Artisans of the World - Cambodia

ARTISANS OF THE WORLD - CAMBODIA

Artisans can be found all over the world. In the biggest and brightest of cities to the smallest of villages, you are sure to find some artisans. We work hard to empower the artisans we work with, and we decided to create an exclusive collection where the accessories are crafted with artisanal fabrics sourced from various world wide destinations.
Our first Artisans of the World collection's destination was Cambodia!

On a recent vacation in South East Asia, we decided to stop in Cambodia, specifically Angkor Wat. We went to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat and take in the 162.6 hectares of history and beauty. While we were in Cambodia, we knew we had to get our hands on some local fabric and we wanted to purchase it directly from the weaver. After some research and asking around we learned about a silk farm close by so we went to see what this farm was all about and if we could find a fabric suitable for a small collection of accessories.

We were directed to Artisans Angkor which is a semi-public and social Cambodian company established in 1998 working to provide education in artisanal craftsmanship and skills to locals. Artisans Angkor pride themselves on providing fair salaries, safe working conditions, education, self-respect, well-being, and many more social advantages for their employees. They have workshops based in Siem Reap and in the countryside teaching locals artisanal skills such as stone and wood carving, lacquering, silver plating and silk painting.

After meeting the Artisans Angkor team we were able to take a tour of their Angkor Silk Farm where they have 5 hectares of mulberry trees. While on our tour we were able to see first hand the artisanal and meticulous silk cultivation, hand spinning, hand weaving, and dyeing processes. The attention to detail and dexterity that goes into these acts is awe-inspiring. We were lucky enough to take some photos of the artisans in their natural state working with their best tools, their skilled hands.

At the Angkor Silk Farm, we went ahead and purchased a small collection of their hand weaved silk fabrics directly from the weaver. Buying the woven materials directly from the weaver who's hands cultivated and spun the material is in our opinion is the best option for ethical and transparent sourcing. There's not much more artisanal or personal than that!

Once the vacation was over and we were back in Italy we brought the lovely new silk materials to our workshop and had our skilled artisans create a small number collection of ties and pocket squares. The exclusivity of these pieces highlights just how special this fabric is.

Shop the exclusive Artisans of the World Cambodia Collection:

Learn more about Artisans Angkor on their website: https://www.artisansdangkor.com/.

In our future collections, we will be hunting for more artisanal materials with a story behind them to craft exclusive small number collections. Do you have a destination or fabric in mind that you think 40 Colori should use? If so be sure to leave us a comment below!

Grazie,

The 40 Colori Team'

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