Aboubakar Fofana was born in Mali and grew up between there and France. He worked for many years as a calligrapher and a graphic designer, before following a childhood dream of discovering how to make indigo cloth using ancient techniques indigenous to West Africa. After many years of research, study and practice in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Japan, he is now one of the world’s foremost practitioners of fermented indigo vat dyeing and mineral mud-dyeing techniques. His atelier is in Bamako, Mali, and he regularly travels the world showing his textiles and artworks, giving workshops and lectures, and meeting others who work with natural dyes and textiles. His work is motivated by a love for the natural world and its cycles and rhythms, a deep concern for the environment, and a vision to share the luxury and beauty of goods produced using indigenous West African materials and techniques whilst helping to reinvigorate and sustain.
