handmade

Shimmering shades of blue and cream cover this elegant scarf. Yuni Kristina recreates the parang raja. One of many traditional batik motifs, it symbolizes the ancient Javanese kingdom in general. She stamps the blue patterns in pure silk and adds the red blossoms with the batik motif.

Originated by the Akan peoples of Ghana, colorful kente cloth is the best-known of all African textiles. Kente is woven by hand in strips, which is how it came by its name (kente means "basket" in the Ashanti dialect). Ghana's Rachel Armah creates this colorful cotton blend scarf in cheerful shades of blue, pink and cream. The scarf's width allows it to double as a shawl.

In kente cloth, each color has a symbolic meaning: black symbolizes maturation and intensified spiritual energy; blue signifies peacefulness, harmony and love; green symbolizes vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, and spiritual renewal; gold represents royalty, wealth, high status, glory, and spiritual purity; grey is for healing and cleansing rituals; maroon signifies the color of mother earth, associated with healing; pink and purple are associated with the female essence and female aspects of life; red symbolizes political and spiritual moods, bloodshed, sacrificial rites and death; silver is associated with the moon and represents serenity, purity, and joy; white is for purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions; and yellow represents preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, and beauty.

Whether draped around your neck, styled as a head wrap or elegantly worn as a shawl, this versatile rayon scarf by Java’s Erna Gendhis is a great addition to complement your looks in any season. It is adorned with intricate hand-drawn batik motifs in a bright palette of sea green, crimson, orange, yellow, black and white hues that dance across the fabric, creating a feast for the eyes. The fabulous fringe accents on both ends add a touch of playful elegance to this unique design.

Balinese artisan Dayu Menuhari presents a gorgeous batik scarf diligently crafted by hand. "We don't do any printing or even stamping," she says, "but it's all hand painted and while that makes our production take longer, our products are purely hand-made." Butterflies flit across the rayon scarf's awe-inspiring design in porcelain and geranium hues, which includes a traditional parang pattern at both ends of the accessory. A parang is type of knife, and the use of a parang motif was once reserved solely for Javanese royalty. Fringe on both ends completes the vibrantly-colored wrap scarf.

Drape yourself in effortless chic with Erna Gendhis' heavenly batik rayon scarf. Its striking black, pumpkin and white motifs nod to time-honoured Javanese craftsmanship yet feel entirely fresh and modern. With delicate fringe finishing on both ends, this gorgeous accessory makes any outfit pop with its signature blend of sophistication and uniqueness.

A fabulous brown and beige scarf is woven on traditional looms to create the distinctive twill pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. Peru's Maritza Pacori combines stripes, fringe and textures in a beautiful fashion accessory handmade from soft baby alpaca yarns.