Crafting Regenerative Textiles
Crafting Regenerative Textiles
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MEET THE FOUNDERS
courage, creativity & community are our guiding pillars
GINA RUSSELL
A graduate of the BHU Organic College, Gina got tired of trying to find creative ways to use the scraps of her sewing endeavors. Why can't we compost our textile waste!? It seemed too simple.. So she embarked on a journey to understand where our textiles could come from and how they can safely return to the earth at the end of their useful life.
2023 - 2025 saw her explore this question via her project Growing Textiles, by growing linen & dye plants, talking with academics and artists, diving into the biology of the soil (Check out Nicole Masters - GODDESS!) and working with Untouched World to try and find a solution to the issue of nylon in our socks.
SEONAID BURNIE
Seonaid's love of botanical printing and dyeing, along with her passion for sustainable textiles encouraged her to turn her hobby in to a business. With a degree in textile design from the University of Dundee in her home country of Scotland, Seonaid has used her knowledge and artistic flare to create one-of-a kind textile pieces to be treasured through her
Working solely with natural fibres, Seonaid uses the botanical alchemy of locally foraged plants, garden pickings and plant waste to create one-of-a-kind homewares and accessories. Natural, slowly made, seasonal fabrics are created using nature’s palette, with minimal impact on our planet.
THE NEED FOR CHANGE
We created Papahoa Fibreworks as a direct response to the ongoing issues within the textile industry. Over-production, harmful chemicals and poor working standards have riddled the production of textiles for many years.
We wouldn't allow these practices on our whenua, why are we happy to pay for others to ruin their beautiful lands?
This directly affects us here in New Zealand, with harmful microplastics entering our waterways, and huge amounts of plastic-based textile waste entering our landfills. With little action from governments, we are taking a grassroots approach to creating real and meaningful change.
WHAT WE PLAN TO BRING YOU
As we build the foundations of Papahoa, we will be offering:
- Commercial dye services
- personal garment colour refresh
- dye consultation services
- workshops + tertiary education
- Natural dye supplies
- Dye flowers seeds + plants
- Linen fibre, yarn & cloth
- Shared studio space
