Alquimia de
tradiciones y diseño
ALCHEMY OF TRADITIONS AND DESIGN
ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE
CREATIVE NATURE
Colors, scents and textures come together to generate long-lasting products, made in a responsible way and in limited editions since everything we do is made in Argentina, land of the artisans that give life to our products. We want to bring goods to our customers from the heart of our country, because we believe that there are hidden treasures that, in their simplicity and nobility, are lost in the rush of everyday life.
We continue to practice ancestral knowledge from our most ancient villages.
We focus on making their pieces known far away from their place of origin.
We promote them, through different communication tools, logistics and events, so that more people get to know their art and have the possibility of acquiring their
creations.
We make collaborations between designers and artisans possible by providing a different medium that helps them to think and work in more creative ways.
We create a continuous work cycle for those who are part of this space, hoping to add new proposals that contribute to the growth of our triple impact project: social, economic and environmental.
We tell the story behind each product in order to raise awareness about its origin.
We invest in sustainable fabrics such as vegetable fibers with low environmental impact (chaguar) or animal fibers produced in a sustainable way (sheep or llama wool)to create a line of products that have an origin warranty, tracking of the production chain, complying with the rules of fair trade.
We appreciate the natural resources of our land and seek to ensure that ancestral knowledge and techniques are passed down to future generations so that they continue to be practiced in the communities as a way of life, and as an expression of creativity and cultural identity.
Following our purpose, we deliver our products in muslin bags made by A.N.A., an acronym that stands for "Someone Needs Help" in Spanish.
Everything that happens in ANA has a charitable purpose: each sale generates a donation of 10 plates of food for the Food Bank Foundation, collaborating with the mission of reducing hunger for those that are in most need of it.
Zero Waste: All trimmings become part of the final packaging of the product, thus achieving:
1) Minimizing waste to the maximum.
2) Generating more employment.
Their pursuit is based on the impact we have on the lives of others: "We want to raise awareness about the social problems of our country and become a bridge between those who can donate and those civil organizations dedicated to solving these problems".
For each Macedo bag, we are donating 10 plates of food to the Food Bank Foundation.
TEXTILE ART
"Each stitch of a woven good contains a story. They are particular and unique stories, like the hands of each weaver.
However, considered as a whole, they make up the narrative framework of our history.
With each thread and wool that the textile artisans of our country cross, knot, embroider or braid, a story is built that speaks of ourselves, telling us who we were and, thus, allowing us to understand who we are."
Did you know that empowerment and work are the basis for the inclusion of women in socially vulnerable settings?
Together with a team of volunteer collaborators, we help a group of 50 women who weave on looms in the north of Santiago del Estero, Boquerón.
We are the bridge for them to find the opportunity they need to sell their weavings and earn a sustainable income. We find the right customers who appreciate these unique pieces made entirely by hand.
The weavers spin, dye, weave and embroider in a completely handmade process. In addition to bringing them commercial opportunities, our team has a fundamental contribution in three ways:
Firstly fair trade, so that they realize how much their time and work is worth.
Weaving is a cultural trait of our northern communities. Often spinning or weaving is not considered a job and therefore the value of all these tasks is not taken into
account.
Secondly, we help them trade with suppliers.
And thirdly, we provide them with a training platform in design, finishing touches and diverse issues dealing with the efficiency of their processes, such as spinning and warping, as well as tools so that they can run their businesses when we are no longer with them.
This is the possibility to form a cooperative or a group that unifies them.
With all this, we ensure that these women have a sustainable income and that they can live off their work.
This has an immediate impact on their lifestyle, on the way they treat their peers, their acceptance and their self-esteem.
And therefore, it is a way of empowering them. They stand in a different way in front of their families and in front of the world that appreciates their textile art.
Our group’s contribution is fundamental because we provide the necessary management to work together with them to create a viable business that, even if it is not a large enterprise, it does make an impact.
In the heart of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, the Andean culture and design are combined, giving origin to our weavings.
A combination of traditions and design allow us to know part of the Andean culture, discovering at every moment the history and the traces left by time in the
north of Argentina.
Our Andean designs are are all made in pure llama wool. Llama yarn is a 100% natural fabric that stands out for its softness and warmth.
Llamas live in high altitude areas, in cold and dry climates, their shearing is done once a year between October and November, before the summertime. This is important for llamas because, if they are not sheared, they can suffer from excessive heat.
Llama wool transmits heat and is light and durable. A fabric made with this wool is a distinguished, unique and timeless design.
The Wichi community is located in the central part of the Chaco region and their language belongs to the Mataco-Mataguayo linguistic family.
As for their products, the most outstanding are their weavings made with chaguar vegetable fiber, a task carried out by the women.
Getting to the chaguar fiber and producing yarn from it it is a lengthy process. The Wichí women go into the bush in search of this plant, which they describe as capricious because it cannot be obtained by cultivation since it grows in different parts of the region without them being able to control it. As it is a plant that grows freely, there are places where it is in short supply since the forest is disappearing little by little.
The chaguar is a plant from the Bromeliáceas family, thin and prickly uncomfortable to handle. The harvesting process is not simple, it must be pulled up, leaving the roots on the ground, and the thorns must be cut in order to carry the plant on their backs.
Next, the artisans crush the plant down to the fibers, then wash them and let them dry for seven days. Once dry, they begin the creative process. To give more consistency to the fibers, they "knead" them on their thighs covered with ashes until they get the typical appearance of chaguar. That is why these products always have that characteristic smoky smell. To give them color, they use seeds, trunks and roots.
The design process is ancestral and is passed from generation to generation.
Wichi textiles are highly self-sustainable.
Indeed, the Wichi community do not know the concept of "self". For the Wichis there is only "we". They understand their existence as part of a whole. Therefore, weaving has a metaphorical connotation that is related to their way of living.
NATURAL FIBERS
HANDMADE
FAIR TRADE
SUSTAINABILITY
REDUCED
INEQUALITIES
SUSTAINABLE CITIES
AND COMMUNITIES
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
AND PRODUCTION
Sustainable
Development Goals
CHAGUAR
Each one of our pieces in Chaguar fiber tells a story, both of the artisan and of the Wichí community where it comes from. In each twist of thread, the culture and wisdom that this community has given us since its beginnings are interwoven, as the looms are inherited between the women of the community from generation to
generation. They are new creations made with millenary techniques.
Together with the indigenous women we promote work as a form of empowerment and dignified life.
WOOL
Our products: shawls, blankets, dresses, ruanas and ponchos in pure sheep or llama wool, 100% hand-spun are made on a handmade loom or with two needles by women of our country.
The colors, being natural dyes, range from ecru, to earth colors, corn, ochre, mustard and others that nature and the ingenuity of the loom weavers provide. The weavers spin, dye, weave and embroider in a completely handmade process.
The weavers spin, dye, weave and embroider in a completely handmade process. They take care of the details that make each product unique and no two are alike.
WOOD
In the Wichí community of Formosa, the men are dedicated to wood carving.
The most used variety of wood is palo santo (which is a hard and perfumed wood). To give other color shades to their work they use algarrobo, guayacán, mistol, and in some cases, bones.
With it, they make different pieces, from tables, mortars, jars, cutlery, animal and human figures to wooden benches.
The carving method still employs the tools of their ancestors. After that come the finishing touches, which include polishing the piece.
LEATHER
Our leather line is made of 100% Argentine cow or goat leather, treated with biodegradable and environmentally friendly products. Our shoe models are handcrafted by master craftsmen without the intervention of industrial machines, taking care of every detail in each process. There are no two the same and that makes them unique. The leather used in the materials is a semi-oiled leather, known as "Pop up", recognized for its quality, durability and "natural and personalized" aspect of the product.
IMPORTANT: The leather of our products may present variations in color, which proves that our leathers are genuine.
