Impressed and happy
A beautiful day in which we raised some images to make a small video which we will share with pleasure with all of you and which you will find at the end of this publication. The visit to San Sebastian was very informative, because they took us to see the place where cotton is thrown, and the interesting thing about this community is its concept of working with the "spinning wheel", original idea of Mahatma Gandhi.
We were welcomed right away for Felipa and Cheo. They started to show us around the town, and explaining all the process.
They work with women from the village and nearby ranches who spin the thread, weave the fabric and embroider our designs. They get organic cotton from Katyi Ya'a, a collective of 18 women who spin and weave locally grown, native, organic, naturally colored brown and white cotton (Coyuche). The coast of Oaxaca and Guerrero, the Costa Chica, is one of the few places in the world where naturally colored cotton originates.
This makes the process so impressive, knowing where the cotton comes from and who is involved in this beautiful project makes it so attractive to many of us interested in the care and preservation of ancestral customs.
Hand Spinning and Hand Waving
The artisans have a long tradition in working with wool, so for them wasn't that hard to work with cotton. Local carpenters replicate the spinning wheel so every artisan could have one at home. We really found this amazing! There are two types of waving: Pedal loom and waist loom. Once they finish the fabrics, wonderful artisans decor the fabrics with hand embroideries product of their imagination and inspiration; true pieces of art!
As you can see on the photos, all the process is manual, and in their homes. There is no chemicals, there is only pure love and tradition!
Here is the video we want to share with you, hope you enjoy it! <3
If you think this is already amazing, you have to know that they also have a retreat place... yes! a few cabins were you can spend your time enjoying a peaceful environment, with temazcal, yoga areas, meditation and of course, the chance to see how the artisans work in their own homes. We are so thankful with Cheo and Felipa who took us around to see this wonderful place, for sure we will come back and stay with them. Also thanks to Cheo's parents Marcela and Rosendo Martínez who showed us very kindly all the process as you could see in the video. We also want to thank Víctor Orozco who was our first contact in August when I discovered this amazing paradise through Instagram, and asked for the sampler of the fabrics. These beauties came all the way to Berlin and it was when I said: "Alex, we have to go!". I'm so happy for this community, thank you all for making a wonderful work and a better world!
For more info please visit: www.khadi.com