Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
The Oaxaca fabrics we work with come from Teotitlan del Valle, a small village outside Oaxaca established in 1465; it was one of the first villages founded by the Zapotec people in this area. The name Teotitlan comes from Nahuatl and means “land of the gods”, it’s Zapotec name is Xaguixe. This village is known for it’s hand-woven textiles, especially rugs, which are woven on pedal looms, from wool obtained from local sheep and dyed mainly with local, natural dyes.
In Teotitlan del Valle we work closely with family Bautista Martinez who have specialized in textile making for 50 years. While working with wool is one of their specialities they also work with organic cotton to make lighter fabrics that can be used as comforters, tablecloths or in our case clothes. They acquire their cotton regionally and proceed to make their fabrics on pedal looms in their local work-shop. We met the owner Antonia during our first sourcing trip to Oaxaca in 2017 and ended up purchasing the fabrics for our first collection from her family business. Today we work together in order to create a platform for their work and give their textiles a more unique and personal use.
Edgar working the pedal loom in the Family’s taller in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. These pedal looms have been in the family for over 40 years.
Photograph by Emma Browne
Photograph by Emma Browne
Antonio & Antonio preparing the pedal loom.
Photograph by Emma Browne
Meet Emmanuel Martinez. He is a cousin member of Familia Bautista Martinez and has been working with them for over 10 years. Here he is working the pedal loom to create the beautiful fabrics we work with.
Meet Doña Antonia Martinez, she was born in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca and started the business with her husband Antonio over 50 years ago. She used to be one of the main fabric weavers but today she’s focused on managing their store and selling their fabrics, home-wear and accessories while her son, Antonio, oversees the fabric production on a daily basis.
The family does not only work with beautiful fabrics but also natural dyes. Pictured here are Antonias hands showing us the carmine dye acquired from the cochineal which is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha. These dyes then are utilized to naturally color their fabrics therefore utilizing every resources given to them by their native land.
