fair trade decor

Accompanied by an elephant, a young Lanna (northern Thai) woman is pensive. Baskets of flowers adorn her tranquil country environment, and a spiraling plant motif swirls upward like her thoughts. Alaya Cholprasertsuk's design depicts this beautiful scene using batik on 100% cotton. Charming and original, these cushion covers are ideal for an informal contemporary decor.

Batik is a fabric art in which the cloth is stretched on a wooden frame and the design sketched with a pencil. Then a mixture of melted wax and resin (70%/30%) is painted onto areas where color is not desired and the fabric is dipped in a solution of reactive dye, water, salt, and sodium bicarbonate. When the fabric is crumpled into the dying solution, the wax cracks, creating an attractive network of fine lines. The wax is removed and process is repeated for each color utilized. Finally, the cloth is washed and rinsed to remove any excess dye.

This pair will feature the same design, but the colors may vary slightly to those pictured, making each a unique work of art.

Evoking the orange and purples of a mountain sunset, Fernando Cano knits a sweater of vibrant geometry. He works in luxurious alpaca, long prized for its lightweight warmth. The open front forms a collar, which can be zipped to create a warm turtleneck.