Tunisian Brand Motyé Revives Carthage in Cairo

History has a habit of playing favourites. In North Africa, that has meant centuries of Islamic and colonial narratives overshadowing what came before. Carthage - the empire that once rivalled Rome - tends to appear in schoolbooks as a footnote or a cautionary tale. For Tunisian designer Yasmine Mhirsi, that omission was impossible to ignore.“Carthage’s history had been forgotten, or at least marginalised, gradually,” she says. “It wasn’t a single moment, but an accumulation of small observations. Passing by the ruins every day, contemplating the mosaics, I saw fragments of a rich, powerful civilisation. But they were often treated as a prelude to someone else’s story.”

Born in Carthage’s historic acropolis, Mzabi grew up with ruins as neighbours and ancient myths as reference points. “These sites were my first muse,” she recalls. “They were silent guides that continue to inform and inspire every Motyé creation.” Her early years were marked by a fascination with objects and material: leather in particular. “Working with leather is in my DNA. The smell, its particular weight, the way it comes to life and transforms in your hands have always amazed me. From a very young age I became passionate about bags and accessories, not only for their aesthetics, but for the material itself.”Her creative path began in the structured world of product and packaging design, a discipline that instilled in her “an appreciation for precision and purpose.” At the École Supérieure des Sciences et Technologies du Design, she refined her vision, guided by the belief that creativity was “an essential element of life.” Fashion became her channel, and bags her medium. Raised in Tunisia, a land where artisanal tradition is revered, she collaborates closely with master leatherworkers: “Their meticulous skills ensure that every Motyé piece carries the legacy of our craft.”

Motyé, the brand Mhirsi founded in Egypt, is her answer to absence: part design house, part act of historical resistance. “I don’t seek to reproduce the past, but to draw from it,” she explains. “It’s about evocation, not reproduction. The best way to revive a story is to anchor it in the present.”

The brand’s signature buckle is her manifesto: a pared-back interpretation of Tanit, a Carthaginian ode to femininity and power. “It is much more than a simple ornament; it is the heart of our identity. I wanted to elevate her to the status of a luxury icon while respecting her meaning. Its shape captures the essence of Tanit: femininity, fertility, and strength. It’s a dialogue between past and present.”That dialogue shapes Echoes of Carthage, her latest collection. The Murex Handbag references the shell once harvested for Tyrian purple, the colour of Carthaginian power. Designed with fluid curves and structured panels, it mirrors the geometry of the shell itself. “The Murex carries values of patience, precision, and transformation. It reawakens the idea that beauty and power are passed down, linking us to the past while shaping the future. In an era of mass production, it’s a reminder of the artistry that transforms raw materials into symbols of enduring meaning.”

For Mhirsi, each design is also a correction to the way history has been told. “Our story shouldn’t be told by others, but by ourselves. Every Motyé bag is an affirmation, a reminder that this history is alive and relevant. Carthage is not just a ruin or a myth; it is a civilisation full of stories, art, and innovations that deserve to be celebrated.”Today her practice moves between Tunisia and Egypt. In Cairo, she finds fresh inspiration: “The city’s contrasts, its dynamic energy and vibrant trade networks - so reminiscent of Motya itself - fuel my creative process.”

Asked what Carthage might say to the women who carry Motyé, she doesn’t hesitate: “I never truly disappeared. I live on in you. You are my rebirth.”