November 15, 2018

Global Beauty Bag - A Collaboration with Studio Naenna

  

 

The Global Beauty Bag - A Collaboration with Studio Naenna 

This one-of-a-kind travel bag is handwoven by the Karen hilltribes in northern Thailand using sustainable eco-textiles and natural indigo dyes. Due to the intricate process and making of this bag, we can only offer a limited amount. 

 

LINA HANSON x STUDIO NAENNA COLLABORATION 

 

 

GLOBAL BEAUTY BAG

Authenticity, harmony, empowerment…and the art of slowing down.

In the northern part of Thailand, at the foothills of the Doi Suthep mountain, there is a group of inspiring women who have dedicated themselves to continuing a 2000-year-old tradition. 

They call themselves “Weavers for the Environment,” and they encourage and celebrate traditional weaving and dyeing techniques to empower women in their villages.

Patricia Cheesman, the founder of Studio Naenna created a unique system of working that gives the weavers fair-trade returns for their skills as well as the freedom to plan their time to participate in village activities, thus preserving their traditional culture and communities.  

The natural dyeing and Ikat weaving is an intricate process that requires advanced skills. 

 

 

THE NATURAL DYE

Natural indigo is a sustainable dye, and the process of turning leaves into a beautiful blue dye is pretty tedious.
The indigiferna tinctctoria plant is planted in June (which is rainy season in northern Thailand)
In the fall, the plants are ready for harvest. The leaves are harvested, bundled and soaked overnight in large bins. Heavy stones are put on top to press the color from the leaves.
 In the morning they remove the bundled plants to use for fertilization, and we’re left with gorgeous blue water!
The strained water is then mixed with lime to oxidize through beating for over 20 minutes. Dipping the bowl in, they oxidize the mixture and the color changes to a gorgeous dark blue. Then, the paste at the bottom of the bin is used for the dyeing.
Mixed in a vat with fruit sugars, rice whiskey and water, the fabric and cloth are now dipped numerous times depending on the desired shade of indigo. The use of natural indigo helps the environment, gives us a chance to promote and maintain sustainable employment in rural areas, and reduces the use of petrochemicals.

 

 

THE HAND WEAVING PROCESS

This particular hand weaving technique is called Ikat. Ikat weaving is very intricate, involving several steps dyeing, rebinding and re-dyeing the threads. Once the threads are on the loom, the weft threads are woven in to reveal their beautiful designs. The process of IKAT weaving is passed down through generations of women, honoring the heritage of a 2000-year-old tradition. Inspired by the traditional Karen hilltribes technique of hand-woven materials, these Karen weavers and embroiderers work with the rhythm of nature to create handcrafted textiles of the highest quality.

 

Lina Hanson Global Beauty Bag

These bags took over three months to complete from the start of the plant picking, to the dyeing, to the skilled hand weaving.

It's a beautiful reminder to slow down, be patient and trust in the process.  

It's such an honor to share the empowering work of Studio Naenna, and with this travel bag I hope we’re bringing a piece of Thailand to you. 

 

Love,

 

 "When you buy something made by a person, there is something special there, and you do feel it. The consciousness with which a thing is made is often more important than the thing itself"—J. Donald Walters.