AMAKAYA THREADS
About Amakaya Threads
This Impact initiative has grown from a seed of love for the Shipibo women.
They are easily missed in the world of plant medicines, but in reality, the rich Shipibo culture and extraordinary artisanal traditions would not exist without them.
It is no small affair that these patterns and skillsets live on today - but they do - just. We are dedicated to stimulate, encourage and help to preserve this unique heritage to the best of our abilities through Amakaya Threads.
Women With Threads
If you take a plane to Pucallpa, in the Peruvian Amazon, and from there a "speed" boat down the river for six hours, you will get to the village of Pauyang. There you will find women with threads. Women who carry generations of passed down embroidery techniques, unique patterns and ancestral designs. Women who still today carry the true meaning and mystery of the Shipibo symmetry.
In the world of Shipibo, it is known that a toad is a masterful artist. It is a virtuous at creating exquisite symmetry out of its spawn. One day a woman sat by a river bank, and the toad told the woman that he would teach her the secrets of his craft. She in turn taught her daughters, who taught their daughters, who taught their daughters. Hundreds of years and many generations later, a woman called Lucía Urquia sat by the same river bank, and she taught her daughters.
Why It Matters
A frightening amount of fashion today has spiralled out of control. Cheap, fast, senseless waste... Though it is in a small scale, we want to do what we can to offer you something different to wear, something Loved and Meaningful.
Each one of our garments reflect deep roots of the intimate relationships the indigenous Shipibo people have with nature, spirit and true craftsmanship. Each piece we make is a reason for a us to sit down with our threads and proactively keep it alive.
A Stitch At a Time
Every item we make takes several weeks to complete. In a world that moves as fast as ours, we wish for you to wear our threads and be reminded to also go slow, concentrate, and know that with patience, you too will get there in the end.
Our chicitito Boutique
It is small and ever changing. We are constantly growing and exploring new combinations of colours and designs. We particularly love merging our traditional Shipibo patterns with Scandinavian-influenced design. Sometimes we focus on blouses, sometimes, bags, sometimes male clothes. Head over to IG @amakaya.threads to see more.
Bespoke
Bespoke is our favourite part of the work. We want you to love your Threads, suit your every occasion and have colours that make you want to sing. We will co-create the perfect piece together with you!
How to Order
Simply reach out to us, let us know what you are looking for. If we don't have it in store, we will make it for you.
Path Of Your Garment
Crafted in Pauyan: Your piece is made in a small Shipibo village deep in the Amazon jungle. Mama Lucía and her five daughters are the heart of the making, mainly the two sisters Carolita and Bree.
The Ucayali river Passage: Once complete, the garments travel by river boat for 6 hours, navigating the deep jungle to reach the road in Pucallpa.
A long night or quick flight: One of the Urquia brothers, Julio & Richi, both Ayahuasceros, will then pick up the collection and either put them on the 17-hours night bus to Tarapoto, or take it with them on the cross-Amazon "chicitito" domestic plane when they travel next for their Amakaya Medicine work.
The Finish line (almost): Kajsa collects the garments, then takes a moto taxi up the Andes mountains to San Antonio, hikes 40 min through the jungle and cross three rivers to reach the Amakaya HQ. Here, each piece is reviewed, washed, packaged, documented, and prepared for its continued journey.
Helping Hands: The last leg of the journey is achieved thanks to our extended Amakaya family -- our friends and guests who come for medicinal plant work with us. As we prefer to work around industrial, risky and costly international companies, and make sure that the money goes to hands that need it instead. Our helping hands bring parcels of embroideries with them as they return to Europe or the U.S and post them safely onto you.
Get In Touch
If you are interested in a garment, have any thoughts, ideas or questions, please drop us a message below.
We would love to hear from you!
Thank you, x Kajsa
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