Delicate "Oya" form Turkey

In the backstreets of Istanbul, with the many small textile shops, I first discovered the beautiful handmade trimmings called oya. I was intrigued by the fine needlework and variations in colour and design. Traditionally oya is used to decorate…

The power of Rudraksha beads

In 2012 I was asked by two friends to join them on a sourcing trip to Bali. We visited many craftsmen and shops and found the most exciting and inspiring products and techniques. Bali has many handcrafted products and is a good source for original…

Patu’s from Afghanistan

Afghanistan does not come easily to mind as a country to source for fabrics and garments because it is unsafe to travel.  It is no secret however that Afghanistan and surrounding countries have a very rich tradition in handcrafted fabrics,…

Kikoy, Kanga and Kitenge at Kariakoo. 

Kikoy, Kanga and Kitenge are the African names for colorful wax print garments and fabrics. As a volunteer working for PUM (Netherlands senior expert’s organization) I was send to a project in Dar es Salaam in June 2017. My most favorite part…

Handmade Batik From Tanzania

One of my favourite fabrics are batiks. When handmade every piece is unique. The history of its origin goes a long way and is complicated. The origin is most likely in Indonesia and there are different versions how the technique came to Africa.…