Tribal Textiles

I have been thinking why I like these tribal textiles so much? Its difficult to put into words….. but I think it is really that I find them so beautiful

The simplicity in their geometric design is beguiling… as the more you look at these textiles the more complex you realise they are.  Frequently complex and skillful weaving processes are required to make these textiles.  Nothing goes to waste and everything is used in the garments made from them

These textiles are full of meaningful symbols, which may hold religious significance, or refer to the people or tribes that made them… as a means of identification…. So they are not just decorative textiles, but deep soulful works that might be enable the onlooker to identify who the individual is, who is wearing the textile, what tribe they belong to and what their beliefs are………. Very different from wearing a piece of Western brand wear!

 

 

These textiles and the people who make them are disappearing fast as our world becomes more commercial ….. the traditional weaving skills are being lost, and the way of life forgotten. Take time to think of what will happen in our industrialised society as the desire for mass production spreads across the globe and marks the end of the days when the streets were filled with individual tailors and weavers…

There is a wonderful book Before They Pass Away  by Jimmy Nelson who documents a selection of cultures and tribes whose way of life is under threat, often in remote parts of the world

I find these textiles impossible to resist and a few are for sale in our shop or on our website