Hand-embroidered Binakol bird cushion, 30x50 No.4

Storie exclusive: textile collection handwoven in the Philippines and handmade by our artisans in Paris.

Product: cushion with hand embroidery on the front, on a cotton handwoven in the Philippines ("Binakol"), and a plain back. 50 x 30 cm

The story: a beautiful collaboration between women artisans in the Philippines and South Africa, an idea born at the start of the Covid pandemic. This Binakol fabric pattern is woven to protect us from illness. The movement of the weave is said to make evil spirits dizzy. The appliqué on top of the fabric is the shape of a protea flower, which sows its seed after a fire. For us, it was a wonderful symbol of rebirth after the hardships of the pandemic.

The craft: binakol is the name of one of the most recognizable patterns in traditional Philippine handweaving, made of uniform, interlocking geometric motifs. The weaving is very complicated. Setting up a loom takes about two weeks, and it takes a day to weave 2 meters of fabric.

The work is graphic. In the different pieces you can see waves of the sea, swirls, stars, fans, cat paw prints, "Nipa" roofs and "Capiz" windows, in the traditional style of the houses found in the Ilocos region.

Some very special pieces are almost psychedelic. The weaver creates circles within squares that seem to move as you look at the fabric. The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera region believed that binakul cloth could ward off evil spirits by dizzying them.

Binakul is an illustration of daily life in abstraction. Its patterns tell a story in cloth. The pieces are often finished with cotton embroidery, and even these details have their own story. Some stitches stand for rice, centipedes, hands, sea waves, and other images always present in the Philippines.

For centuries, local communities in the north of the Philippines used this strong, durable textile every day. The Spanish colonizers of the Philippines adopted it. They loved the swirl design of the binakul and even used it for the sails of their galleons.

Maker: Heartworks was founded in Cape Town in 2005 as a springboard for a group of HIV-positive and marginalized women, trained in an embroidery workshop. United by their talent within Heartworks, these women, from South Africa, the Congo and Zambia, are true artists. Each of their works is a unique collector's piece worthy of "haute couture" creations. The Forward group now involves more than 30 women, allowing them to earn decent incomes and gain the confidence to move forward.

Details:

Envelope cushion. Front handwoven in cotton in the Philippines. 50x30 cm. Each piece is unique. Sold with insert. Hand wash.