Crafting Regenerative Textiles
Crafting Regenerative Textiles
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PAPAHOA FIBREWORKS LTD
What's in our name
THE USE OF TE REO
Our indigenous language is facing a difficult time across our nation and we felt it was important to establish our views on that right from the start.
We’re on Aotearoa whenua. The land of New Zealand. There is an indigenous language here, it was almost lost and at the beginning of my time learning about our culture, we were just getting it back. This goes to show that the value of the language held by the people of our nation is still too weak. So us naming our soil-to-soil textile company in Te Reo is our contribution to holding onto the mana of this language.
PAPA AND HOA
In our country, we know the story of Maori deity, Papatūānuku and her husband Ranginui. Papatūānuku is mother earth, deeply in love with the sky father, Ranginui, so much that they refused to part. However their six children were suffocating between their two parents, so one of their sons, Tanemahuta, decided to lean back against his mother and push his father off her with his legs. His legs are represented by the tallest tree in our lands, the mighty Kauri.
Our practice has the highest focus on the earth, taking care of her with utter respect to uphold her mana - thus, she is the first sound you hear when our name is spoken.
Hoa is short for ehoa - friend. Because everything we create is a friend to our soil. It causes no harm from its growth through complete production, lifetime use and subsequent return to the soil. As it should be.
PAPA IN LINEN
Papamuka is the maori name for linen - a fibre we’re proud to be cultivating on our regenerative land across Canterbury and what we're beginning our fibre journey with. Not only is it an easy crop to grow in comparison to the demand of its products, but every part of the plant is able to be used while above terra firma.
- The seed can be eaten and pressed for oil.
- The fibre extracted from the stems
- The shives used in pet bedding and mulch
DIRECT TRANSLATION
The direct translation of PAPAHOA is mouldboard.
Mouldboard is the name for the blade at the front of a plow. The part that cuts into the soil, lifts it up and turns it over, exposing the roots and underground life. This piece of equipment is damaging to the soil, so we do not use these in a literal sense unless there is an absolute need to.
Where we see this as relevant is in the industry we’re looking to join. The commercial fashion industry. Those who clothe you and keep you warm. It’s a well known fact that this industry has a bad wrap for environmental, ecological and human health & wellbeing, however there are many in our country who are seriously looking to produce in a regenerative way. Their options here are limited, so they’re forced to go offshore.
