Behind the Pieces
The workshops, the people and the pieces they make.
Ikat – A Craft That Tells You Where It Comes From
Ikat is one of the oldest weaving techniques in the world. Every thread is tied and dyed by hand before it reaches the loom. What Ikat is, how Mudmee works i...
Colors the Earth Gives – Plant Dyes and Handspun Cotton from Thailand
In Northern Thailand, artisans spin cotton by hand and dye it with bark, wood and indigo. Six plant colors, where they come from, and why a shade, once gone,...
Gifts for People Who Love Other Cultures – 4 Handmade Pieces from Real Makers
Four handmade gifts, four places, real makers: hand-painted azulejos from Portugal, woven scarves from Thailand, Krajood boxes and fish leather from Kenya. P...
FROM FIBRE TO BAG – THE JOURNEY OF SISAL IN THAILAND
We met Pueng in Thailand - a creative genius who designs bags from sisal, grown, tended, and harvested by her own team. She walked us through every step, fro...
FROM WASTE TO WONDER – FISH SKIN LEATHER FROM KENYA
On the shores of Lake Turkana, the world's largest desert lake, Ambani Fish Leather transforms Nile perch skin into refined, durable leather. What was once d...
HOW AMBANI FISH LEATHER GREW BEYOND THE BEGINNING
When we first got to know Ambani Fish Leather, it was a small workshop with a bold idea: turn discarded fish skin into something beautiful and lasting. Recog...
HANDWOVEN SEAGRASS BAGS & BOXES, MADE BY ONE FAMILY IN THAILAND
Deep in Southern Thailand, we met one family that weaves Krajood seagrass into bags and boxes using a technique passed down through generations. No big facto...
WHAT IS KHIT WEAVING? THAILAND’S ISAAN TEXTILE TRADITION EXPLAINED
"In Thai weaving, a pattern is never just decoration", we learned while traveling in Thailand. It carries memory, meaning, and tradition. Among the most icon...
TILES FROM NORTHERN PORTUGAL – HAND-PAINTED AZULEJOS
Glazed azulejo tiles have been telling stories in blue and white for centuries. In the Minho region, where the river meets the Atlantic, our friend and artis...
WHAT IS FISH LEATHER?
Fish leather is real leather tanned from fish skin instead of cowhide or goatskin and once tanned, it keeps its natural scale pattern. Most fish skins used a...