About us

Our Vision

“To honor the artisans who shape our craft, and the women who carry our pieces.”

At Maison Motema, we are building a world where heritage and modernity meet — where African craftsmanship is elevated through slow luxury. We aspire to be a house of legacy, crafting timeless bronze jewelry and leather bags that celebrate individuality, resilience, and the beauty of handmade work.

Mission

Our mission at Maison Motema is to create high-quality, artisanal pieces that preserve ancestral savoir-faire while empowering the communities who make them. Every creation is handmade in Africa, uniting tradition with contemporary design. We are committed to sustainability through slow, intentional production and by investing directly in artisans and their economic independence. Through each piece, we seek to inspire confidence, elegance, and connection to heritage. Learn more about our sustainibility commitments, here. 

Words from our Founder

Maison Motema is a women-founded, artisan-centered brand redefining luxury through craft, heritage, and lived experience. Our inspiration flows from African tradition — my own roots — from the bronze-casting ateliers of Senegal to the quiet rituals of everyday elegance.

Maison Motema exists between worlds, Dakar, New York, and Paris as our creative centers, shaping a refined lifestyle where meaning matters as much as beauty.

My vision is to create a future where luxury honors memory, where each piece carries the soul of the hands that shaped it, and where women wear not just adornment, but legacy.

Each bag, each jewel, is more than an object — it is a story of resilience, history reimagined for the present, and a reminder that true luxury is built slowly, with heart — motema.

Verlaine-Diane Soobroydoo

Founder & Creative Director, Maison Motema

Our Atelier,  Le Savoir-Faire Made in Africa

Maison Motema’s pieces are crafted with intention in Dakar, Senegal, in close collaboration with skilled artisans whose hands carry generations of knowledge.

Each creation is the result of precise gestures, patience, and an intimate understanding of material—where craftsmanship is not rushed, and every detail is honored.

In our Dakar atelier, artisanal excellence is a lived practice, shaped by tradition, mastery, and pride in work done well. Here, creation is both a craft and a legacy—one that connects heritage to contemporary design.