How eco-fashion is offering a renaissance for new Tunisian brands

French-Tunisian brand Basscoutur aims to prove to the industry that sustainable fashion is possible on a wider scale. Photo: Instagram/@basscoutur75

The sun is setting by the time Tunisian fashion designer Chems Eddine Mechri reaches the breezy, seaside town of Mahdia. He has spent half the day driving in the scorching heat in pursuit of the precious, handmade fabrics he needs for his upcoming winter collection.

With a 200-kilometer road trip from Tunis coming to an end, the designer knows just the place: the basement of a blue-lit workshop, hidden away in the labyrinth of Mahdia’s old medina, where silk weaver Mohamed Ismail’s spinning wheel still is going at full speed.