The Ndao Hanavao laboratory, located within the Somacou premises in Ilafy, is exploring new creative possibilities by transforming textile waste into felt. Under the guidance of French designer Léa Dammann, eight young people are spending five weeks discovering techniques that combine experimentation, sustainable design, and material valorization.
How can textile waste be transformed into a material suitable for creation? This is the experiment conducted by Ndao Hanavao through a new research and training project dedicated to felting. Since September, eight young people in professional integration programs have been participating in this workshop to learn how to work with fabric scraps from the textile industry and integrate them into new design applications.
Léa Dammann’s approach goes beyond simple reuse. By repurposing the felting technique, the French designer transforms textile waste into a material that is sometimes flexible and sometimes rigid, usable in object design and interior decoration. This research opens up new creative perspectives around materials usually considered waste, while exploring the possibilities offered by sustainable design and the circular economy.
During the five weeks, the participants learn the felting technique and deepen their knowledge of object design. After an introduction to design with Domi Sanji, a designer and project manager at Ndao Hanavao, as well as French support classes, they experiment with the different possibilities of using the resulting material. Company visits and meetings with artists and designers also allow them to discover manufacturing processes and textile industry circuits in Antananarivo. The goal is to link material research to concrete applications and broaden their professional perspectives.
Léa Dammann’s background fuels this experimental approach. Trained in cabinetmaking at the École Boulle, she acquired a mastery of design and material transformation techniques. She then continued her studies at the École nationale supérieure de création industrielle (ENSCI – Les Ateliers), where she developed a reflection on the uses of objects and the ecosystems in which they are integrated.
Design as a driver of creation: Created in 2018 in Antananarivo, Ndao Hanavao develops design projects in response to local social and environmental issues. The laboratory brings together guest designers and beneficiaries around experimentation, production, and the transmission of know-how, with one ambition: to make design a means of innovation and professional integration. “Design is social by essence; it has always been a vector of change at the societal level. Ndao Hanavao embraces this definition and uses design as a lever for progress,” emphasizes Domi Sanji, project manager.
Captured & Published at: 2026-10-29 06:08:47 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/10/design-de-jeunes-createurs-explorent-de.html
