I actually can’t believe that it’s only Tuesday. Not a good sign when it already feels like Friday! Anyway, I actually woke up in a good mood– I think it’s all the sun!
Today’s designer is a personal favorite from San Salvador. Zelaya has created a line of clothes, handbags, and accessories that embraces fair trade values and transcends ephemeral trends through traditional and classic design with a contemporary sensibility. Their goal is to make timeless items that embody the innate intelligence and beauty of nature, tradition, and simplicity.
Zelaya uses socially and environmentally sustainable practices throughout all processes, from the conception of a product idea, the design of the product, the selection of the materials, to the social and environmental impacts of its production and waste.
Their products are handmade out of biodegradable and renewable materials, and are designed to eliminate the use of metallic or plastic buttons and zippers through the use of alternative fastening methods. Their products have classic and clean silhouettes to minimize the number of machine operations and showcase the beauty of the raw materials and the craft-work involved in every piece. All their items are fairly traded, environmentally friendly, and promote craft traditions in the village of Panchimalco, El Salvador.
Zelaya uses biodegradable and renewable raw materials to create their products, such as cotton, vegetable dyes, and upcycled fabrics, wood, and leather. The use of the fabric manta is prominent in their products, due to its textile benefits and historical importance. Manta is a fabric made out of raw, unbleached, and unprocessed cotton. It has a soft texture and a weave that allows high circulation of air. Manta has been widely used for more than a century in El Salvador, from the early indigenous groups that occupied the area to its modern inhabitant
Zelaya draws inspiration from three main sources: traditional Salvadoran culture, nature, and contemporary life. El Salvador is a lush, tropical country, whose economy has rested upon agricultural production for centuries. The simplicity of the traditional way of life and its magnificent flora and fauna manifests itself in the handicrafts and arts of Salvadorans. Zelaya’s philosophy and design aesthetic is also heavily influenced by this simplicity and reverence for the innate beauty of nature, adding to it elements of versatility, practicality, and style that contemporary life demands.
Check out Z’s website and shop on Etsy.
1 comment
Lindsey L. says:
Apr 22, 2009
that is a big thing in the textile industry right now to develop ways to make fabric out of natural fibers or recycled material. i like how the white shirts are very simple but still has a hint of nature in it with the flowers on the top of the blouses, and i love the leaves in the back of the second shirt.