HAND SPINNING
The wool we use at Madda Studio is spun by hand with the pre-Hispanic spindle, by roughly 60 indigenous Chamula women from different villages in the highlands of Chiapas. The Chamula people are a Tzotzil Maya group residing in the highlights of Chiapas. They have resisted cultural assimilation for hundreds of years, maintaining
their language - Tzotzil - and customs.
Sheep were first introduced to Latin America by the Spanish following the conquest. When the Chamula people encountered one for the first time, they named it ‘cotton deer’ - 'tunim chiji' in the Tsotsil language - because it resembled a deer, but with a soft fleece. Today, these sheep - now known as the 'Chiapa sheep' - are considered sacred and are cherished like beloved pets.
The Chiapa sheep have fleece with natural hues ranging from dark coffee to beige, and from dark grey to white. We worked with the Chamula women to develop our four tones of wool, by blending the natural fleece of the sheep during the spinning process. This subtle mix of color lends itself exceptionally well to a minimalist aesthetic and makes each piece we produce unique.
“In our process, no gesture is mechanical, no action routine. our work is driven by creativity and passion.”
— Maddalena Forcella.
