Kotó Textile Essays Unveils JUBILO
Kotó Textile Essays has launched its sixth collection, JUBILO, with an immersive event that fused textiles, dance, and music to create a textural and multi-sensory experience. Designed to stir up contrasting emotions, the event showcased the deep connection between fabric, movement, and sound, reflecting the essence of Kotó's philosophy: craftsmanship as a form of expression and storytelling.
Founded in 2019 by Samantha Martínez in Oaxaca de Juárez, Kotó embraces alternative, ancestral textile production methods with a focus on sustainability. Martínez, who originally trained as an architect, found her true calling in textiles, exploring natural dyes and geometric structures to create unique garments that harmonise with the human silhouette. Each piece is a carefully crafted textile essay, blending traditional techniques with contemporary design.
JUBILO continues this tradition of innovation, offering garments that emphasise texture, light, and movement. Drawing from techniques like shibori, embroidery, and indigo dyeing, the collection transforms fabric into art, celebrating the cyclical nature of creation.
In light of her new collection, we caught up with Samantha to find out more about her journey into the world of textiles:
Samantha, what is your first memory of a textile?
I remember when I was a child and we had to dress for school, I enjoyed the part about seeing the pleats of the skirt of the uniform, or the texture of the sweater, the uniformity of the colours seemed interesting to me. But when I felt the magic of textiles was the first day I visited the Textile Museum of Oaxaca. The colours, the embroidery, the texture of the of exhibited canvases - they looked like a dream to me.
Can you put into words what you love about textiles?
The ability to make the images of my mind real, the sensations that a texture, a colour, or an embroidery can produce, and the emotions that I can put into the material. I believe that the capacity a textile has is infinite.
If you make textiles, where is your most inspiring space/place to create?
Inspiration sometimes happens in the least expected times and places - at the market, on a trip to the mountains, on a morning walk, on the bus on the way to work - but when it comes to creating, the place I like the most is my white table in my workshop, like a blank canvas that I can use in a chaotic way.
What has inspired you recently? This could be a book, film or an exhibition you have seen or an artist/designer you admire.
I recently discovered a series called the wheel of time and I have been fascinated by their outfits - some with Asian references - even with shibori and pleated details. I find the sewing and design work in each outfit incredible. I have also been searching for contemporary dance projects that have textiles as the main actor, and that's how I found a choreography called Time Lapse Dance by Jody Sperling. I find it very inspiring the way it mixes the art of dance, music and the magic of textiles.
What is your most cherished textile, and why?
I have several but I would choose two. One is a blouse that I made with my first shibori which took me a year to finish because I did it in my free time. When I finished it I wanted it to have a use so I sewed it with crochet to turn it into a blouse and be able to wear it myself, from then on I took my craft more seriously. The second is a shawl that I inherited from my husband's grandmother. It is a silk shawl, and I imagine how much history that garment has. It moves me a lot and it is so precious to me, and I would say to my family too.
Where did you learn your craft?
I learned in different ways. I learned in workshops at the Textile Museum of Oaxaca, I learned by watching textile exhibitions, I learned from master artisans from Teotitlan del Valle, a community in Oaxaca known for its textile art, I learned from online courses and from books. I have learned a lot from mistakes.
-
Further Information:
-
Image Credits:
All images courtesy of Samantha at Kotó