Some history
Hemp originates from the stalk fibers of the Cannabis ruderallis plant. Hemp has been cultivated for thousands of years as fiber and food and it has been cultivated since 8000 BC in the Middle East and China.
I source, recycle old hemp, mainly from Hungarian origin, from other Eastern countries like Slovenia and Ukraine, but also naturally from French origin, for the finer cloths and sheets.
The cultivation of hemp is a part of Hungarian life, the Hungarians have cultivated hemp for generations, it has always been an important source of income for the families.
In the past, hemp was grown in the poorest region of Hungary, the eastern region bordering Transylvania. In this region, there were 2 main cultivation areas: one area for hemp fiber that was harvested before flowering; the other, further south, for seeds and food.
The fiber was broken into fine strands, combed and spun into a continuous cord. This cord was then spun into thicker or thinner strands to make ropes and larger threads, but also into finer or thinner threads to make cloth, often in small widths, which was then sewn by farmers and poor villagers, the gypsies, to make simple clothes, sheets, quilts, agricultural sacks (grain sacks, wheat sacks), threshing cloths, in short, all the linen essential to rural life.
The Hungarians did not have the technology to weave fine, supple fabrics in large widths, and that is why hemp fabrics were often thick, coarsely woven, and irregular, often even with still raw hemp twigs, and always hand-knit with often thick seams.
Most Hungarians had little interest in hemp, its production dropped and few people were aware of its potential. The main cause was and still is the high price of its processing. Even today, there is little modern equipment for breaking the plant, i.e. separating the fiber from the stem. The Hungarians only had the technology to make thick and heavy textiles, usually too rough, yet this fabric is impressive, as it is extremely resistant and used for many purposes.
The variations in the yarn and natural color of truly natural hemp fabric gives these hemp textiles their timeless beauty and style, and it is what I was looking for to my creations, an intemporal, sober and still rustic look with a story to tell.
Hemp remains very exclusive due to low availability and costly production and is one of the strongest natural plant fibers, four times more durable than other natural fibers.
The natural hemp fibers are also resistant to mold, which will help the fabric stay in better condition for longer to offer reduced damage and better reliability.
A true passion for materials and textures
Working with natural fibers, organic materials, like hemp with a history has become for more than 2 years, not only a passion but almost an obsession. Giving them a second life, transforming them, continuing to indirectly support a sector. Today, hemp, tomorrow another natural fiber, according to my travels and discoveries, and my meetings with people…
An aesthetic but also and above all, an eco-responsible approach.
Hemp is above all a “green” plant, according to the original meaning of the term. It is the most sustainable plant on Earth. Some people consider Hemp among one of the greenest fabrics a person can obtain as it offers more responsible and eco-friendly consumption: it uses only a fraction of the water that cotton, and even organic cotton require to grow.
Hemp materials are also great at absorbing moisture, which makes them a great breathable material.
Thanks to it being breathable and non-smelly, this makes it easy to care for and will require less frequent washing. Washing machines have a significant impact on the environment and the need to use them less will further enhance the sustainability of the fabric. Hemp is a remarkable material. It is all-natural and offers as many health benefits as it does for the environment.
Very sensitive to the protection of the environment and to the questioning of overabundance and superfluity, it was therefore an obvious choice for me to recycle all these beautiful materials and old hemp fabrics. My aesthetic choice: to keep them natural in order to sublimate the effects of the weaving and/or the inherent defects of the material and its ageing, or to transform them and dye them in organic and natural colors.
My dyeing’s are made in France with a partner, who since decades dyes and sublimates textiles (new and old) for major Fashion & Haute Couture houses but also for creative craftsmen, like me. They are passionate, and they work in the respect of the environmental standards.
"Our collaboration with Isabelle is based on the respect of her materials, while transforming them thanks to the dye pigments. We started by dyeing small yards and over time Isabelle entrusted us with more and more fabrics. The shades and colors change with each dyeing depending on the piece of hemp she provides us, each fabric reveals its unique aspect. Our common passion will undoubtedly take us to other horizons in order to explore together all the new ecological technologies.”
We work hand in hand and each dye bath is a discovery. The colors I have chosen to develop are muted and timeless.
My wish is to give a feeling of peace and serenity, suggested by the earth colors, the warm tones (dark honey, dark hazelnut, chestnut…), the burnt wood, the bronze green, the chocolate colors…
All these colors for me, underlines the delicacy of a refined atmosphere, close to the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy that I share in my daily life and my lifestyle, with my husband.
