Wzo Emama Tsion Andom “Mama Tsion” recently passed away at the grand age of 100 years old. Mama Tsion will forever be remembered as the innovative creative who transformed traditional Ethiopian clothing into modern and fashionable clothing for women. In March 1968, in her historic magazine “Ethiopia Mirror” on Ethiopian Fashion she stated “We are at a turning point, a great evolution, we could even say a revolution in Ethiopia fashion”.
Her mother had been a tailor, making all of the clothes for the family, and Tsion began early to draw designs for clothes and embroidery on the tablecloth at home; she made clothes first for her dolls and then for herself. Even then, she used to dream about the designs she would make. She kept the first Singer sewing machine her father gave her when she was 12 years old.
In 1950, Tsion went to London with her Ambassador husband and was confronted by the Indian Commissioner’s wife while attending a function at Buckingham Palace in 1954. She had dressed for the occasion in a dress she had made herself, in a satin and lace Victorian style; the Indian woman complimented her but then asked why she didn’t have a national dress. All of the Indian women were wearing saris. It was that comment that started Tsion thinking about how to make clothing that really celebrated Ethiopian traditional fabrics and designs. Returning to Ethiopia, she began working on a new kind of design and encouraged by friends and clients, she officially opened her business, Tsion Tibeb, in 1965 at the age of 43, the first modern high Ethiopian fashion design firm. She continued to run her business, using the beautiful Ethiopian hand-spun, hand-woven fabrics and hand-embroidery to create more modern clothing she sewed herself, until she was in her late 80’s. The beauty of her creations was widely acclaimed, both in Ethiopia and abroad.
This was her true and dedicated passion…to use traditional hand woven Ethiopian fabric and designs to create modern and fashionable clothing. Mama Tsion was well regarded for this transformation both in Ethiopia and abroad and for celebrating and honouring the ancient and beloved Ethiopian weaving traditions as well as her dedication to Ethiopian artisanship.
She loved her work. Her trademark was beautiful colorful tibeb, (embroidered borders), matched on the dresses and the accompanying shawls (shamma). She pioneered cultural wedding gowns with the traditional capes (kabas) made in colors, rather than the traditional black, and beautifully decorated. She continued to work on her creations until well into her 80’s, completing her last commissioned dresses in 2011, when she was 88.
Mama Tsion remained gratified that she was instrumental in making sure that the Ethiopian national dress is still loved and treasured.