About Us
Timbuktu Research and Design was established to unite African-led design concepts and methodologies with heritage management and textile research. Our initiative is designed to foster creativity and inform innovation at both national and continental levels.
Operating within a dynamic and promising landscape, Timbuktu Research and Design is dedicated to positively impacting the textile industry across Africa. With research and education as the cornerstone of our practice, we aspire to develop methods that reclaim dominion over our narratives and practices, thereby laying the foundation for self-determined futures.
By merging ancestral wisdom with contemporary innovation, we are building a new ecosystem for African textiles—one that cultivates economic sovereignty, celebrates cultural integrity, and outfits the future of the continent on its own terms.
Why partner with Us
Choosing Timbuktu Research and Design means more than a service, it is a partnership in purpose. We offer a unique synergy of research-driven design and culturally-grounded education that delivers not only beautiful and innovative textiles but also a meaningful narrative. By working with us, you invest in an authentic African identity, contribute to preserving heritage, and align your brand with a future built on self-determined creativity and impact.
Our vision
We are re-imagining an Africa beyond the constraints of the perpetual developing stage—an Africa that, through its visionary ancestral knowledge and practices, effects future forecasting and confidently cultivates innovations in the design, production, and application of textiles.
Our mission
Using traditional knowledge and practices surrounding textiles to inform design aesthetics and innovations across diverse applications. Simultaneously, we strive to contribute to the preservation of Africa's boundless textile heritage and convey the narratives and societal impacts it has had—and continues to have—on our societies.
By fostering creativity through transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary methods, we draw deeply from traditional knowledge and practices. This approach empowers African innovators to vigorously transform their future and re-imagine a prospering continent, developing design methodologies specifically tailored to address our unique geographical challenges and opportunities.