OUR STORY
TANORA is an Australian brand of refined, beach-inspired eco-friendly raffia accessories and homewares.
The seed of an idea for TANORA was planted during a road trip along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road in 2014. Owners Manon and Will, newly arrived from Madagascar and enchanted by the Australian coastline, imagined the handicrafts of their generations-owned family raffia workshops transformed into products suited to the beach-loving Australian lifestyle.
Realising a cherished dream, today TANORA is the celebration of Malagasy artistry with a fresh Australian aesthetic and sustainable conscience. The Malagasy word Tanora means ‘youth’, a tribute to the young people this family run company educates and employs, a hope for, and investment of future Malagasy generations.
Our commitment to sustainability & ethical practices:
Fairtrade Conditions
TANORA commits to ensuring that artisans in the workshops are all over the age of 18, are treated with dignity, and paid a living income. The foundation of our company is fair trade working conditions which are closely supervised, to ensure a safe and pleasant working environment.
Culture and Conservation
The weaving and crocheting of raffia is at the heart of the traditional Malagasy handicraft culture. These ancestral techniques utilising traditional looms have become increasingly rare in the face of globalisation, as it becomes cheaper to outsource and mass-produce items using modern technology. An integral part of our mission is to maintain the human hand and artistry of a craft native to Madagascar.
Sustainable Matters
Raffia is one of the most sustainable materials in the fashion industry. The raffia palm thrives well only when the fronds are carefully hand-pruned rather than fully stripped from the tree. TANORA raffia is pruned at a minimum of 1.2 metres, ensuring that harvesting is non-disruptive, and that the health of the palm is preserved. Adhering strictly to the pruning method of harvesting, our footprint on the environment remains as small as possible. Whatever goes into our products is obtained responsibly and with a conscience.
Designing and Crafting
Our designs are created in Sydney Australia, drawing inspiration from both contemporary fashion trends and timeless classics. Prototypes of each design are made and tweaked, testing for style, durability and practicality before the piece is then hand crafted in small batches at our family ateliers in Madagascar. TANORA is dedicated to maintaining the human touch and the artistry of a craft native to Madagascar, to honor and preserve the maker’s skill.
Nest’s 2023 Artisan Sustainability Accelerator
TANORA was honoured to be elected to participate in the international @buildanest’s 2023 Artisan Sustainability Accelerator. It is a unique opportunity for our business to benefit from a suite of targeted programming to drive TANORA’s business growth and social impact in the handcraft sector. TANORA is humbled to be recognised for all we strive for: excellence in quality, a sustainable product and best work practices.