Introducing the Selvedge World Fair Artisans

With the Selvedge World Fair 2021 only 40 days away we thought it was high time to introduce just some of the artisans who will be exhibiting this year.

Australia, Ikuntji Artists, Printed Textiles
With a reputation for unique, bold and evocative textiles, Ikuntji Artists is a not-for-profit Aboriginal art centre based in the small community of Haasts Blu (Ikuntji).

Bangladesh, Saiful Islam / Bengal Muslin, Muslin Weaving
Some of the finest traditions of white on white work come from the Indian subcontinent, whether the chikan embroidery work from Lucknow, or weaving with supplementary white wefts as in the jamdani of Bangladesh. Working with such fine thread is challenging and time consuming but fabrics of great beauty are being produced and Bengal Muslin is collaborating with attempts to grow the almost vanished variety of cotton historically used to make jamdani.

Vietnam, Kilomet109, Clothing
Vu Thi Phuong Thao is the founder and creative director of an eco fashion brand from Hanoi, Vietnam, called Kilomet109. She’s a fashion designer by training and also a practicing textile artist. She designs and makes contemporary fashion pieces (for both men and women) using traditional textiles from several textile artisan communities in Vietnam.

USA, Jennifer Raish, Quilting
Jennifer Raish makes one-of-a-kind quilts that mix materials and techniques with a modern improvised quilting style. She plays with the conventional 'rules' of sewing and quilt making, experimenting with edges - making quilts with unconventional borders, leaving fabric edges raw in the patchwork, and incorporating pretty selvedges.

Spain, Alvaro Catalán de Ocón, PET Lamp, Initiative combining recycling and weaving
The PET Lamp Project addresses the global issue of plastic waste with a localised approach: reusing PET bottles with traditional weaving techniques to create unique handmade lampshades.

Sweden, Lisbeth Johansson, Wool Production & Weaving
Lisbeth Johansson weaves on a small scale using wool mostly from her own Rya sheep, preferring yarn with a rough structure combined with natural dyes and experimental techniques to give character to her work. Rya sheep are an old Swedish breed with a long shiny ‘heavy’ wool which she dyes with plants, roots, and bark.

India, Lovi Twine, accessories
Lovitoli Sumi learnt the art of loin loom weaving from her mother and has turned it into her livelihood, Lovi Twine. In Nagaland the yarns are woven to produce thick and compact fabric with designs which are an amalgamation of the traditional and contemporary. Each strand of yarn is handpicked to form beautiful geometric motifs, using designs that are rooted in tradition, culture and mythology to create Sumi’s range of accessories.

Lebanon, Yasmine Dabbous / Kinship Stories, Upcycled Jewellery
Kinship Stories brings together vintage and antique textiles, silver and beads to create new pieces of jewellery that fuse and celebrate the culture of the Middle East. Yasmine Dabbous collects as she travels, using hand-embroidery and beading techniques to turn her finds into necklaces. Each piece is part of the rich and tumultuous narrative of the region. They echo the markets Dabbous visits, the travels she has undertaken and the precious fabrics she has found on her journeys. Kinship Stories pieces are visible emblems of a region like no other.

England, Sarah Ward / Lark Bower, Weaving
Sarah Ward of Lark & Bower makes small studies of woven structure, wound and woven off-loom, by hand with needle and thread, around birch wood. The concept was conceived during when she didn't have access to her loom or studio, and desperate to weave, Ward started using leftover yarn and a needle and thread to make small studies of woven structures; twills, hopsacks, waffle, and houndstooth, whilst pondering why woven structure isn't more celebrated.

Peru, Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez, Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, Back Strap Weaving
A master indigenous Quechuan artist who spins, weaves and knits in traditional styles, Nilda Callañaupa is also a scholar and the director and president of one of the most influential textile organisations in Peru. Having honed her craft and travelled the world to speak at universities and museums about the disappearing art of Inca weaving, establishing the Centre for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (El Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cusco or CTTC) seemed like a natural progression.

The Selvedge World Fair 2021 takes place over six days from 31 August - 5 September. Find out more, and buy tickets here: Selvedge World Fair Tickets