THE RESEARCH INITIATIVE OF TRACES OF THE WORLD
WEAVERS OF THE FUTURE
An ongoing research initiative exploring new fibres, territories and the living knowledge connected to them.
OUR PURPOSE
Weavers of the Future is the research initiative of Traces of the World. It explores how making garments can support the land, livelihoods and textile knowledge on which they depend. A regenerative approach guides this enquiry: understanding what each place needs to thrive, and how production might contribute.
OUR APPROACH
We begin with materials, makers and the places they belong to. Through dialogue, observation and material exploration, we ask what sustains a textile practice and what its future requires. The investigations below connect those questions with decisions about making.
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MATERIALS AND LAND
Understanding what sustains a fibre.
Our enquiry follows a fibre from its source to the yarn: how it is grown or gathered, who works with it, and the conditions it depends on.
This understanding helps inform material choices and the scale and pace of production. Where information is incomplete, further research is needed.
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LIVING KNOWLEDGE
Making room for the judgement of the maker.
Dialogue with makers helps us understand what a technique can do, the time it requires and the possibilities they want to explore.
These conversations inform sampling and construction, alongside a longer-term question: what would make this knowledge viable to practise and pass forward?
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PLACE AND PRODUCTION
Working with the conditions of a place.
Seasons, materials and livelihoods shape the possibilities of making. We ask what sustains a textile practice, what is changing and what local makers consider important for its future.
That context helps guide quantities, timing and how a production relationship develops.
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OUR WORKING METHOD
From research to the decisions of making.
We consider material, technique and place together. The aim is to bring what we learn into sourcing, construction and production, and revisit those decisions as our understanding develops.
- Understand the context. Learn about materials, livelihoods and conditions of making.
- Ask together. Bring makers’ priorities and judgement into the conversation.
- Apply the learning. Inform garment development, quantities and timing.
- Return and learn. Revisit what works, what remains uncertain and what needs to change.
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TRACEABILITY
What we know about the making of a garment.
Traceability records the origins and stages of a garment’s making: its fibre, preparation, weaving and finishing. We build this record through makers’ accounts and available production information, distinguishing what is documented from what still needs confirmation.
Each product page brings together the information available for that piece in Material Origin. Alongside this record, our research asks how production relationships can support the continuity of textile knowledge and the conditions of a place.
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FUTURE HERITAGE
Knowledge continuing through practice.
Future Heritage is our long-term vision: textile knowledge remaining alive through use, adaptation and continued relevance. It depends on people being able to carry that knowledge forward and on the conditions that make their work viable.
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THE RESEARCH CONTINUES
An open and developing practice.
This space will share field observations, material investigations and questions as the work develops. We welcome dialogue with makers, researchers and organisations concerned with land, textiles and living knowledge.
FROM RESEARCH TO GARMENT
Layered Territories brings this enquiry into garments shaped by fibre, technique and place.