Today, as we celebrate International Women's Day, we honour the women of the Awajún community, whose craftsmanship, leadership, and dedication to preserving their culture are brought to the forefront by filmmaker Emma Håkansson, highlighting their resilience and innovation in sustainable fashion.
SHIRINGA, a short film from Collective Fashion Justice (CFJ), introduces a revolutionary bio-leather created by the Indigenous Awajún community in the Peruvian Amazon. Made from tree sap, this sustainable material offers a renewable alternative to animal-derived leather and fossil fuel-based materials.
Directed by CFJ founder Emma Hakansson, the film follows the journey of shiringa bio-leather, from its origins in the rainforest to its development at Lima's Caxacori Studio. SHIRINGA also shines a spotlight on Awajún women, Doris and Rosalia, who explain the cultural and environmental importance of their community's work with this age-old material.
Shifting away from traditional leather production, shiringa provides the fashion industry with a durable, water-resistant, and flexible solution. At the same time, it helps the Awajún protect their land from deforestation while supporting economic development.
Already honoured at the Seattle International Fashion Film Festival and the Nature Without Borders International Film Festival, SHIRINGA showcases how fashion can evolve through Indigenous knowledge, ethical practices, and regenerative solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
We caught up with Emma Hakansson in 5 Minutes with a Friend to hear her thoughts on textiles as inspiration in the film, now available for viewing on WaterBear.
Emma, what is your first memory of a textile?
My Farmor (Swedish for my Grandma, specifically my Dad’s Mum) did a lot of sewing, jewellery making and other creative works. She sewed a patched quilt for me, that I slept with from when I was a baby until I was too big to sleep under it – perhaps at about nine. It was cotton, with padding inside, and had ladybirds, flowers and little houses on it. It’s packed away in a memory box now...
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Image Credits:
Lead Image and Images 1/2/3: Courtesy of Emma Emma Håkansson, CFJ