Winter Sun Artisan Fabric
I discovered Winter Sun Designer Clothing when a couple of gals started selling last year’s design at our little Cotacachi market. Wow, I was immediately hooked! I have never seen anything like the creative handmade design of the fabric. So I started to investigate where I could find the location. Luckily we now have Bronco Billy
for transportation and we finally found the workshop which did not have a sign posted. So speaking my broken Spanish I am not sure how we managed an invitation for a tour. There was a security guard at the front entrance but he waved us through and an introduction to an American woman so no problem with the language. She gave us a wonderful tour of the open-air studio workshop that overlooked the beautiful countryside of Otavalo. They use wax tiles to print some of the material. The dye is natural from local plants and vegetables. Other fabric is actually painted by hand by the local artisans. Once the painting is complete the fabric is hung up to dry in the warm Ecuador climate.
The studio was started in 1983 by an American artist that created this special studio to design fabric and clothing for the USA market. She only hires local talent which is still true during our tour. Please click on the link below to go to their website for more information.
Winter Sun https://wintersunclothing.com/
Winter Sun staffs the designers, artisan painters, the seamstress from Otovalo. The paint is layered on the fabric and each piece is unique and one of a kind. The designs are simply breathtaking and it was love at first sight. Winter Sun features hand-painted fabric with a focus on a free trade environment.
We toured the warehouse where the fabric is stored. We could not purchase any fabric at that time because the manager was not there and she was unsure of pricing. However, we returned a few weeks later and the manager took us on another tour and allowed us to purchase the fabric. I have some nice tops that a local seamstress designed for me out of some of our of the magical fabric I bought.
Update Winter Sun was recently sold to an American and I hope the tradition of artisan fabric continues.
Thank you for following our journey in little Cotacachi which we call the Mayberry of the Andes!
