Zero Waste Design & Slow Making
My concept of textile design and production reflects my dedication to zero-waste design and slow-making. I strive to decrease to the minimum yarn waste and unnecessary cuts, carbon footprints, and the use of machinery, water, and electric energy. By adhering to a zero-waste philosophy, I aspire to make hand-weaving an even more sustainable craft. I exclusively use natural undyed materials.
I consider the environmental impact at every stage of the design and making process, as well as within the daily work environment and studio space.
Sustainability, environment-friendly artefacts, and a harmonic human-product-environment relationship are quintessential aspects of my work ethic and artistic philosophy.
Pure Natural & Sustainable Materials
All my textiles are made with natural truly sustainable materilas ethically and small-scale produced with no enviromental or human explotation involved, and in combonation with waste natural yarns.
I aim to weave with fibers at their most raw-state as possible, thereofre I mainly work with undyed and hand-spun yarns, which means much less energy and water consumption during their production.
Wool is one of my favourite materials because of its excellent qualities and its transformable character.
With a heritage stretching back to 10,000 BC, wool is a fibre that has withstood the tests of time and fashion. Wool is a natural insulator, multi-climatic, easy case and long-life, non-allergic and odour resistant material, is also renewable and biodegradable, which makes it the ideal raw material for human and environment-friendly textiles. It is made from a renewable source, that's naturally durable and requires less chemical cleaning than other fibres and when it comes to the end of its long and useful life it is completely biodegradable. Because wool is a living, breathing ‘smart’ fibre, it improves the air in enclosed spaces, improves sleep, provides comfort and ensures safety. Moisture on the skin is wicked away and no man-made fiber has the ability to regulate the body's temperature in all weather conditions like wool does naturally.
But I love it mostly because of its ability to be manipulated. Depending on the set-up of the warp, the weave pattern and mainly the finishing of the cloth, the end result could change completely from how it appears on the loom. It’s like having its own “life”.
Another favourite yarn of mine is a fine natural undyed orange handspun silk from India which takes its colour from the plant that the silkworms eat. I really like to use it in combination with undyed wool or recycled cotton - the result has a ‘sunny’ feeling.
Other favourite materials of mine are natural wild silk, recycled cotton, nettle, banana, bamboo, hemp, jute, raffia, and linen. I am trying to use undyed yarns as much as possible in my textiles. Not only because they are more sustainable but I also believe that materials are beautiful as they are and they don’t need much processing by humans.
Nature is beautiful as it is and I want to believe that this makes also my work beautiful.
