We are often asked why we called our business Artisanne. Could we not spell?  Was it another language?

Like many new businesses in search of name, we brainstormed all sorts of ‘themes’ and options. We produced a long list that was very quickly narrowed down: many names were taken, some were too complicated (one was a mixture of Wolof and French), others too contrived. We joked we would settle for “Betty’s Baskets’ but it did not reflect our aspirations for the brand. 

As is so often the case, the name came out of the blue, over a quick conversation with my sister. What do we want to be about?

‘The women artisans, the weaving skills, the baskets, Senegal.'

‘Artisane’ is the French word for a female artisan. As Senegal is a French speaking country and all the weavers are women, this seemed to sum it up.  We added an extra 'n' as a nod to our late mother’s name, Ann. Et voilà, Artisanne was born.