Meune "what binds me", was born from a deep quest for re-rooting, a mosaic of experiences, travelled paths, and lessons the creator embraced throughout her life journey.
Step into Meune's World
MISSION
The mission of MEUNE is to offer a new committed luxury, a 'slow fashion' brand that combines Fashion and Lifestyle while advocating local and thoughtful production.
Each upcycled piece, or produced in limited series and on demand, showcases the artisan traditions of South America and the excellence of French craftsmanship.
MEUNE is a brand that weaves bonds, standing as a tribute to traditional crafts and Andean cultural heritages, in a quest for natural and human harmony.
MEUNE aspires to embark its followers on a symbolic transatlantic journey, where Nature, Humanity, and Culture are magnified and narrated, so that they are never mistreated or relegated to oblivion.
VISION
Rethinking Fashion - Women, Culture, Social Bonds, and Nature.
In one way or another, Nahir has always been marked by the Mapuche culture that permeates her native village, Carhué. This culture, which has imbued her spirit and rooted her future struggles, is at the heart of her convictions.
Her personal history and that of her uprooted and exiled ancestors in Argentina, fleeing fascism and imperialism, resonates with the Mapuche quest for re-rooting and the reclamation of their identity.
To grasp Nahir's worldview, it is essential to take into account this cultural anchoring to the Mapuche.
The Mapuche people
The Mapuche, "People of the Earth," are an indigenous Patagonian community persisting despite ongoing repression. Living between Argentina and Chile, they have managed to maintain a natural balance with the Earth and their community, despite colonial disruptions.
Nahir identified with their Cosmovision: a decentralized social and political organization, defending the Earth as a sanctuary rather than a resource. Like the Mapuche, she views nature as a "Sacred Mother," mutual aid as a community balance, and women as a major force in the equilibrium of people, nature, culture.
For Meune, nature, craftsmanship, and women are at the heart of its concerns and commitments.
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The Mapuche aspire to balance with nature, embodying the Küme Mogen (the "good life"). They see the world, the Nag Mapu, as a space of harmonious coexistence between living beings and the forces of nature, defending all forms of life.
Community social ties revolve around reciprocal exchanges, creating an identity as strong as language, religion, or territory.
Women, weavers or goldsmiths, play a key role in preserving and transmitting heritage. Through their art, they tell the history of their people's resistance and their connection with the Earth.
These keepers of ancestral knowledge pass on to the next generation a deep understanding of nature, the source of raw materials necessary for their creations: wool, fruits, leaves, and flowers for dyes illustrate a sacred and fruitful relationship with Ñuke Mapu ("Mother Earth").
PURPOSE
Argentinian by origin, literally and figuratively nourished by Mapuche land, Nahir sculpted her life's meaning through years of education focused on nature and humanity. She has always been sensitive to the connections between society, territory, cultural heritage, and nature.
More than ever, she is aware that supporting the Mapuche and indigenous peoples in general means defending a more virtuous way of life: producing and consuming with respect for nature, culture, and humanity.
This is how she formulates her purpose, which naturally becomes that of her brand, MEUNE.
MEUNE's purpose is the preservation of living, natural, and cultural heritages of South America. We aim for sustainable development respectful of human rights, biodiversity, and cultural diversity.
- Preservation of the environment and humanity without exhausting natural resources.
- Reintegration of solidarity and mutual aid at the heart of social and professional relationships.
- Valorization of skills and traditions to protect their identity and history.
- Celebration of the essential role of women in the transmission of traditional practices.
MEUNE is a journey towards our roots, encouraging us to reevaluate our connection with nature, humanity, and our identity. We seek to reconcile past and present, thus sketching a new way of life.
Because cultural and natural heritage represents a collective good.
The notion of development, often predatory and destructive, must be redirected towards ecosystem management that's more virtuous than the simple logic of the market.
FOUNDING VALUES
Re-rooting and Defense of Identity
MEUNE emphasizes the transmission and preservation of cultural and natural heritage. Identity and transmission are intrinsically linked, and it is through the dissemination of culture that the roots of identity can flourish.
Rather than confining the traditional know-how of Andean people to the past, MEUNE valorizes their heritage by collaborating with indigenous communities, thus allowing these traditions to endure.
Living heritage, both cultural and natural, is essential to maintain cultural diversity in the face of increasing globalization and represents a defense against the destruction of natural resources.
Preservation of Biodiversity
Through upcycling and limited series production, MEUNE commits to creating with what exists, thus minimizing the extraction of natural resources. We recognize the fashion industry's impact on biodiversity and strive to reduce it.
"Slow fashion" promotes quality over quantity and aims to minimize its footprint on Earth. This is where MEUNE positions itself, with eco-designed products in small series, made in Paris.
We salvage surplus fabric from prestigious French Houses and collaborate with artisan communities in South America to incorporate their handmade textiles into our creations. Creativity and determination are at the heart of our approach.
Women's Emancipation and Advocacy
MEUNE values the central role of women in the transmission of living heritage. Indigenous women, and particularly Mapuche women, have always been at the heart of community struggles, although often overlooked in official history.
Today, they deem it crucial to defend their culture, identity, and skills in this era of capitalism and globalization. Women's emancipation, autonomy, and entrepreneurship are essential levers for the economic and social development of these cultures.
MEUNE supports this cause by helping women to value their skills through the development of income-generating activities, thus contributing to their self-esteem and freedom. Maintaining financial activity and encouraging women's "empowerment" are at the heart of MEUNE's mission.
Responsible and Inclusive Development
From the outset, MEUNE is committed to fair development, through local production and collaboration between France and South America.
During her travels in Argentina, our creator dedicates part of her time to meet with artisans from indigenous communities, supporting their autonomy through their weaving art and skills.
Textile is essential in the Mapuche tradition. Each color and pattern has a meaning; each fabric tells a story. At MEUNE, we incorporate this artisanal weaving into our Parisian creations, celebrating Andean history and culture.
We firmly believe that it is through collaboration and mutual aid, not competition, that we will overcome the social, cultural, and ecological challenges that cross the fashion industry today.
STORY
FOUNDER
Born in 1989 in Carhué, a small Argentine village in the province of Buenos Aires, I grew up in an environment where nature is omnipresent. The term "Carhué" means "Green Place" in Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuches.
My childhood is a hymn to nature, an ideal playground: the "campo," our rural property populated with horses and cows, skiing holidays in Patagonia, weekends in Epecuén, a town near my village, once submerged and devastated by waters.
From an early age, I became aware of the beauty and power of nature, but above all its fragility.
Nahir sarsur
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To pursue my higher education, I moved to Buenos Aires where I witnessed consumerist excesses linked to an economic boom. This environment contrasted with the moderate upbringing my mother instilled in us, dressing her daughters in clothes shared within our family. After earning my degree and working in a renowned investment bank, I realized this world is not for me.
Inspired by a need to travel, I flew to Europe: Germany with its notable progress in sustainable development and renewable energies, then France, before returning to Argentina. There, I felt a call to reconnect with nature and those who respect it deeply: the indigenous peoples of South America. I traveled alone to meet these communities in the North and South of Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
Their rich cultural heritage and their symbiosis with nature awakened me to an obvious reality: my life must now be dedicated to preserving the Cultural and Natural Heritage of my country.
Returning to Paris, I launched MEUNE - "what binds me" - in 2019 to lead this fight.
EPECUÉN
Epecuén, a submerged city, plays an essential role in shaping Nahir's universe and naturally becomes a creative pillar of MEUNE.
Nahir first visited Epecuén after the flood. Since her early years, she would wander through the ruins, using her imagination to envision the appearance of the once-standing houses.
This city devastated by water became her playground, even though the gravity of the tragedy only appeared to her in adulthood.
Epecuén has always been an integral part of her universe, shaping her creative vision, serving as a wellspring of inspiration, and acting as the driving force behind her future endeavors in nature conservation.