Weavers Of The Clouds

‘Devoted to design, committed to Heritage’ is the motto of Escudo, a Peruvian fashion brand and social project headed by Chiara Machiavello, but it is also the theme that runs through a new exhibition, Weavers of the Clouds, which is open for just one more month at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum.

For decades, designers have been influenced by the traditional textiles of Peru, exploring the processes and practices of both historic and contemporary Peruvian costume. Weavers of the Clouds explores how Peru’s fashion designers are sustaining traditional crafts by combining the traditional weaving and embroidery techniques of the Andes, and native materials such as cotton and Alpaca, with contemporary design. As well as work by important Peruvian designers, the exhibition includes photographs by Sebastian Castaneda Vita, Marta Tucci and Toni Frissell, and Peruvian-inspired designs from Vivienne Westwood and Naeem Khan.

Image courtesy of Ana Teresa Barboza

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, the museum hosted a Peruvian fashion panel discussion, where designers Chiara Macchiavello, Meche Correa and Mozhdeh Matin talked craftsmanship and sustainability with the Museum’s Head of Exhibitions, Dennis Nothdruft and exhibition curator Hilary Simon.

Weavers of the Clouds: Textile Arts of Peru is at the Fashion and Textiles Museum, Bermondsey, London until 8 September 2019