Growing up in Guinea – a West African country with a population of almost 13 million people – was both amazing and challenging for Mariama Camara, founder of textile company Mariama Fashion Production and NYC-based, sustainable clothing brand, Mariama Camara. Though Guinea is rich in natural resources, its population remains extremely poor, making her all the more appreciative of having grown up in a family with an entrepreneurial mindset and a big heart for the local community. Mariama looked up to her mother, an entrepreneur, and her father, a politician, who taught her about the most important values in life, and it felt natural to her to follow in their footsteps – on a socio-political as well as entrepreneurial level.

“I always loved fashion – long before having learned the term “fashion”. Growing up in Guinea, I had no idea what the word stood for. I remember stalking my late uncle Aboudou’s tailor shop, which was in our house. I would go there and collect pieces of fabric cuts from his customer’s clothes to dress my doll, which I had made out of a papaya stem. And I always wanted my dresses to be different from those my friends were wearing during the holidays. I would sit and watch my family make their fabrics and really wanted to join in the tie-dying process, but I was still too young,” Mariama told Fashionomics Africa.

While Mariama knew that her family had always been passionate about making prints, she never realized that her great grandmother was, in fact, a very successful textile maker in the Kindia region of Guinea. She learned this during the filming of Erin Bagwell’s documentary film, Dream, Girl, which follows the stories of inspirational, ambitious female entrepreneurs – including Mariama. The documentary premiered at Obama’s White House in May, 2016.

“When I moved to Senegal as a youngster, I finally understood what fashion was about. I always looked up to my older sister, Tigui Mounir Camara, who had already successfully established herself in the New York City fashion industry. She really helped open the doors to the fashion industry for me, and I started working as soon as I arrived in America. I started my career as a fashion model, makeup artists and stylist before founding my own fashion brand and textile company,” she explains.

Her focus wasn’t immediately set on African fashion. Initially, she was mainly determined to integrate herself in the industry. “But with time I started to recognize the lack of representation and well-made African products and textiles on the runway, and just the way our image and articles were portrayed didn’t sit right with me. And, of course, my passion was calling – so, I followed my heart and started advocating for African fashion while investing in female entrepreneurs through our organization There Is No Limit Foundation (TINLF) in 2008.”

“There Is No Limit Foundation is a 501(c)3 international nonprofit and Guinean tax-exempt organization. Our mission is to empower individuals and families in the poorest communities to reach their fullest potential and an enhanced sense of dignity through economic opportunities and the eradication of barriers including poverty, inequality, and violence. I co-founded it with my younger sister Aissata M.B. Camara; we work in the Republic of Guinea, Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire.”

It all started with presenting one woman with $250. Mariama saw just how far this budget got this lady and so, she decided to make her the head of that project. The foundation then went on to offer the same opportunity to 300 other women by grouping them. “Since then, our first recipient was able to reconcile with her husband, and she is also able to take care of her household and children. Additionally, she is able to send her eldest to continue her studies abroad while growing her small business. We have established successful collaborations with renowned designers, sponsored new groups of women and provided business trainings through the No Limit Foundation.”

TINLF focuses on entrepreneurship, education, WASH, health and advocacy. It led the response to the Ebola Virus outbreak in Guinea. Working alongside the First Lady, the foundation distributed $500, 000 worth of medical supplies and equipment to hospitals, including maternity wards.  Mariama is proud to report: "We renovated water sites and pumps in various areas in Guinea. We've also implemented various agricultural projects and donated baby clothes to women. Through our Break The Silence Campaign to end female genital mutilation, we worked with our local team to train over 6,000 community members on the dangers of the practice. We also led media campaigns on TV and radio stations reaching more than 10 million people. TINLF has also worked with Guinean musicians to create an anti-FGM song; the launch of the song resulted in over 10,000 views in 24 hours on YouTube. Our stories and work can be seen in "Dream, Girl" and more recently, in the Deutsche Welle (DW) documentary Digital Warriors.”

Suffice it to say, Mariama is unstoppable – she is much more than a “digital warrior”. She is very much present in the field – whether it be for her work with TINLF, her Mariama Fashion Production textile company or the Association of Women Tie-Dyers. “I love the idea of pushing female entrepreneurs forward with the skills they already possess. I believe we can use our passion and potential to empower others. We want to give our women the opportunity to continue practicing what they love and what they are good at while providing economic empowerment and dignity.”

“I see huge potential for the African textiles industry. We’ve always been a big source of inspiration for international brands. We have 54 countries in Africa, and each tribe has their own approach to making their textiles. If we really focus on pushing creativity, skills training and creating opportunities for the textile makers/ artisans and emerging designers we can dominate the world in this sector, create sustainable jobs and boost the countries’ economy.”

Mariama Fashion Production is changing the narrative surrounding African textiles by focusing on a sustainable approach to textiles. “One of our most important goals, is removing the synthetic dyes out of the African market by replacing them with natural/ vegetables, plant dyes. We are organizing workshops across the continent to push sustainability to prevent our continent from leaving negative fashion footprints and provide skills training to local artisans and emerging designers which is very important to the development of the African fashion industry.”

Through Mariama’s undeniable and inexhaustible dedication to sustainable fashion and the creation of economic opportunities for impoverished communities in Senegal, Guinea and Cote D’Ivoire, she is helping to shine a positive and inspirational spotlight on the artisans and textile techniques of Africa. And, we can guarantee that, Mariama’s story I definitely worth following.