Natural Ethnic Textiles - a Conscious Choice

The goal of "Oficina Shanti" on this trip to Thailand is to invest in natural textiles, such as - Silk and Cotton - Handcrafted by women from small local communities in Chiang Mai. Support with us the Handcrafted Tradition.

Oficina Shanti - Made in Travelling is a project, a dream, a challenge.

We are Rafaela and Filipa, two free spirits and we travel the world in search of ethnic textiles and unique manufacturing techniques. We want to support artisans and their local communities to maintain their traditional manufacturing techniques and enhance their development. Through unique and contemporary creations in the area of decoration, Fashion & Accessories, we would like to share our findings with you and raise awareness for responsible and informed consumer.

We bet on natural raw materials (cotton, silk, wool) and if possible organic, produced in sustainable ways, respecting the principles of fair trade. We invest in textiles produced by artisans who we like to meet, know their story and sharing it with you. Our pieces are then conceptualized and designed by us inspired on the travels, people, colors and adventures we experience. the pieces are completed in Portugal.

Our next trip will be to Thailand and the aim is to support the artisans in their small production of silk and cotton in Chiang Mai.

 Being - SILK & COTTON -  characteristic productions  of Thailand such textiles are a big source of income for many families. In here they still use traditional techniques of manufacturing these materials. The process of raising silkworms to its extraction and later weaving is all done by hand, which requires a lot of skill, knowledge and time. Likewise happens the manufacture of cotton which also passes through several steps craft as harvesting, cleaning, spinning and weaving.

To contact with these artisans and visit their small workshops our aim is also to know their story and be able to share it with you, not only through our Blog, but also through the textiles that we buy and from which we create our pieces and collections where it merges in the west to eastern culture.

The investment we want to do is in these natural textiles - silk and cotton - thereby supporting the maintenance of craft production and sustainability of small businesses of these Thai artisans women.

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About the author

The Workshop Shanti is a Portuguese brand but has an intercultural spirit. It was born from a trip of two friends, Rafaela and Filipa to India and Nepal, about two years ago.

Rafaela Fortunato - is a free minded traveler who loves to learn more and experience. Creativity is my motto, I love colors, textures, patterns and create new pieces and trends. I am a clinical psychologist, did my academic training exchange of 6 months in Florianópolis (Brazil) and after completing my course, I went to worked for three years in London. Here I had the opportunity to deal with and learn from different communities. It was also in London I had the opportunity to explore another passion - to seam - here ended up taking my first course and developed this taste. Go to India was a teen dream and live with communities and learn about their culture and lifestyle a desire for a long time. It was in India that I discovered that "everything is possible" and it was in this state of mind that had the opportunity to gather all that characterizes me and create with Filipa this project.

Filipa Castanhinha - "same same but diferent" This was the phrase most heard in India but that better describe us. I took the course in educational psychology and wanted to work in a team, anywhere in the world, combining psychology, music and the visual arts. This dream led me to an internship in Barcelona and to practice in Rio de Janeiro. I believe that having studied piano and have had such an eclectic education has made me more curious, wanting to create and see the world and their cultures - so rich. I have a special passion for Southern Hemisphere countries I confess, and, having already been in the 5 continents, I feel it is in warmer places that I felt more at home. The people, the cultures, the sun, the sea. I am very practical but very dreamy, evaluate the risks and well ponder the decisions (although at times it seems that not: p), I am often a nomadic but must always return home. These wills and these dreams led me to India, where the feeling of being in a twilight zone was constant and in a very strong tradition...

these trips,  these experiences and these differences were in fact my sources of inspiration for part of this project and want to create more. 

Budget and due dates

Budget - 1000€

Invest in buying NATURAL Textiles - SILK and COTTON.

Handmade by WOMEN in small SHOPS (are considerably more expensive than bought in massive industrial productions).

CREATE THE NEXT COLLECTION EXCLUSIVE AND MODERN CLOTHING AND DECORATION (such as kimonos, coats and ponchos from our latest collection) see more at www.oficinashanti.com

NEXT COLLECTION INSPIRATION - TRIBAL WOMEN OF THAILAND

The budget we have right now is enough for our stay, travel and subsequent production (2500 €)

We know that the cost of silk meter in these workshops is about 15 € for Metro and cotton € 10 / m so to create our pieces like dresses and silk trousers need 4-5 m of fabric - which at the end the pieces will cost 40-50 € per piece.

DEADLINES:

We traveled on 18 February;

We will be in Chiang Mai in the small workshops of artisans who want to support around 23 February.

For 15 days, we will be working with them and sharing their stories on our blog - Made in Travelling

Last day to support 8th of March;

We returned 9th of March to Lisbon;

Inauguration of the Collection 21 March - spring day.

We anticipate sending the rewards all by this date - March 21.

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