The Peruvian Collection: A Truly Unique Fabric

“Each thread is as unique as the spinner who created it” - Nilda Calla?aupa Alvarez

We are delighted to announce the launch of an extremely special, limited-edition collection of 60 unique chairs and footstools, featuring textiles created by the spinners and weavers of the Centre for Traditional Textiles, Cusco, Peru. ?

During the quiet, early weeks of the pandemic in 2020, Sofas & Stuff’s Founder, Andrew Cussins approached Polly Leonard, editor of the inspirational textile and cloth magazine, Selvedge to see if she had any connections with artisans who could make fabrics suitable for high-end upholstery. Several interesting options were presented, but samples from a community of weavers in the Andean region of Peru particularly caught his attention. An introduction with Nilda Calla?aupa Alvarez at the Centre for Traditional Textiles in Cusco (CTTC) was made, and an exciting partnership quickly followed.

Located in the heart of Cusco, the ancient capital city of the Inca empire, the CTTC acts as a bridge between past and present cultural identity. Its origins lie in the 1970s when a group of Quechua women weavers from the community of Chinchero started to gather together to revive textile traditions and earn independent income through the sale of their textiles to the growing tourist market.

Traditional weaving practices on backstrap looms were techniques in the hands of the elders. These 2,000 year old skills, along with their patterns, were disappearing as weavers turned to more easily available chemical dyes and synthetic yarns. Through hard work and dedication, Nilda and the CTTC are proactively preserving and reviving spinning and weaving techniques through research, demonstrations, and workshops. Long-forgotten designs are being woven again, traditional dyeing techniques are being introduced to local practice and weavers are learning how various fibres respond to different dyes from flowers, leaves and other natural materials.?

Craftsmanship and artisan skill is integral to our approach to furniture design and manufacture. This unique collaboration with the Cusco weavers reflects the importance we place on the value of craft heritage, be it rooted in Britain or communities far from these shores. Our commitment to creating furniture with substance and a narrative that takes account of the provenance of materials, the sustainability of the different processes involved, and the transmission of the valuable skills into the furniture.?

Initially, we submitted an order for 360m of cloth to be woven - certainly no mean feat for a textile that is created from hand-spun, naturally dyed fibres by communities, often located far away from each other. Alpaca and sheep wool is used by the weavers, each with distinctive qualities. Alpaca wool is extremely soft, and often used in its undyed form, as it naturally comes in many different shades from whites and creams to browns, greys and black. Sheep yarn takes dye much better so tends to be used to inject vibrant colour into the textiles. Natural dyes from local plants and minerals are used as dye in a process that is rooted in history, and that has very little environmental impact.

“Handspun yarn takes such importance in the lives of spinners that they will save yarn from the different periods of their lives, bringing it out later to recall memories and past experiences” - Nilda Calla?aupa Alvarez

Handwoven fabrics from seven different communities are featured in the collection, upholstered on chairs, snugglers and footstools from our range of handmade, bespoke furniture. Find out more about this remarkable collection on our website: https://sofasandstuff.com/peru?

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