For as long as she can remember, Jihene has lived in two worlds: one foot in the Middle East, the other in Europe.

Her childhood in Tunisia was a riot of colours, sounds and smells: afternoons spent wandering the silk and leather souks in Tunis, or watching the artisans at work in her ancestral village. Jihene comes from a family of tailors and embroiderers in Mahdiya, an ancient centre of weaving and seafaring trade on the Tunisian coast.

It was once the Roman city of Africa—Ifriqqiyah to the medieval Moors— and is famous throughout the region for its artisanal goods and elaborate traditional costumes. During the annual festivals, Jihene and the women of her family would spend hours preparing these intricate garments, a ritual filled with gossip, laughter and scented tea.

Her passion for artisanal tailoring and embroidery has its roots in Mahdiya, and these joyful hours in the company of her mother and aunts.