder of Taszuri Créations. I grew up and lived in Algiers until I was 17, then after my baccalaureate, I came to settle in France to study physics and chemistry. I did a bachelor's degree, then a master's degree in therapeutic chemistry and I ended up with a doctorate in physical chemistry on antibiotic resistance. I then joined a startup that is developing a new microscopy technology until I decided to become self-employed and devote myself entirely to Taszuri Créations.

Can you introduce Taszuri Créations?

I created Taszuri Créations in 2017 and our products have been on sale for over 3 years now. Taszuri is mainly decorative objects with design and color inspired by the Berber style. Unlike traditional objects which are often very loaded with patterns, I choose very simple patterns that I associate with pop colors to bring a touch of originality. I chose the name Taszuri because it means “craft” in Kabyle. We offer decorative objects for the art of the table, for flowers, for the home, to offer but also for oneself. We now also offer Taszuri wedding which we launched on March 2, 2020. All our products are handmade and ethically made.

Unfortunately, it is an ancestral tradition that is being lost...

How did you come up with the idea of ​​founding Taszuri Créations?

In June 2017, I returned to Algeria to see my family. During this stay, I spent some time near Azeffoune, a coastal town in Kabylie. While visiting the surrounding area, I came across all sorts of Berber patterns drawn on the walls, traditional pottery, Berber carpets, but especially on the faces of the oldest women in the small villages. For many of them, their foreheads, chins, and cheeks are tattooed with bluish-tinted patterns. I loved the geometric shapes and minimalist lines of each of these tattoos, but especially the fact that each pattern told a story. Their meaning is reported, for some, in books. Unfortunately, it is an ancestral tradition that is being lost and women are gradually moving away from this custom.

My parents always loved telling me the stories they experienced in their respective towns and villages. My husband, who is very attached to Berber culture, inspired me a lot and helped me in making the first objects. Since we met, he has told me about the history of his family, his grandparents, his great-grandmother's tattoos... I became aware through my family that Berber culture, which I find fascinating, holds an important place in everyone's mind. But also that certain traditions tended to be lost... I then asked myself how we could perpetuate this tradition?

After doing a lot of research on the meaning of Berber symbols and tattoos, I wanted to transcribe these patterns onto everyday objects and thus be able to tell their story and make them last over time.

What categories of products do you sell?

On our website https://www.taszuricreations.com/notre-histoire we sell 5 different categories of decorations.

The first is L'Art de la table: we sell tableware for aperitifs, meals and coffee. We have our second category which is for flowers with our jars and flower pots then the third which is for the home so something to display, note, store and illuminate. Finally the last two categories are for yourself and to offer with small or large gifts, personalized boxes and ephemeral capsule collections with jewelry and embroidered t-shirts.

On our second website which is dedicated to weddings, https://www.taszurimariage.com , we offer gifts for guests (goodies, soaps, candles etc.), all the stationery one could need and finally jars for decoration.

...we have a jar that works very well, it's the TIMGAD jar

What are the manufacturing steps for a Taszuri Créations product?

We start by ordering our raw materials from French artisans and then I take care of the painting and decoration myself. Finally, when it is porcelain, I do another firing to make the paint stick so that it does not fade and also so that the dishes can go in the dishwasher. When we talk about jars or flower pots, I do not go through another firing because these creations are not intended to be machine washed. As for wicker, this material is worked by Berber artisans, who weave the material by hand to make all kinds of objects (baskets, bins, etc.). For cushions and kits, I select the fabrics in France, which I then sew by hand. My mother, who is very hands-on, taught me how to use a sewing machine.

What raw materials do you use? Where and how do you source them?

For everything that is porcelain and ceramics (tableware), the raw material is French. I buy the dishes from specialists. As for the terracotta (pottery), since June 2020, each of them has been modeled and fired in an artisanal way in a workshop in Saint-Fargeau, in Burgundy. For the rest of the raw materials (paper, fabric, etc.) I have always sourced from French and ethical artisans.

What is your best-selling product?

So it depends a lot on the period. Right now, we have a jar that works very well, it's the TIMGAD jar, the papyrus-colored one with sage green stripes on the bottom. While 2 months ago it was the BOSSEA Mug that was very popular. It's very changeable.

Who are the men and women behind Taszuri Créations?

I started Taszuri Créations alone but now Camille works with me. She was still working part-time with her other job but now she is full-time with Taszuri Créations and we share the tasks. For example, she takes care of the entire Taszuri wedding collection and I take care of Taszuri Créations. We do all the thinking together.

What is your favorite decorative object?

Without hesitation it's the jar. I find them too beautiful, their shapes are graceful, the colors are pretty so yes really it's the jar that I prefer.

A little decorating advice for our community?

I would say to adopt jars. People are often afraid because they say to themselves “ah where am I going to put it”, “will it go well”, and in fact we can play so much with colors, patterns, bouquets. So we can say that jars go everywhere.

Happy is he who can act according to his desires.

If you had to describe yourself in 3 words?

In three words, I would say that I am determined, obsessive and patient.

What drives you on a daily basis in what you do? Or rather your motto?

Those who have been following Taszuri for a long time know that I often share Berber proverbs and there is one that I like very much and that has followed me from the beginning: “Happy is he who can act according to his desires”.

To learn more about Berber culture and tradition in interior design: Berber culture, traditions and tattoos in interior design

Discover the Taszuri Créations collection