How our work Began
Marie Farneth and Maddalena formally started working together in 2016, laying the foundation for what has evolved into Madda Studio, a collaborative textile studio in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our work builds on experience dating back to 1995, when Maddalena co-founded a non-profit association in Chiapas and began leading textile and natural dye workshops. When Maddalena and Marie met, they decided to create a structure to continue working with artisans from the region, whilst also collaborating with designers and architects to create rugs and other textile accessories using local materials and craft techniques.
Originally from Rome, Italy, with training in art restoration and later in textile design in Mexico City, Maddalena has spent the last twenty-five years working in Mexico with indigenous artisans, researching traditional weaving and dyeing techniques. Immersed in the flavors and crafts of Mexico, she has woven the culture of her adopted home into her own creative vision.
Marie grew up with an architect father and a mission-driven public health educator mother in Berkeley, California. When she was four years old, she lived in
Rome with her parents while her father attended an internationally renowned architectural restoration and preservation program. This experience ignited in her an interest in other cultures. She's since lived and worked in Ecuador, Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala and Italy.