Last week we featured our Peruvian Textile Pouch on our Instagram to celebrate Textile Tuesday. Many of our friends and followers commented on it's beautiful pattern and colors, which highlight the craftsmanship found in traditional Peruvian weaving practices.

Weaving has been an important part of the culture for thousands of years, predating any sort of modern writing system. Because of this, weaving was also used as a way to keep records and send information, an important step in progressing from an oral to written culture.

Alpaca and sheep wool harvested off small Andean farms helped keep villagers warm during bitter winters, but also served as a way to illustrate and express life around them. Diego Ortiz from Peru this Week writes that patterns often illustrated things found in nature, such as the sun, the moon, mountains, or rivers.

With modern business and technology practices, the ability for farmers and artisans to support themselves through weaving has severely diminished, endangering the knowledge and skill that has been passed on through culture. Part of what makes all of us at GGP so passionate about our work is seeing the revival of indigenous practices in the products that we sell.

We work with our artisans to find ways to incorporate their practices into contemporary designs so that they can find a place in the modern market. This way, practices that have sustained communities for thousands of years can continue do to so, as well as provide an outlet for expressing traditional culture.

What do you think of indigenous art being shown in modern fashion? Tweet us at @GlobalGoods and let us know!