Sewing together past, present, and future, Mantara weaves stories. Founded by Carolina Pavetto, Mantara is a project that centers on the pillars of fair trade and circular design, with a focus on caring for the environment. With each and every thread, Mantara’s rugs give new value to the ancestral techniques used by the artisans of Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
Mantara’s artisans proudly hand make each and every piece, no matter the size. They utilize an ancient sheep’s wool loom weaving technique which is intentionally empathetic to the weavers. This allows their emotions, effort and human error to be present in and a feature of the final product. The artisans’ presence in each woven thread makes Mantara rugs imperfect by nature, and therefore, human.
"We have the tools and knowledge
to spin our own history."
The studio is also dedicated to material honesty and maintaining the integrity of the natural fabrics. Their raw material is harvested with deep respect for the environment. They do not use dyes or subject their wool to any chemical processes. All Mantara dyes are made without chemical colorants. The pink is obtained from plant roots, greens come from the leaves of the Ancoche tree and the color “tea with milk” comes from the bark of Weeping Willow trees. The color clay is obtained from onion peels and their white is 100% natural.
With the planet in greater danger than ever and more doubts than certainties about the future, this is a time to recalculate and place more value on collaborative, sustainable formats. These rugs represent the work of a community that feels respected, valued, and integrated into the circular economic system with which they align themselves. Ultimately, Mantara believes in the creative force of design, in both the fabric they build together with local artisans and the designs that they develop and share throughout the world.
