PROCESS

Everything starts with a seed

The cotton used for our pieces is organic and grows in fields of fertile soil in the Southeast Coast of Mexico. It is cultivated free of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic chemical fertilizers.

The textile artisan community that we collaborate with practices a sustainable artisanal production – with meaning – making a real difference. This process generates self-employment and self-sufficiency for all the families of the community that spin and weave to revive local traditions.

Spun by hand
Every 15 days raw cotton is provided to over 200 women of the community for them to take home and remove the seeds, comb and spin thread by hand using spinning wheels made by local carpenters. After this process is complete, the threads are braided and exchanged for fair compensation and more raw cotton to give the cycle continuity.


Every thread of our pieces has been carefully handled by women of the community.

Dyed over wood fire

The process of dyeing over wood fire is one of our favorites as it extracts dyes from natural elements such as wood, plants, insects and flowers. The threads are placed inside giant pots over wood fire at high temperatures between hours and days, depending on the desired shade.

Creole cotton gives us natural white, while coyuchi cotton or naturally colored cotton gives us brown shades without the need to dye. Other shades of our color palette come from indigo plants (blue and green shades), zacatlascali and marigold plants (yellow shades), oak bark (brown shades) and cochineal insects (pink and red shades).

Woven on loom
The process of weaving on loom turns the threads into yards of fabric by intertwining threads that run perpendicularly. The warp (vertical threads) is held stationary in tension, while the weft (horizontal threads) runs across uniting and giving shape to the fabrics of our pieces.



Artisanal weaving on loom is extremely complex and requires coordination, a sharp eye and plenty of patience. Speed and rhythm are equally important.

Depending on the design and dimensions of the piece, the fabric is made on a back-strap loom or a pedal loom. Both techniques tell a story that goes beyond the fabrics, to the nobility of people, self-sufficiency and independence.

From the Mexican mountain range to the Panamanian Caribbean

We unite the culture, beliefs and traditions of indigenous communities in Mexico with those in Panama collaborating with Ornelia and her family, from the island of Ukupseni in Guna Yala.

She is our inspiration and creator of magic in textile as she incorporates art designs to our pieces with the ancient manual technique of reverse appliqué Mola.

Through this technique of layering, Guna women share feminine ancestral knowledge that has been passed along from generation to generation for over 150 years.