Helping By Design
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Detail: Pais Textil pillow/tassel of organic pima cotton, hand loomed on traditional backstrap loom.
I met Sandra Castaneda with her husband Rodolfo Rojas after midnight at my avorite bar in Lima, totally by chance. I was sitting next to them, enjoying my chilcano. I suspect they sensed my struggle with Spanish, as I tried to chat with the bartender. They chatted me up, and we have been friends since.
I was in Lima for the Peru Gift Show and Peru Moda, the 2 big design shows that happen every year for home decor, fashion, jewelry. Peru has a lot to offer in all of these areas. With a rich cultural history, raw materials, artisanal techniques passed down generations, as well as a very vibrant and creative young art and design scene, these shows never disappoint.
Turns out Sandra, and her sister Marta, will be showing this year at the show. They started an organization, as designers, to team up with local and mostly rural growers and weavers, to help maintain traditions and build sustainability for women in rural communities here in Peru. Besides loving the bar at Rafael, we had another immediate link.
Here we present the gorgeous pillows from Pais Textil 2017 collection. The organic pima cotton is grown locally, and the fabric is woven by hand on what are known as back strap looms. This is atraditional method used for generations in Peru. Fear of losing traditional methods like this is what motivated Sandra and Marta to orgainize the group.
The other thing that really matters, is to create fabric, and pillows and other personal fashion accessories that will appeal to a North American and European market, one willing to pay the price, and appreciate the beauty and quality of these hand made products. Marta and Sandra's designs for this collection are fresh, fun and vibrant.
See the full collection here:
Organic Pima Cotton Pillows
I was in Lima for the Peru Gift Show and Peru Moda, the 2 big design shows that happen every year for home decor, fashion, jewelry. Peru has a lot to offer in all of these areas. With a rich cultural history, raw materials, artisanal techniques passed down generations, as well as a very vibrant and creative young art and design scene, these shows never disappoint.
Turns out Sandra, and her sister Marta, will be showing this year at the show. They started an organization, as designers, to team up with local and mostly rural growers and weavers, to help maintain traditions and build sustainability for women in rural communities here in Peru. Besides loving the bar at Rafael, we had another immediate link.
Here we present the gorgeous pillows from Pais Textil 2017 collection. The organic pima cotton is grown locally, and the fabric is woven by hand on what are known as back strap looms. This is atraditional method used for generations in Peru. Fear of losing traditional methods like this is what motivated Sandra and Marta to orgainize the group.
The other thing that really matters, is to create fabric, and pillows and other personal fashion accessories that will appeal to a North American and European market, one willing to pay the price, and appreciate the beauty and quality of these hand made products. Marta and Sandra's designs for this collection are fresh, fun and vibrant.
See the full collection here:
Organic Pima Cotton Pillows
