Semhal Tsegaye Abebe Semhal Tsegaye Abebe
Semhal Tsegaye Abebe is the founder and creative director of Almaz textile design, a fashion brand that promotes diversity and African heritage, focused on bespoke products made in natural or recycled fabrics.
Born in Ethiopia and raised both in Ethiopia and Italy, she identifies as a fully bicultural who looks forward to addressing the untapped potential in the connections among the very diverse pool of people and expertise in the Italian context and aboard. She has a bachelor’s BSc in Urban Planning from the University of Florence, an MA in Marketing Management from the University of Pisa and a diploma in Textile Design from the University of Arts London. The main focus of Almaz textile design is textile patterns that reflect the rich and diverse African heritage, as shown in the fabrics inspired by the architecture of Lalibela. With a view to embedding a sustainable business model in the existing one, which is based on natural fabrics, however not fully sustainable, there are plans to print on recycled or upcycled materials, either patterns or specific designed graphics.