Coton de Bamako

Handwoven, Plant-Dyed Cotton from Mali

A Project by Stini Arn – From the Weaving Studio to the Handmade Unique Piece

The Swiss artist and sound designer Stini Arn (Mme Mallé Christina) lived from 2013 to 2023 in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Alongside her work with sound, she has long explored textile cultures — with a particular focus on weaving and the relationship between material, rhythm, and craftsmanship.

Bamakoton is a curated textile collection from Mali. Its common ground: cotton, handcraft, and dyes derived from plants and earth. Each fabric speaks of time, knowledge, and sustained relationships.

The collection brings together two places of making:

From Ségou come the powerful Bogolan textiles, created in the ateliers Ateliers Ndomo, Sinjesigi and Soroblé along the Niger. “Bogolan” means “made with earth.” Woven cotton cloth is layered with Ngalaman, a yellow dye plant, and painted with Bogo, iron-rich mud from the Niger. Through repeated drying, washing, and over-dyeing, deep and nuanced blacks emerge, forming patterns rich in symbolism and rooted in a living dyeing tradition.

In Bamako, Ikat textiles are produced at the weaving workshop Centre Yiriba, co-founded by Stini Arn. Here, the yarn is bound and dyed before weaving, so that the pattern is embedded in the thread itself. These textiles combine precise handwork with a clear, contemporary visual language.

Bamakoton stands for textile substance: for cotton that retains its presence, for color that grows from plants and earth, and for fabrics created through close collaboration with Malian artisans.

BAMAKOTON Fabric Art and Design Exhibitions

2026 KOSTBAR Almens/GR

2025 Webstall Adventsausstellung, Webstall Pignia/GR

2025 KunstHandWerk Markt Zürich

2023-2024 Webstall Adventsausstellung, Webstall Pignia/GR

2020 KOSTBAR Almens/GR

2019 @25hours Hotel Langstrasse Artist in Residence 30. März - 15. April, Zürich

2018 KunstHandWerk Markt Zürich