Threads of Peru Blog

This wasn't TOP's first pedido, nor will it be the last.  Pedidos are the equivalent to stock ordering- with several distinct differences.  For starters, the place of meeting was neither an office nor a boardroom, but rather an open valley nestled between the Andes at 4,200 meters.  Women in weaving cooperatives participating in the pedido traveled hours on foot (in rubber sandals mind you) with their weaving supplies on their backs and years of experience in their fingers.

After a brief meeting regarding product order with TOP project coordinator and community liaison, Dana Blair, and weaving instructor and translator Daniel Sonqo, the women got to work spinning, warping, and weaving.  For continued improvement, high quality products made in the past were used as examples for the caliber of work expected from the weavers.

 Photo by Stephanie Pardi

 When the pedido ended, I was able to sit down with Dana Blair, and past TOP project director, Sarah Confer, to hear their reflections on the progress made in the past year. Sarah noted that, "the quality of the women's work, their drive, and leadership incentive has increased".  She recalled working with the weaving cooperative in Sodormayo one year ago, when the weavers would ask for Sarah's approval for decision making within the cooperative.  One year later, Sarah reflects the women have realized what occurs in the cooperatives is their prerogative, and in this way the idea of being self-directed continues to be reinforced.

Dana Blair adds that this progress has been a matter of building confidence within the communities.  She anticipates that Threads will continue to move forward as more orders are placed, and the women continue to increase their independence.  According to Dana, these attributes are integral components of becoming sustainable.

 Photo by Stephanie Pardi

For TOP, sustainability means that we will continue to connect the world to the tradition of weaving  while the women weaving the products will strengthen the cooperatives and continue their craft.

I look forward to see how far Threads of Peru will continue to progress this same time next year.

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1. Traditional designs are known as “pallay” in the Quechua language

Impress your friends when visiting Peru by referring to the intricately woven designs as “pallay” (pie-y-eye), the Quechua term. Then really steal the crowd with these 2 little known facts - 1. each decorative stripe is considered a pallay, as opposed to the combination of all the designs in the textile and 2. each pallay is created using only 2 or 3 colors of thread. That may be difficult to believe, thinking of how vibrant and varied the colors are, but take a closer look! The base color is usually lighter, such as undyed alpaca, with the others being brighter or darker to make the pattern itself pop! Want to learn more? Follow this link: http://threadsofperu.com/symbols-patterns/. 

 Photo by Lizz Giordano

2. Colors and designs differ from community to community

When it comes to weaving in the high Andes, not all communities weave the same! Meaning to say that even neighboring communities have developed their own respective symbolism through particular pallays and color combinations. As they learn entirely by observation (from the time they are infants in their mothers’ carrying shawls!) and years of practice, it is very challenging for Quechua weavers to produce designs or naturally dyed colors that are not known to their region. Throughout history and into the present day, this has contributed to communities actually being able to recognize each other only by the designs in their mantas (traditional carrying shawls) or colors of their ponchos. 

 Photo by Kelsey Quam

3. Textiles are as much infused with historical significance as daily inspirations

It is an incredible experience to look at an Andean textile and see iconography that depicts tales of Incan battles and colonial Spanish culture. But that is not to say that inspiration for these beautifully hand-woven textiles only comes from the past! Men and women infuse their work with their personal experiences and surroundings, whether they be animals found in their villages - from rabbits to wild Andean birds - or the glittering night’s sky. There is also cultural significance in weaving certain pieces, such as is evident in our MUNAY wedding runner (http://threadsofperu.com/shop/cream-wedding-runner/), whose “pallay” of interlocking humming birds signifies love and affection. In working to preserve this piece of cultural heritage, we are also supporting traditional artisans in being able to continue to share the stories of their ancestors as well as their own! 

 Photo by Dana Blair

4. The tradition of weaving in Peru is over 5,000 years old!

Life in the high Andes, despite the rapid growth of the tourism and mining industries in Peru, has changed very slowly over the centuries. In addition to that being evident in the style of dress and typical food (lots of potatoes!), weaving textiles on the backstrap loom has been practiced in almost exactly the same manner for close to 5,000 years! The ancient Paracas culture, on the coast of Peru, is renowned for their well-preserved, vibrant textiles, as well as the infamous Inca empire, that maintained weaving houses (awana wasi in Quechua) to produce some of the finest woven cloth known to history. 

 Photo by Lizz Giordano

5. Men and women will begin to teach their children to spin as early as 6 years old

Even upon observing the unconscious manner in which indigenous weavers work, it’s still quite surprising that they are spinning raw fiber and warping their first looms at a very young age! Many men and women today, including the majority of the artisans with whom we work, still highly value that their children learn to weave traditional textiles and pass that heritage along when they begin their own families. The son, Nilson, of our friend and colleague, Daniel Sonqo (http://threadsofperu.com/master-weavers/), has just turned 15 and is already producing very high quality scarves and bags for sale. Talk about a different kind of high school job! 

 Photo by Michael Marquand

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Hola!!

I am Olivia, a Fashion and Textile Design graduate from London.  After undertaking an art foundation at the London College of Fashion, I moved to Bristol for 3 years to complete my degree.

I have worked with London-based design companies Zandra Rhodes, Liberty Art Fabrics, Nicole Farhi, Alexander McQueen and now Threads of Peru!! I am joined by my coursemate Hannah, working as the Textile and Product Design volunteers for the past month.

Researching nonprofit organizations, the prospect of working with a textile related charity had me really excited! I specialized in fabric manipulation, but had never actually had a chance to weave. I was keen to learn more, understand the technique and materials used and bring new ideas to the table.

We have been conducting a market research report, familiarizing ourselves with the competition in the high-end shops of Cusco, looking for gaps in the market and studying how to apply innovations locally and worldwide. 

After traveling from distances near and far, the weavers in Chaullacocha all gather together with their colorful balls of naturally dyed yarn to begin working.

Our objective has been to connect traditional Quechua textiles with modern fashion trends, looking at design, colour, pattern placement and construction to help Threads of Peru become a more trend-aware and fashion-forward brand with a view to ultimately increasing sales.

I have spent the past year working at The British Museum practicing my language skills and meeting people from around the world daily and was enthusiastic to become the tourist.

We visited the weaving communities of Huaran, Chaullacocha and Rumira Sondormayo in the Andean mountains. The onomatopoeic Quechua spoken there was fascinating and poetic to listen to. Meeting the people whose traditions have been practiced for thousands of years compared to my studying of textiles at university was a wonderful and enlightening experience. 

Nothing beats working at an altitude of over 4,500 meters than a nice bowl of hot soup made of the freshest local ingredients!

The time it takes to spin metres and metres of yarn and weave beautiful cloths shows a patience completely unknown and taken for granted in a Western society and was remarkable to watch. It was a huge privilege to be invited into the homes of the weavers and gain such a unique insight into their lives. Never have I ever appreciated the true taste of the many potatoes that were taken almost straight from the ground and cooked for us. Nor have I tasted a fresher fish, caught right in front of us and cooked into a delicious soup and ready to eat half an hour later. 

Eugenia Huaman Quispe, warping and weaving vibrantly colored guitar straps for an order pickup in July.

Interacting with the weavers and helping out with workshops and pedidos has enabled us to understand the limitations and obstacles Threads of Peru faces when working with communities who live up to 4,200 meters above sea level in the high Andes, where there is no electricity and the only way to communicate is over the radio.

I would like to thank Threads of Peru for this opportunity. It has been a delight to work with Dana, Sarah and Stephanie. We are sad to be leaving, but look forward to seeing the new products come on the website and Threads of Peru continue to grow!

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