patchwork

Handcrafted in the style of Thailand's Lahu people, geometric motifs appear in neutral cotton patchwork with purple borders. Artisans from Thai Tribal Crafts create this beautiful set of six coasters. Lahu women often augment their family's income with textile crafts, including this type of patchwork appliqué.

Purple hosts a vibrant rainbow of colors in the design of this shoulder bag from Indonesia. From the Lawe Lurik Community, the bag features a patchwork composition with hand-woven striped patterns that are famously known as lurik. The cotton bag features an adjustable shoulder strap, lateral drawstrings and a magnetic snap closure. The roomy purple cotton-lined interior has one zipper pocket and one open pocket.

Originated by the Akan peoples of Ghana, colorful kente cloth is the best-known of all African textiles. Kente cloth is woven 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 purple, green and yellow. She names her design nyiraba, which means "blessed child" in the Akan dialect.

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.

Diverse textiles, motifs and colors unite to tell India's splendorous tale of style and glamour. Rajveer's artisan team reunites recycled silk pieces to create this reversible scarf, enriched with the region's traditional Kantha embroidery. With an imperial purple hue decorating one side and a patchwork pattern on the other, the garment allows a flexible look.