Making Good: Andean Art of MANTO

My efforts at a separate blog on sustainable textiles and clothing haven't yielded great results. For one thing, nobody seems to find it, so I'm not motivated to write new posts without readers. And for another, truth be told, I'm disappointed with some of the sustainable fashion and textile claims that I see, especially here in the United States. It's too often marketing instead of real innovation; too many light-green buzzwords instead of real commitment to standards of environmental or social change; too much replicating whatever fashion dictates for skinny 20-year-olds or making t-shirts instead of a real aesthetic. Story of my life -- I want substance AND style.

I realize this is an emerging movement, and that it's hard to change a global behemoth of an industry, especially in a shattered economy. But I'm just not that interested in pushing a lot of "sexy eco-chic diva!" or "adorable green mommy!" junk on my readers. There are plenty of other blogs doing that.

So perhaps I'll just go back to posting here when I find something of real authenticity and interest in the sustainable and slow fashion/textile world. Readers, I trust you will let me know if it's too much, too little, or if I'm trying to cover too much ground under one blog umbrella. As you know, my dream with this blog would be to turn it into a real magazine, or e-zine, for global textile artists, artisans, crafters and explorers, and magazines often have a wide-ranging portfolio guided by one overarching theme, so it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch.

With that prelude (never at a loss for words), I found MANTO, a wonderful Argentinian company that seems to embody principles of Slow Cloth and sustainability. They're interviewed here at Luxe Essentiel, an international green design blog, saying:

"MANTO (Cloak- woven fabric) are the threads that connect us. MANTO is woven in the hills. We gather, creating a fertile social, cultural, artistic and commercial link between the weavers of the Andean culture of northern Argentina and city dwellers all over the world. We contribute to the knowledge and spreading of unknown work methods and lifestyles, paying respect to their cycles and their connection with nature. We design products that represent this feeling." 

On the Manto site, there is this lovely quote: "Each weave leads us to the art and the knowledge of the one who makes it."

And this is what their beautiful, chic yet timeless garments look like (for more, click on collections on the site):

Comments

[Heather]

What amazing garments - thank you for the link. I must confess I never visited your other blog, don't think I knew it was there. And I do agree with you about the so-called sustainable fashion movement. I think a lot of it is greenwash - ie. "organic" cotton t-shirts produced without certification in Chinese sweatshops are no less reprehensible than non-organic, and fibres such as bamboo and tencel are highly processed - again, in countries with lax health and safety standards.

Oh, I could go off on a rant, sorry. I think if you post about sustainable textiles and apparel on this blog I will be very happy.

[Ruth]

I love the sites you post (that first coat is incredible), I truly value your voice and outlook and eye for real craftsmanship and "slow cloth". I think the struggle you experience is a necessary part of searching for authenticity in a culture of superficial quick fixes, and I think it is entirely valid and valuable for you to struggle out loud on this blog.

[Heather]

Mmmmm - the gold/black coat and the blue/white coats are delicious. I'm curious to click on the link and see if they have a store in Buenos Aires to visit when I'm there. And please keep posting whatever you like here - it is a delight to both get to know you better and to see your lovely textiles finds. (And that quote is wonderful, I agree.)

[marja-leena]

As the others said! "Cloak- woven fabric" sounds new to my ears. I love the textures and patterns of the weaving. It would be lovely to have these fabrics for sewing one's own projects too.