Friendship Colours

Springing forward & Glancing Back

By Sophie
|
May 06, 2024

The spring season has kicked off nicely in the Pop-up store with a new collection. Our much-awaited slow fashion garments (for both men and women), accessories and colourful jewelry presented in the shop windows have already attracted many!

Collabs are always fun! Read more about our Pop-up stand and Bengal exhibition at LÃ«t'z Refashion on 8-10 rue Genistre until the end of June.

Also in this newsletter, we share with you highlights from our trip to Bangladesh earlier this year.

Slow fashion at LÃ«t'z Refashion

Our April theme is the Katha embroidery, a traditional technique in hand stitching from Bangladesh. Our colorful products are shown beside a carefully selected vintage and second-hand collection by LÃ«t'z ReFashion. Welcome to pop-in and remember to follow up on the theme of May....

Views of Bengal exhibition

In the raw beauty of the basement at this same address, we welcome you to the Ã¢â‚¬Å“Views of BengalÃ¢â‚¬Â exhibition on the boat replicas from Bangladesh. The boats are unique as they are all proof of true craftsmanship shared from generation to generation. The atmosphere is enhanced by the stunning photos of Yann-Arthus Bertrand and Eilo Elvinger. To conclude the visit, we invite you to watch short films about the chars and the boat carpenters.

New colours...

Our trip to Bangladesh

Continuing the "views" theme, we share a few snapshots from our trip earlier this year. The program included working with our colleagues in the newly opened design space close to the head office in Dhaka. We were introduced to a wider swatch of natural dyes, boasting inspiring names such as "Marigold Flower", "Betel Nut", "Shill Karai" and seeing new methods of natural dye combined with Katha stitching.

The people in the villages in the Mymensingh District earn their living in many ways; growing cotton, rice, providing veterinary services, selling worms for compost farms, spinning and weaving, and tribal jewelry. A new Friendship production and training center is under construction in Haluaghat. Apart from the spinning of Khadi yarn and the producing of wooden bead necklaces, a unique weaving pattern might be re-introduced. The skills for this weaving are today known to only one man in a rural village, and as a means of cultural preservation, there is an ambition to revive this technique.

Our last stop during the trip was the Chilmari weaving center. Waking up to a sunrise in the morning mist, hearing the unmistakable clacking of weaving looms, following the preparations of natural dye and even trying blockprinting were all moments that left us in awe. We agreed that there is something very magical with the chars of Bangladesh. And most touching were the smiles and the warm welcome we experienced. Unforgettable moments.