The Shipibo’s are an indigenous group living in the Amazon rainforest. Many of their indigenous textile traditions are still practiced today with their geometric embroidered and hand painted designs and ornamental beadwork at the forefront of their native heritage. Their unique hand painted textile designs are achieved by applying crushed berry fruits with bamboo sticks to a base material of natural un-dyed cotton or cotton dyed with mahogany bark, giving it a brown wash. Once the crushed berry fruit is applied and exposed to the air it transforms into blue, brown and black shades.
We have collaborated with the Shipibo community on a number of interesting projects mainly utilising their hand painting and embroidery skills. The principle products have been handbags ,pillow covers and embroidery .Our aim is to provide work and a steady income for the community, as well as showcasing their extraordinary textile talents. We began this project in collaboration with the Field Museum in Chicago .
